This study examines the instructional leadership practices of 5 elementary principals as self -reported in recorded semi-structured interviews. The seven claims of instruction leadership as identified by Leithwood, Day, Sammons, Hopkins, Harris, Leithwood, Gu, Brown, Ahtaridou and Kington (2009) were used to frame the interview protocol which is designed to develop a deeper understanding of each principal's practices as instructional leaders in their schools. The data indicated that these principals were committed to their work and undertook specific leadership practices to accomplish school initiatives. However, two leadership practices, distributing leadership and acting as a visionary leader, were not revealed in the data. These findings may indicate a need to study the impact of the dual role of manager and instructional leader and of divisional culture on the work of school principals. In addition, there is no reference within the model with respect to what constitutes good teaching and learning and therefore it is not useful in determining and/or assessing leadership behaviours related to these areas. As such, Leithwood’s model may benefit from closer examination in order to provide a broad and clearly articulated set of guidelines for assessing instructional leadership practices.

There is no abstract available for this thesis.

The purposes of the study were to (1) demonstrate that due to the increased demand for vocational education on the secondary level, the high school principal must take a more active role in vocational education, and (2) determine what knowledge or information the vocational directors of Indiana believed the principals should have in order to provide a stronger vocational delivery system.Vocational education students represent thirty percent of the total high school population in Indiana. Enrollment of secondary school students in Indiana vocational education programs have increased steadily since 1967, with an increase of ninety-eight percent. With thirty percent of high school students involved in vocational education, the secondary school administrator must take a more active role in the administration of vocational education. The secondary school administrator needs to provide for a smooth transition from the high school environment to the vocational centers.FindingsThe following selected findings were based upon the data of the study:1. The major emphasis of vocational education in Indiana is concentrated on an area center level.2. The findings indicated 90.4 percent of the vocational directors and 87.6 percent of the high school principals surveyed did graduate work leading to a vocational director's license and secondary administrator's license in Indiana.3. The average number of graduate classes in educational administration and supervision completed by the vocational directors was 2.9.4. The average number of graduate classes completed by high school principals concerning vocational education was .06, less than one class.5. The vocational directors believed that the high school principals should be more knowledgeable about vocational education than the high school principals perceptions indicated by the principals.ConclusionsThe following conclusions were based upon the findings and data of the study:1. High school principals did not have the knowledge, concerning vocational education, that was believed necessary for the principals to have in order to strengthen the vocational delivery system.2. Cooperation and communication between the high school principals and vocational directors was viewed as weak and ineffective.3. High school principals are not being prepared to meet the vocational needs of high school students.4. There is evidence of limited or no communication between the State Board of Vocational and Technical Education, the Division of Vocational Education and the high school principals.5. High school principals have limited opportunities to contribute in planning and implementation of vocational education at the area vocational centers and state administration level.6. State teacher certification patterns do not include vocational education in the requirements for the secondary school administration and supervision license.

The purpose of the study was to conduct an analysis of due process held by selected Indiana secondary school principals. Specifically, the study was to provide an overview of the following:1. The current status of secondary school principals in regard to due process.2. The desired status of secondary school principals in regard to due process.3. The procedures necessary for secondary school principals to obtain due process.Data for the study were obtained through a survey questionnaire which was developed and mailed to 100 randomly selected Indiana secondary school principals. Information for the questionnaire was obtained through the study of instruments reared by professional associations, a review of literature, and known concerns of a select panel of secondary school principals. The information was then embodied into the 31 item questionnaire. Ninety-two useable questionnaires were received and used in the study.Major findings of the study were:1. Forty-three principals were contracted for one year while sixteen principals held three year contracts.2. Thirty-four principals reported that notification or renewal or non-renewal of contracts was received on or before April 30th.3. Fifty-five principals indicated they did not administer under a written job description.4. While 25 principals indicated a written evaluation of their job was received, 57 principals indicated the evaluation of performance was verbal or non-existent.5. Thirteen of the principals indicated the non-renewal of a contract had been experienced and twelve of the thirteen indicated a school board hearing was not granted, an opportunity to defend decision was not given, nor were written reasons for the non-renewal of the contract received by the principal.Major conclusions of the study were: Current Due Process1. The Indiana secondary school principal lacks statutory recognition that provides for early notice of the renewal or non-renewal of contract.2. The majority of the principals lack a written job description and two thirds were not involved in the development of the job description.3. The majority of the principals are not involved in the development of the evaluation instrument.4. The principals usually are not given a hearing nor an opportunity to defend administrative decisions when faced with non-renewal of the contract.5. Principals are usually dismissed without receiving the reasons in writing.Desired Due Process1. Indiana secondary school principals solidly indicated that the most important requirement for due process is sound personnel procedures to channel complaints and the right to provide a fair response.2. Indiana secondary school principals want the right of early notification when faced with the non-renewal of the contract.3. The principals want the opportunity to a fair and impartial hearing before the school board prior to receiving a dismissal notice.4. Principals want the right to be furnished with written, documented charges when faced with dismissal.The following recommendations are based upon the evidence established by research findings and conclusions in this study:The Indiana secondary school principal:1. Should belong to the Indiana Association of Junior and Senior High School Principals for professional support in the position.2. Should initiate and support strong legislation which will aid in establishing the entity of the principal and provide a legal basis for clearly marking out the bounds of principal rights and responsibilities and asserting his authority.3. Should be involved in developing a written job description of performance objectives and criteria which will provide a more objective and less subjective review of the work of the principal.4. Should be given a yearly evaluation in writing based upon a professional evaluation instrument.5. Should be given early notice based on Indiana principal law when faced with the non-renewal of a contract.6. Should be given the opportunity for a fair and impartial hearing before the school board to defend administrative decisions when faced with the non-renewal of a contract.7. Should be given written, documented reasons, non-arbitrary and non-capricious, when faced with the non-renewal of a contract.8. Should be given a multiple year contract, renewal each year, to provide stability and security in the principalship.

This study had three purposes. The first purpose dealt with identifying the major role of the elementary school principal in curricular development as reported in professional literature. The second purpose was to determine if those curricular development practices reported in the literature were utilized in actual practice by selected elementary school principals on a self-reporting instrument. The third purpose determined the degree to which the principals considered the practices sound. The research design used in this study included the following procedures: (1) identifying the major role of the elementary school principal in curricular development; (2) selection of the school corporations to be studied; corporation; (4) preparation and refinement of the data gathering instrument; (5) data gathering activities; and (6) treatment of the data.School corporations with total student populations of two thousand or less were identified through The Report of Statistical Information for Indiana School Corporations, School Year 1967-68. School corporations with more than elementary school principal in a relatively small district was the prime focus of the investigation. There were 91 school corporations in the State of Indiana that had total student populations of two thousand within each corporation having the vertical organizationof K-6, 1-6, K-5, and 1-5 as identified in The Indiana School Directory. In order to assure that only elementary principals participated in the study, any elementary school that deviated from the K-6, 1-6, K-5, or 1-5 structure was excluded from the study. A printed questionnaire was sent to 169 elementary school principals in the State of Indiana. Of this number, 136 usable questionnaires were returned. This represented 80.5 per cent of the total population. Based on the findings of this study, the following conclusions have been reached.Elementary school principal conferences with the faculty on ideas and suggestions of curricular areas to be studied were a common occurrence in most schools. Teachers, however, were not provided with released time to work on two thousand students were excluded because the role of the or less. The study was limited to elementary schoolsacademic curricular areas. There was little agreement among principals that released time for teachers to work on curriculum was a worthwhile practice. Elementary school principals were seldom involved in reworking courses of study or curriculum guides. Many principals questioned the soundness of the practice since it added very little to the improvement of instruction. Elementary school principals report that they are serving the needs of teachers by acting as resource persons in the classroom.There was little indication that principals were encouraging teachers to make visitations inside or outside the school in order to observe various teaching methods.Elementary school principals favored providing an educational program for the exceptional child. Conducting weekly visits to classrooms should enable principals to become better acquainted with on-going programs being developed in the classroom.Workshops are an effective means of increasing the teaching skills of teachers. It should be the principal's responsibility to provide the necessary motivation for in-service workshops.There appears to be agreement toward delegating more responsibility for the amelioration of instruction to the building principal. The principal is more likely to be effective if he is perceived as symbolizing the values and purposes of the teachers he leads.To be an effective leader, the principal must be knowledgeable about the range of leadership behavior available, the primary responsibilities of his forces influencing his actions. According to the research, the better the principal understands those factors, the more accurately he can determine appropriate leadership behavior.If teachers perceive that they are influential in the curriculum decision-making process, this will increase the likelihood of curriculum implementation. A cooperative process involving teachers should be characterized by a concerted effort by principals to solicit actively and consider seriously the opinions of classroom teachers.

The purpose of the study was to identify differences in role expectations held by selected referent groups of the bilingual education principal in Indiana. Referent groups in the study included:1) Bilingual education program directors.2) Non-bilingual education program directors.3) Bilingual education principals.4) Non-bilingual education principals.5) Bilingual education teachers.6) Non-bilingual education teachers.A twenty-three item questionnaire containing functions important to the role of the bilingual education principal was used to gather perceptions from the six educational referent groups. The null hypothesis was tested using Chisquare. The .05 level of significance was established as the critical probability level for the nonacceptance of the hypothesis.Findings1. The six referent groups were found to be in general agreement when the role of the bilingual education principal was treated generically.2. Several areas of significance appeared when bilingual groups versus non-bilingual groups were examined.3. Major differences appeared as non-bilingual groups expected more principal involvement in planning, directing, and managing while bilingual groups expected more involvement by the principal in the change agent function.4. The demographic factor of national origin produced a significant difference. Respondents of Hispanic origin expected more from the principal in areas of direct responsibility to bilingual education.ConclusionsThe findings supported much of the previous research on role expectations, role conflict, and leadership. Membership in a particular referent group can be considered a reasonable predictor of certain expectations of the role of a bilingual education principal.Recommendations1. Graduate schools of educational administration should include bilingual education theory, curriculum, and program models in their course requirements.2. Bilingual education principals must have some understanding both of their professional responsibilities for the operation of a school and also for the demands made of them by different referent groups.

The purpose of this study was to develop a valid and reliable instrument to assess elementary school principals' in the reading program. The findings confirm that the Cramer Inventory of Principal Involvement in Reading is such an instrument.A review of the literature yielded a list of 93 behaviors principals exhibit while working with the school reading program. A questionnaire consisting of these behaviors was mailed to 199 elementary school administrators in the United States Department of Defense Dependents Schools in West Germany (DoDDS-G). The administrators were asked to indicate the level of implementation of each of the 93 behaviors. Of the 199 questionnaires mailed, 147 were returned (73.8 percent). The 30 behaviors which best correlated with the total test were retained for the final instrument, the Cramer Inventory of Principal Involvement in Reading. This instrument was mailed to the principals and fourth-grade teachers of 15 randomly-selected DoDDS-G schools. Of the 15 principal questionnaires mailed, 10 were returned (66.6 percent). Of the 34 teacher questionnaires, 16 were returned (40.7 percent). A pairwise comparison of the 7 principal responses and the corresponding 13 teacher responses from their schools indicated significant differences in the two groups' perceptions of the role of the elementary school principal in the reading program.The following conclusions were supported by the findings of this study: (1) Principals' involvement in the elementary school reading program involves interacting with three populations: students, parents, and teachers. While interacting with these three populations, the principal supervises the curriculum and the instructional practices, sets and maintains high expectations, establishes a positive school climate, and monitors and assesses student performance. (2) Of the three populations--students, teachers, and parents-elementary school administrators perceive themselves as most involved with teachers in the school reading program. Involvement with parents is rated below involvement with teachers but above involvement with students. (3) Elementary school principals perceive their involvement in the reading program as greater than the teachers' perception of that involvement. (4) Elementary school principals rate their involvement in the school reading program lower when they are aware that their ratings will be compared to the ratings of teachers in their schools. / Department of Elementary Education

The specific purposes of this study were (1) to develop a profile of the Indiana secondary school assistant principal and, (2) to test two hypotheses relative to the duties of the assistant principal.As a result of a review of the research and literature related to the assistant principalship and consultation with professional educators, a questionnaire was developed which included twenty-five items to gather demographic data and seventy-nine duties in the areas of school administration and management, curriculum and instruction, pupil personnel, and staff personnel. The research instrument also included a section for rank order of importance of duties and a percentage of time spent in each of the four areas incorporating the seventy-nine duties.The data derived from the questionnaire were analyzed to determine (1) demographic data pertaining to the position (2) duties for which the assistant principals have full responsibility (3) duties for which assistant principals have shared responsibility (4) duties for which assistant principals have no responsibility (5) duties which assistant principals believe that they should be involved in (6) duties assistant principals feel they should not be involved in (7) the rank-order ofimportance of the duties as perceived by the assistant principals, and (8) the percentage of working time spent by the assistant principals in the areas of school administration, and management, curriculum and instruction, pupil personnel, and staff personnel.The analyzed data indicated the following:l. There are few duties for which assistant principals have full responsibility. 2. Assistant principals have shared responsibility in practically all duties involved in the operation of the school.3. In general, the assistant principals are in agreement with the assignment of duties and feel that they should be involved in the performance of the majority of the duties.4. The five duties that the assistant principals are involved in performing and consider the most important are pupil attendance, running the school in absence of the principal, preparation of the master schedule, direction of the athletic program, and pupil discipline.5. The majority of assistant principal's working time is spent in the areas of pupil personnel, and administration and management.6. There is practically no correlation between the duties in which the assistant principal is involved and the size of the population of the school.7. There is practically no correlation between the duties in which the assistant principal is involved and the type of school (Rural, Small City, Suburban, Urban).8. In general, the assistant principalship is being filled by a young, married, family man with at least a Master's degree. His first entry into the field of administration came early in his career. He has been an assistant principal a short time and was a classroom teacher immediately before moving to the present position. The persons interested in a new position are interested in becoming a high school principal.

This study examines the instructional leadership practices of 5 elementary principals as self -reported in recorded semi-structured interviews. The seven claims of instruction leadership as identified by Leithwood, Day, Sammons, Hopkins, Harris, Leithwood, Gu, Brown, Ahtaridou and Kington (2009) were used to frame the interview protocol which is designed to develop a deeper understanding of each principal's practices as instructional leaders in their schools. The data indicated that these principals were committed to their work and undertook specific leadership practices to accomplish school initiatives. However, two leadership practices, distributing leadership and acting as a visionary leader, were not revealed in the data. These findings may indicate a need to study the impact of the dual role of manager and instructional leader and of divisional culture on the work of school principals. In addition, there is no reference within the model with respect to what constitutes good teaching and learning and therefore it is not useful in determining and/or assessing leadership behaviours related to these areas. As such, Leithwood’s model may benefit from closer examination in order to provide a broad and clearly articulated set of guidelines for assessing instructional leadership practices.

The purpose of this study was to describe the process used to select elementary school principals in Quebec. / The results of the study indicated that the majority of school boards do not have written selection policies and procedures to guide the selection of elementary school principals. In addition, the majority of school boards do not have written job descriptions, written selection criteria or written selection techniques. / Although there was an absence of written job descriptions, respondents considered educational leadership as the main expectation for elementary school principals. / In the absence of written selection criteria, it was noted that respondents had criteria that they felt were important for the elementary school principalship. The three most important personal selection criteria were decision-making skills, human relations skills and communication skills. / The results of this study indicated that the director-general and the director of human resources were the main participants in the selection committee. However, the final employment decision was primarily the responsibility of the school commissioners. / The interview was the most common technique used by respondents in this study. / Respondents were satisfied with their selection process and do not plan to revise this process. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)