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Current research on student teaching indicates a need to go beyond student teacher beliefs and expectations and relationships with supervisors to investigate the contexts and contents of student teacher socialization. This study used an interpretive paradigm to examine the influence of the principal on the knowledge about being a teacher that a student teacher acquired. Interviews with 24 student teachers across their student teaching semester were subjected to content analysis procedures in order to identify what student teachers reported about the professional and organizational facets of teaching which occur outside of classrooms and the influence of the principal on the acquisition of that knowledge. Contrasts were drawn between student teachers working in buildings with principals who had been sensitized to their needs and student teachers working in buildings where no special effort was made to influence the student teaching experience. Data were reordered and reanalyzed on the basis of student teachers' reports of their relationships with the principal. Results indicated that the group of student teachers who reported the greatest amount of knowledge was that group which also reported the most positive involvement with the principal. If the principal was actively involved with the student teachers, the student teachers were more knowledgeable about the professional and organizational facets of teaching and the school as a workplace than those student teachers who were placed in schools in which the principals were not actively involved. Merely providing information about student teachers was not enough to change the behavior of the principals; principals must be actively committed to assisting student teachers make the transition from student to teacher.

This study provides a description of the practices elementary school principals employ to reduce the likelihood that at-risk youth will actually experience school failure. The problem investigated in this study is reflected in this broad question: What is the relationship of principals' practices to the provision of service for at-risk youth? Differences in the importance and frequency of use of practices by principals were compared. Variables such as school size, percentage of students who are eligible for free lunch, percentage of students who are at-risk, student mobility, and principal's rating of how successfully their school is serving at-risk youth were also investigated. Thirty percent of the elementary principals employed in the metropolitan area of Portland, Oregon were randomly selected to participate in this study. The research design was descriptive. Data were collected from the critical Principal Practices Profile, a questionnaire developed by the researcher and five practitioners after an extensive review of related literature. Using a 4-point scale, principals indicated the importance and frequency of use of principals' practices for the provision of service for at-risk youth. Eighty-three percent of the selected principals completed and returned the survey. Of the responding principals' schools: 25.9% had a student population greater than 600 students, 27.8% had more than 50% of the student body eligible for free lunch, and 43.5% had more than 32% of the student body at-risk of school failure. A number of statistical treatments were performed in analyzing the data. According to the respondents, "Selection of Service Delivery Patterns" emerged as the most important practice (M = 3.65) and the most frequently used practice (M = 3.21) for serving at-risk youth. The practice "Selection of Service Delivery Patterns" was described by five explanatory items: identifying at-risk youth, requiring the modification of curricula, identifying suspension and expulsion alternatives, monitoring student performance, and implementing retention alternatives. The principals' practices and the school demographics were compared using an ANOVA. Associations reaching a significant level were found between the independent and dependent variables; however, the importance and frequency of use patterns reported by the principals could not be consistently explained simply by school demographics

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This study provides a comparative analysis of attitudes of high school principals toward the First Amendment in the schoolplace in 2004 and 2007. It builds on the seminal work done in 2004 by Connecticut researchers Ken Dautrich and David Yalof. It also rigorously examines their 2004 data for the first time. An analysis of the 2004 data and my own 2007 findings revealed that principals in 2007 reported being less likely to support the expression of unpopular opinions and more likely to think the First Amendment goes too far in the rights it guarantees. While principals strongly agreed that professional newspapers should be able to publish without interference from authorities, they were significantly less likely to say the same about high school newspapers. This study includes interviews with 10 randomly selected administrators who took the 2007 survey. Their comments verified the key quantitative findings. / Department of Journalism

This study examined the leadership style and readiness for change exhibited by elementary school principals in two urban school districts. More specifically, the study examined leadership style and four demographic variables; gender, age, highest academic degree earned, and years of principal experience. One hundred and twenty elementary school principals employed in two urban school districts were invited to participate in the study, 108 completed the required instruments: Leader Behavior Description Questionnaire, Survey of Readiness for Change (an instrument created by the researcher), and a demographic information sheet. The t-test statistical technique was used to determine whether leadership style, gender, age, years of administrative experience, and highest earned academic degrees had an effect on personal readiness for change.Results revealed that a significant relationship (alpha level of .05) existed between personal readiness for change and leadership style (p=.009), and also between personal readiness for change and highest earned academic degrees (p=.019). Principals with a considerate leadership behavior and those holding a doctorate appeared more ready for change. The remaining independent variables gender (p=.394), age (p=.350), and years of administrative experience (p=.801) were not found to be significant with respect to a personal readiness for change.Results from the research produced the following recommendations: (a) school district administrators may encourage their principals to determine how their leader behavior effect change, (b) staff development on the change process needs to become a priority, (c) findings from this study should be considered by school officials who employ principals and especially for districts promoting a change agenda. / Department of Educational Leadership

This study was conducted to obtain the views and recommendations of urban high school principals regarding the principals themselves, their schools, students and communities, and the professional growth needs of the principals. The study will also serve as a resource for the National Association of Secondary School Principals' Urban Schools Committee as it develops programs and activities to assist urban high school principals. Eight hundred fifteen of 1,259 urban high school principals responded to a survey. Descriptive research methodology was used in the study of the principals from the one hundred largest cities, according to population, in the nation. The majority of the principals were white males who averaged 50 years in age. There are more black and female high school principals in the urban districts (26% and 22.1% respectively) than there are in rural and suburban districts (3.8% and 12% respectively). These principals view student absenteeism as the greatest hindrance to academic achievement. They believe they have moderate authority over what takes place in their buildings and tend to be satisfied with their positions. The urban principals believe their students' academic competencies are average to below average. They also believe 80% or more of the students are having their needs met by teachers who they consider to be above average. The majority (74.5%) are members of NASSP. The results of the study indicate NASSP should initiate professional growth programs that bring recognition to urban high school principals and meet their unique needs. / Ed. D.

This study analyzed a random sample of thirty-six collective bargaining contracts between teachers and their respective boards of education in Wisconsin, New York, Tennessee, and California. The contracts were studied to assess the effect that collective bargaining has had upon the powers of principals over time. This was done by comparing each contract to a comprehensive list of traditional powers that were available to principals prior to collective bargaining (Pre-Collective Bargaining Power Profile of Principals). This analysis of contracts was a two-phase process. The first step was to identify whether or not the profile statements in the Pre-Collective Bargaining Power Profile were referred to in each contract. The second step was to describe how the presence of references to these statements affected the Power Profile of Principals. The principal's power was reported as being affected in three ways: deleted, constrained, or authorized. The general conclusion of this study was that the effect of teacher collective bargaining upon the powers of principals has been marginal. The data from the analysis of the contracts revealed that the majority (66 percent) of the statements in the Pre-Collective Bargaining Power Profile were not referred to in the collective bargaining contracts. The effects of the references to the statements that were identified were mixed. In the role areas of personnel management, pupil personnel management, and instructional leadership, the negotiation process authorized more power to principals than it deleted. In the role area of business and plant management, the principals' powers were deleted much more than authorized. This was due solely to the inclusion into the contracts of two items (i.e., the power to control building space and the power to control who may and may not enter the building). In the role area of community relations, the frequency of references was so small that the effects upon the power of principals were nonexistent.

This study examined the issue of school size and the potential impact that school size has on the leadership behaviors of principals. Contextual factors were also considered as potential moderators of the relationship between transformational/ transactional/laissez-faire leadership behavior and school size. Data were collected and analyzed using quantitative methods. A survey was conducted based on a chosen model to gather the data. Multi-factor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) surveys were distributed electronically to school staff in elementary and middle schools in Sunshine County, Florida for input regarding their principal's behavior. Using one-way and two-way analysis of variance tests for the main and moderating factors, the survey results indicated that while the main effect of size has no direct impact on principal leadership behavior, contextual factors (socio-economics, principal gender, and principal experience) do moderate the relationship between specific transformational principal leadership behaviors and school size. / by Mark J. Kaplan. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2011. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2011. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

The problem of this study was to identify a means for improving the administration of curriculum and instruction by exploring the utilization of leadership personnel in addition to the principal. This study focused on the determination of the responsibilities that should be delegated chairpersons and the degree of autonomy that should be associated with each responsibility. Major implications were as follows. 1) Job descriptions should be developed for department chairpersons listing responsibilities and specifying guidelines within which department chairpersons should function. 2) Effective communication channels must exist between principals and department chairpersons and between department chairpersons and teachers to insure that department chairpersons perform their duties in accordance with the will of the principal. Teachers must understand the position of department chairperson for optimum use of the departmental organization. 3) Another implication is that department chairpersons should be provided in-service training to assist them with understanding and fulfilling their responsibilities . Additionally, evaluation procedures should be developed based on assigned responsibilities to provide a means of improving effectiveness. 4) A major implication is that by effectively utilizing department chairpersons, principals will experience some relief and assistance . This would allow principals to function more effectively in supervising the instructional program and accomplishing other administrative duties.