The purposes of this study were to describe how high school department chairpersons spend their time and to examine preferences as to the role they should have in a large urban school system as perceived by principals, department chairpersons, and teachers. The research questions were as follows: (1) How do department chairpersons spend their time in the areas of supervision, curriculum, personnel, management, staff development, communication, and other areas? (2) To what degree do principals, department chairpersons, and teachers believe department chairpersons should be responsible for tasks in the areas of supervision, curriculum, personnel, management, staff development, communication, and other areas? (3) What are the discrepancies between department chairpersons, principals, and teachers in terms of reported time spent by department chairpersons and the degree of responsibility they believed department chairpersons should have in supervision, curriculum, personnel, management, staff development, communication, and other areas? This study was conducted in the District of Columbia Public School System during the 1989-90 School Year. It included ten of the eleven public full-time academic high schools. The population of this study consisted of principals, department chairpersons, and teachers. The data for this study were collected through the use of a descriptive survey. The results from the data analysis suggested the following major findings: (1) high school department chairpersons spend a greater amount of their time in managerial roles, performing such tasks as planning and conducting departmental meetings, preparing and monitoring departmental budgets, arranging for repairs and replacement of equipment, ordering supplies and equipment, maintaining inventory, completing forms, and gathering information; (2) principals, department chairpersons, and teachers believed that a high degree of responsibility of the department chairperson should be in encouraging, stimulating, and motivating teachers; (3) There were statistically significant differences between department chairpersons, principals, and teachers in relation to the reported time spent by department chairpersons and the degree of responsibility they believed department chairpersons should spend on various tasks. / Ed. D.