Not available / text

Through the utilization of school discipline policies, millions of students nationwide have been harshly disciplined and/or removed from the regular school setting – with lasting impact on both students and their communities. With regards to discretionary school discipline policies, those tasked with implementing them – both at the district and school level, as well as in the classroom – could have a real influence on the outcomes of the policies, due to the basic viewpoints and interpretations that each policy administrator brings to the table. In other words, the way administrators make sense of discipline – including their interpretation of its purpose or efficacy – may be a key factor in the policy implementation process and in policy outcomes (including the over-use of discretionary policies and an over-reliance on more punitive consequences), something to be considered by those examining implementation and outcomes. This study explores the role of principals’ and assistant principals’ own viewpoints in the execution of such policies – specifically, in an urban school district in Texas – which no research has solely and fully touched on in Texas prior to this study. This researcher has sought to examine and explain the potential relationships between the following: a) middle and high school administrators’ interpretation of discretionary school discipline policies (including administrators’ views about purpose and efficacy to provide this researcher with context for each administrator); b) these administrators’ understandings about the factors (“affinities”/themes) that may influence their actual implementation of discipline policies (including both school-specific conditions and student-specific characteristics); and c) the rate of disciplinary actions taken by schools, in comparison to the predicted rate of such action. To provide an examination and explanation of administrators’ interpretation of, as well as the drivers behind, their implementation of discretionary school discipline policies, this researcher has utilized a qualitative research method highly informed by Interactive Qualitative Analysis (IQA), which also incorporates a quantitative data component. This researcher hopes that this study will allow for a broadened discussion of alternative ways of thinking – including considerations of effective alternative programming and strategies – that administrators can employ when dealing with students determined to be problems in the classroom. / text

No description available.

This study examines issues related to women's leadership and administrative roles in higher educational settings where information technologies have a prominent function. In so doing, it addresses a relatively new area in leadership. The study focuses on four main questions: Are there parallels between feminist leadership styles and a new evolving field for leaders in technology? Is there something about technology that lends itself to female leadership styles? Has technology helped validate women's styles of leadership? What does that mean to women entering the field now? / Six women administrators, interviewed over a three-month period spoke on such issues as formal and informal relationships, collaborative team building, and getting the job done. This qualitative study focuses on educational leadership as a process rather than a product, and strives to gain a deeper understanding of the day-to-day experiences and leadership practices of women administrators in education. Drawing from feminist research studies, organizational theory and studies on women in educational leadership, the study offers to expand the existing discourse in educational leadership by documenting the ways this particular group of women practice leadership.

This study compared the differences in success rates of urban black and white women elementary, middle, and junior high school principals in obtaining the first principalship position and functioning in the principalship role during the first year.ProcedureA twenty-two-item closed-form and open-form type questionnaire was developed, tested, and mailed to a selected sample of 173 urban black and white women elementary, middle, and junior high school principals from three selected urban areas located in the Western and Midwestern regions of the United States. Responses were received from 112 (65 percent) of the recipients. The instrument was designed to elicit personal and professional data pertaining to problems encountered in obtaining the first principalship position and functioning in the role of the principal during the first year. Data were analyzed according to similar and dissimilar percentages of responses. of black and white women principals. The most serious problems experienced by principals in obtaining the first administrative position were forms of discrimination and male and female resentment. More white women principals experienced racial and sexual discrimination than black women principals primarily because more white principals than black principals had an opportunity to be interviewed in minority as well as nonminority communities. Usually the interview committee members as well as community members in minority neighborhoods preferred either a minority or a male principal regardless of race. More black principals experienced male and female resentment.The most serious problems encountered during the first year of the principalship included: (1) inadequate facilities, supplies, and equipment; (2) ineffective staff; (3) lack of experience in handling administrative responsibilities; (4) racial prejudice; (5) unwillingness of staff members to follow school integration guidelines; (6) time distribution between family and administrative responsibilities; and (7) family resentment toward job. More black women principals than white women principals were married and had an even greater problem in fulfilling home responsibilities.The most successful methods used by the principals to manage the problems encountered included: (1) using good time management and organizational strategies, (2) hiring household help, and (3) promoting and encouraging staff involvement in decision-making processes. / Department of Secondary, Higher, and Foundations of Education

The purpose of this study was to investigate administrators' perceptions of their evaluations by school boards in larger Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) schools. Critical questions about the evaluation practices of ACSI schools were addressed. Through the use of survey methodology, 282 administrators in ACSI schools of over 400 students were asked to respond to 19 questions. The first question asked whether or not the administrator had been evaluated. The next two questions pertained to written policies and practices that define the administrator's evaluation. The remaining questions explored the nature and extent of evaluations that had been conducted. Answers to these questions provide information crucial to developing more effective practices for ACSI school board members to follow in the evaluation of chief administrators.This study produced seven major findings:1) Most larger ACSI schools (91.4%) had written job descriptions for the chief administrator.2) Most larger ACSI schools (60.2%) did not have a formal policy for evaluating the chief administrator.3) Most existing policies (67%) did not specify a procedure to be followed for evaluating a chief administrator.4) Most chief administrators in larger ACSI schools (61.3%) had been evaluated by their school boards.5) Most administrators (56.9%) reported that their evaluations were informal.6) Geographic location did not appear to have an effect on practices used for evaluating chief administrators.7) The chief administrator's length of time in the current position did not appear to have an effect on practices used for evaluating chief administrators.In general, results suggested a dissatisfaction with the present state of evaluation. ACSI schools were less likely than public schools to have formal policies in place to govern board evaluation of a chief administrator. Finally, ACSI school boards were less likely than public school boards to evaluate their chief administrators.Three recommendations evolved from this study:1) Further research needs to be conducted concerning administrator and board evaluation in larger ACSI schools.2) ACSI could play a key role in helping member schools improve in the area of board evaluation of the chief school administrator.3) Larger ACSI schools need to improve policy and practice in the area of administrator evaluation. / Department of Educational Leadership

The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between age, teaching experience, and major degree preparation area of the last degree earned of senior high school women teachers in Indiana and their motivation to pursue administrative careers. A second purpose was to report the opinions of women teachers relative to perceived opportunity to actively seek a position in administration at the senior high. school and/or central office level.An opinionnaire was designed to solicit responses from female senior high school teachers in Indiana concerning age, years of teaching experience, major degree preparation area of the last degree earned and their motivation to pursue administrative careers. Women teachers were asked to respond to questions requiring personal opinions on mentoring, relocating to assume an administrative position, interview opportunities for administrative positions, and the perceived reasons administrative positions were denied the respondent. In addition, the teachers were asked to state perceived opinions regarding the opportunity for women to actively seek an administrative career at the senior high school and/or central office level.One thousand names of women teachers in Indiana senior high schools, grade 9 through grade 12, were drawn by the Bureau of Educational Research from computer lists at the Department of Public Instruction. Six hundred twenty-two teachers responded to the opinionnaire.The responses to all questions soliciting demographic information were reported by number and percentage in three categories:1. Total number of respondents,2. Women who indicated an interest in pursuing administrative careers, and3. Women who stated they were disinterested in administrative careers in education.Responses to open-ended questions were separated into the following two categories and reported by percentage and/or number:1. Women who indicated an interest in pursuing administrative careers, and2. Women who stated they were disinterested in administrative careers in education.The following major findings were derived from the analysis of data:1. Of the 622 respondents, 142 respondents or 22.8 percent indicated an interest in pursuing administrative careers in senior high schools or central administration offices.2. Sixty-eight and four-tenths of the women interested in administration as a career were younger than 40 years of age.3. The largest number of respondents in each group, women who indicated an interest in administrative careers and women who indicated a disinterest in administrative careers, had taught from 5 to 15 years.4. The largest number of respondents in each group, women who indicated an interest in administrative careers and women who indicated a disinterest in administrative careers, reported the English degree as the major preparation of the last degree earned.5. Sixty-six and three-tenths of the 622 respondents indicated a lack of encouragement from administrators in their home district in regard to pursuing administrative careers.6. Twenty-one percent of the respondents perceived the major reason women have not pursued administration careers was due to family responsibilities.7. Eleven and seven-tenths percent of the respondents perceived the socialization process imposed on the American female as reason women have not pursued careers in school administration.8. Of the respondents who indicated an interest in pursuing careers in school administration, none cited family responsibilities as a limiting factor in the pursuit of an administrative career.

Thesis ( Ed.D. )--Illinois State University, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 177-197) and abstract.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2007. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on March 4, 2008) Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Diss. Stockholm : Stockholms universitet, 2007.