The primary aim of this study was to produce materials on ethics which could be used in the preparation of practicing and potential principals. To examine the views of secondary school principals involved in the study, twenty scenarios were developed which portrayed situations that principals typically encounter. School divisions in Virginia were divided into four categories according to enrollment and the number of secondary schools in the division. Ten schools from each classification were randomly selected, and on-site interviews were conducted with each principal in which four of the scenarios and a survey form were employed to collect information. Responses of the principals to the scenarios were transcribed, analyzed and distilled. The scenarios and responses became the foundation for the development of a primer on ethics for use in administrative in-service workshops and principal preparation programs. The primer was used in designing and presenting in-service programs on ethics for the administrative staffs of two school divisions. Responses by principals to situations presented during the study and the in-service programs indicate that practicing and potential school administrators would benefit by having ethics included as a fundamental part of their professional preparation program. / Ed. D.

published_or_final_version / abstract / Education / Master / Master of Education

This study examines the educational and professional backgrounds, opinions, practices, and working conditions of Arizona school superintendents with respect to their districts' reading programs. The questions investigated for this study were: (1) What are the educational, professional and reading backgrounds of Arizona school superintendents? (2) What professional organizations and publications appear to be most influential for Arizona school superintendents? (3) What are the expressed important tasks of Arizona superintendents? (4) Who advises Arizona school superintendents about reading matters? (5) What criteria do Arizona school superintendents use to select advisors in the area of reading? (6) What methods do Arizona school superintendents use to evaluate their reading programs? (7) What are the opinions of Arizona school superintendents regarding the effectiveness of their district reading programs? (8) What solutions to the reading problems of their districts do Arizona school superintendents propose? (9) What negative factors do Arizona school superintendents believe influence their districts' reading programs? A stratified, randomized sample of (36) Arizona school superintendents was selected to participate in the study. Twenty-nine superintendents actually participated. Superintendents tended to hold advanced degrees, and a majority of them had earned doctorates. Their advanced degrees were usually in education administration, while their undergraduate degrees were very diverse. They tended to have few if any hours in reading courses. They did not read journals devoted to reading, nor did they attend reading conferences. Their reading advisors did not tend to be reading specialists, although superintendents stated that they valued "reading knowledge" and "reading experience" in their advisors. The solutions to superintendents' reading program difficulties tended to be external solutions, rather than solutions which could be implemented by themselves. A variety of other findings are reported in the study.

The study was undertaken to identify factors which lead to the selection of females as public school superintendents. Previous studies in current literature appeared to concentrate on negative aspects of female exclusion in administration. Four categories encompassing possible influential factors were studied. Those categories were, (1) family influence, (2) role models, (3) motivation, and (4) personal characteristics. In order to compare female perception of these factors, a random sample of male superintendents was selected to determine whether perceptions were similar or different from those of the female superintendents. In the family influence category, the male and female sample population considered themselves most like their fathers in character and personality while a smaller percentage of male and female respondents indicated a similarity to their mothers. In the Role Model category, both male and female superintendents generally attributed their career decisions to the influence of family and non-family role models, sponsors, and mentors. In the Motivation category, both sexes appeared to be highly motivated by the desire to influence policy, and to better themselves. The majority of both sexes also agreed that they have not yet reached their ultimate career goals in educational administration. In the category of Personal Characteristics, there was little, if any, difference between male and female respondents. The male and female superintendents, as separate and combined groups, ranked four personal characteristics in the same order of importance: (1) qualifications, (2) administration experience, (3) knowledge, and (4) education. On the whole, there does not seem to be a significant difference in any of the categories; however, in specific items within each category a significant difference can be observed. Several conclusions can be drawn following this study. Because existing literature on positive influential factors is limited, this can be considered a new area. The researcher is hesitant to generalize from the conclusions about the entire public school superintendent population. The literature reveals several studies have been done to find personal characteristics common to male and female administrators. Finally, one might conclude that most of the population of superintendents may be found to have the same characteristics.

M.Ed. / It became apparent in this study that persuasive communication can play an important part in managerial communication. Persuasive communication implies that appeals are made to reason (logos) and emotion (pathos) to change a given attitude for the benefit of the organization and the individual. This can only be achieved if the trustworthiness (ethos) of the persuader can be relied upon. Persuasion is not a coercive measure - the persuadee is led to change his attitude on his own initiative ...

M.Ed. / The inability of the school to react or adapt swiftly to changes in society, poses the challenge to the principal, as the organizer and leader of his school, to develop built-in managerial mechanism(s) which will guarantee the constant self-renewal of the school. The following aspects of the problem, which also constitutes the aims of the investigation, were analyzed by means of a study of selected literature, from which some logical conclusions were drawn ...

The study explored successful school leadership practices in challenging contexts: A case study of two secondary schools in Soweto. The study involved two secondary schools in Soweto Township, Gauteng, South Africa. It focused on the roles and responsibilities of principals as leaders of schools in challenging contexts. It aimed to gain insight into how these principals led and managed their schools in order to understand why other township schools consistently performed well, despite the socio-economic status that existed in the township, where other schools failed; how these principals managed to stay on top, their leadership practices and why they made the choices they did. The primary research focus was to explore leadership that contributed to the success of the school. There were three objectives and these were to explore how leaders led and managed their schools. Secondly, the study sought to understand leadership practices of successful school principals and thirdly, to understand if there were special leadership qualities that successful leaders demonstrated. The study adopted a qualitative approach and it used interviews, focus group discussions, documents and observation schedules to gather data. The sample consisted of a mixed gender group of 16 participants. The research findings revealed that principals of the case study schools played an indirect but powerful role towards the school’s success. Further, in the case study schools, leadership was a shared entity. The findings also revealed that the schools succeeded by building and managing relationships, inside and outside the schools. .

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University

Thesis advisor: Joseph O'Keefe / This qualitative case study examined the leadership practices of principals and how central office administrators (COAs) support those practices in one Massachusetts school district. Through the conceptual framework of distributed leadership, this study examined perspectives about the impact of the Massachusetts Model of Educator Evaluation (MMSEE) on principals and how they understood their leadership practices and assessment within the MMSEE. Data included semi-structured interviews with principals, artifacts from the Massachusetts Department of Education, and documents that highlighted how COAs support principals. Findings indicated that principals relied on leadership practices common to distributed leadership such as collaborative work with staff and COAs, and building organizational structures to support instructional improvements. While principals recognized support of their leadership practices from COAs, they expressed inconsistency with expectations and supports given. The study recommends continuation of the professional development plans about instructional goals for principals. / Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2016. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

Thesis advisor: Elizabeth Twomey / This dissertation addresses the negative way that blacks are viewed in mainstream society and how that image affects black educational leaders. Race has been historically used to subordinate blacks in the United States, and research suggests that a key factor in this subordination has been the systematic withdrawal of educational opportunities and access for blacks. This research posits that such racism and discrimination has affected the way blacks have formed their identities, specifically with regard to education. In this multiple-participant case study, black principals were interviewed to determine the ways in which they perceived their racial, cultural, personal, and professional identities to affect their leadership of schools. Findings stated that race heavily affected all areas of participants' identities. Race caused participants to feel more connected to minority students and communities, to advocate high expectations for minority students especially in addition to all other students, and to integrate diversity in the faculty to be representative of all students. Race also made it more difficult for participants to earn the trust and respect of faculty and parents and to discern whether people reacted negatively to their race or to other aspects of their leadership. Suggestions from this study included the inclusion of culture and race-specific coursework in educational leadership programs, increased promotion of diversity in recruitment for educators and educational leaders, and institutionalized support groups for principals of color. Methodological limitations, theoretical considerations, and implications for future research practice, and policy were also discussed. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2009. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Administration.