The primary purpose of this study was to examine the leadership behaviors of Indiana female school superintendents from the perspectives of the superintendents themselves along with members of their school boards. The Kouzes and Posner Leadership Practices Inventory was employed to determine how 30 leadership behaviors are perceived from both groups and how closely their perceptions correlated.Through research findings, the following issues formed the basis for this study:(a) A demographic profile of female superintendents in Indiana; (b) a demographic profile of school board members from Indiana districts in which there was a female superintendent; (c) the extent to which the 30 leadership behaviors were observed and/or practiced; (d) the school board opinions regarding each of the leadership behaviors and whether or not each was considered important.Survey research procedures were used for this study. The survey instrument was adapted from the 2000 Kouzes and Posner Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) that is normally administered to a staff of people including bosses and subordinates. Using the LPI for gathering input from superintendents and school board members is a unique method for this instrument, as the study is designed to be used with leaders and their employees - not the leader and his or her superiors. The study was not used as any type of evaluative procedure and the results were reported as aggregate data. The LPI was reformatted to make it a more reader-friendly survey. This was accomplished by creating a box with the five-point Likert scale for each of the thirty questions. To the left of each of the 30 items, each school board member was to place a check beside any behavior he or she considered an important leadership trait. Demographic questions for superintendents and for school board members that were relevant to the study were developed from the background research. The demographic profiles indicated that both groups were much like the national average, predominantly white and married with an average age of both groups in the early fifties.Board members and female superintendents were closely aligned in their perceptions of her leadership behaviors. However, superintendents rated themselves slightly higher in the behaviors than their school boards. The null hypothesis was rejected in that differences were discovered between the means of female school superintendents and members of school boards as to their perceptions of the five subscales in all except Encouraging the heart.The final facet of this study was to collect input from the members of the school boards as to the importance of the thirty leadership behaviors. The board member was instructed to place a check beside its description for each of the descriptions that he or she felt was an important leadership trait. The most highly regarded behavior, according to school board members was: Treats people with dignity and respect (62%). Other leadership behaviors that were marked frequently included: Follows through on promises and commitments (57%), Sets personal example of expectations from others (55%), closely followed by Develops cooperative relationships with the team (54%). / Department of Educational Leadership

The problem of the study was to determine if a relationship existed between selected characteristics of Indiana public school corporations and the occurrence of impasse with teacher units during the process of collective bargaining in 1975.The fifteen selected characteristics of Indiana public school corporations chosen for the study were: student enrollment; average student-teacher ratio; adjusted assessed valuation per resident average daily attendance; annual net current operating expenditures per year end average daily attendance; mean age of teachers; age of the superintendent of schools; mean educational training of teachers; educational training of the superintendent of schools; mean educational experience of teachers; educational experience of the superintendent of schools; the location within a specific school corporation of the Uni-Sere office of the Indiana State Teachers-Association; past impasse history; the identification of a school corporation as being urban, suburban or rural; and he differential occupation of the school board spokesperson on the collective bargaining team.Data for the fifteen selected characteristics were obtained from the Indiana Department of Public Instruction, the Indiana Education Employment Relations Board and the Indiana School Boards Association. A General Null Hypothesis and fifteen Null-Sub-Hypotheses were formulated to test the relationship between selected characteristics of Indiana public school corporations and the occurrence of impasse during 1975. Of the 305 Indiana public school corporations, 246, or 85 per cent were utilized in the study.The multiple point-biserial correlation was used to test the General Null Hypothesis to determine if a relationship existed between the fifteen selected characteristics and the occurrence of impasse during 19.7.5. The point-biserial correlation was utilized to determine the relationship of eleven of the selected characteristics. The chi-square test of independence was used to test the remaining four selected characteristics. The hypotheses were rejected if either of three statistical treatments reached the .05 level of confidence.A significant relationship was found between selected characteristics of Indiana public school corporations and the occurrence of impasse in 1975. The following four characteristics were significant:1. The mean student enrollment was significantly larger for Indiana public school hcorporations that experienced impasse in 1975. There was a relationship between student enrollment and the occurrence of impasse.2. The majority of the school corporations that experienced impasse in 1974 also experienced impasse in 1975. The number of school corporations experiencing impasse in 1575 was greater than the number experiencing impasse in 1974. The number of schoc_ corporations not experiencing impasse in 1974 decreased in 1975. There was a relationship between past impasse history and the occurrence of impasse.3. Indiana public school corporations having teacher units exclusively represented by the Indiana State Teachers Association or the Indiana Federation of Teachers in 1975 significantly experienced impasse more frequently than teacher units that were represented by another teacher organization. There was a relationship between the exclusive representative for teachers and the occurrence of impasse.4. Indiana public school corporations categorized as being urban in 1975 significantly had more impasse occurrences than suburban or rural school corporations. Suburban school corporations significantly had more impasse occurrences than rural school corporations. There was a relationship between an urban, suburban and rural Indiana public school corporation and the occurrence of impasse.In 1975, Indiana public school corporations with larger student enrollments located inurban areas had a greater tendency to experience impasse in the process of collective bargaining than corporations with smaller enrollments located in suburban or rural areas. The likelihood of Indiana public school corporations experiencing impasse in subsequent years was greater after the initial experience with the impasse process. Indiana public school corporations having teacher units exclusively represented by the Indiana State Teachers Association or the Indiana Federation of Teachers were more likely to experience impasse in 1975.

The purpose of the study was to investigate and report the effectiveness of theprofessional negotiator concerning the results of teacher-school board negotiations as perceived by randomly selected Pennsylvania school superintendents.A questionnaire was constructed and distributed to 104 randomly selected Pennsylvania school superintendents. A total of eighty-seven superintendents completed and returned the questionnaire. The responses of the superintendents to the questionnaire were used to determine: the degree to which thirty-one selected variables were negotiated into the 1973-74 teacher-school board contracts; the extent of the employment of professional negotiators by selected Pennsylvania school boards; the impact of the professional negotiator on teacher-school board contracts in selected Pennsylvania school districts and the value of the employment of a professional negotiator as perceived by randomly selected Pennsylvania school superintendents.The returned questionnaires were divided into two categories. One category consisted of responses from superintendents representing school boards who employed a professional negotiator; the second category involved responses from superintendents representing school boards who did not employ a professional negotiator. The superintendents of school districts in which a professional negotiator was employed were requested to respond to questions related to general characteristics of the school district, results of the negotiating process, and information related to the professional negotiator. The superintendents of school districts in which a professional negotiator was not employed were requested to respond to questions related to the general characteristics of the school district and the results of the negotiating process.Professional negotiators were employed by approximately 40 percent of the school boards included in the sample. The greater the pupil enrollment the greater the probability the school board employed a professional negotiator. Most professional negotiators reported in the study were trained to be attorneys. The employment of a professional negotiator by the school board delayed the date of agreement upon a contract and increased the probability that the negotiations arrived at impasse. Professional negotiators negotiated a broader range of variables into the teacher-school board contracts than other school board negotiators. The average minimum and maximum teacher salaries at selected levels were higher in school districts represented by a professional negotiator than in school districts not represented by a professional negotiator. The most frequently given reason for employing a professional negotiator was to reduce teacher-administrator tension. Over 90 percent of the superintendents included in the sample expressed satisfaction with the professional negotiator employed by the school board.

The purpose o f this study was to : (1) identify the procedures used by Indiana school boards in the selection of a school superintendent, and (2) determine the effective procedures used by school boards in the selection of a school superintendent.Procedure UsedThe study was limited to those Indiana school corporations which had selected a new superintendent in the 1973 calendar year. Thirty-four school corporations met the criteria; however, thirty superintendents responded to the questionnaire. To secure information on the effective procedures used, an interview guide was developed. Data were gathered from questionnaire responses reported by superintendents and the use of an interview guide seeking information from board members. Two board members in each of the responding districts were contacted and interviewed.FindinqsSome selected findings were summarized from the superintendent's questionnaire:1. Thirteen school corporations sought qualified candidates from within the school corporation. 2. A screening committee was used by twelve of the school corporations.3. A written statement of qualifications was prepared by three of the school boards.4. A professional consultant was used in eight corporations.5. The type of degree a candidate possessed was Y not a deciding factor.6. Experience in an administrative position was required of all candidates selected.The responses to the interviews with board members were summarized as follows:1. Officials of the Indiana School Boards Association were contacted by twenty-five school boards.2. Superintendents interviewed for the opening ranged from three to fifteen.3. The choice of the candidate was unanimous in all but eight of the cases.4. The reason given most frequently as the most important reason for the selection was that the person knew the system and had the ability to work with people.5. The personal interview was mentioned most often as the procedure board members felthelped them determine the candidate who could best serve the community.6. Placement officials of the state universities were notified.7. Meeting the superintendent's wife was considered to be a very important part of the selection process.8. The success of the selection process was attributed most often to the cooperation of the board members, and to the lack of pressure groups.9. In response to a question seeking to determine changes in procedures that should be made, the following suggestions were made: improve the role of placement bureaus, and consider local candidates before searching for candidates from outside the district.Conclusions1. The recommendations made by the National School Boards Association and the American Association of School Administrators are not influencing the procedures used by board members in selecting a superintendent in Indiana.2. A need exists for clarification of the composition and role of the screening committee. The board members do not appoint the persons to the screening committee but rely on the state universities to appoint a qualified person with background and experience in school administration and in particular, the superintendency.3. A need exists for the employment of professional consultants to assist board members in the selection process. This help is needed in the development of a list of qualifications for the position, the preparation of a brochure and the establishment of a screening process.Recommendations1. The competencies and experiences desired of the candidate must be established by the board before a selection can be made.2. Screening committees should be composed of persons who have the ability to evaluate candidates for positions.3. Procedures adopted by the board must insure that the screening committee, consultant andboard can make the selection of the superintendent on the basis of qualifications only.4. All screening committees should be composed of professional persons with experience and background in the field of school administration.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of Toronto, 2004. / Adviser: John Portelli.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1993. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 151-160). Also available via the Internet.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1991. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 86-93). Also available via the Internet.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Illinois State University, 1976. / Title from title page screen, viewed Nov. 22, 2004. Dissertation Committee: J.H. McGrath (chair), Elwood Egelston, Eugene Fitzpatrick, Raymond Schmitt, Dean Hage. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 119-128) and abstract. Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1972. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 155-162).

Thesis (M.A.)--Carleton University, 1992. / Also available in electronic format on the Internet.