The purpose of this study was to identify the desired leadership characteristics of heads of schools as identified by school board chairs and heads of schools who are members of the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI). This study is modeled after a Virginia Tech dissertation study of Virginia public school systems by Dr. Michael Thornton in 2009. Data were gathered from the heads of school and the board chairpersons to determine the similarities and differences between the two groups. Quantitative methodology was used in this study. A national sample of school board chairmen and heads of school from K-12 schools with 500 students or more and who are members of the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) were identified. Heads of school and school board chairpersons perceived visionary leader, team builder, effective school board relations and Christian school experience as essential leadership characteristics. Heads of school and school board chairpersons perceived that personal and professional integrity, honesty, and fairness and effective communication with board members, staff, parents, students, and the community is essential in head of school leadership. Heads of school and school board chairpersons believe that head of school-school board relations can have an impact on achieving and sustaining school-wide success. / Doctor of Education / The purpose of this study was to identify the desired leadership characteristics of heads of schools as identified by school board chairs and heads of schools who are members of the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI). This study is modeled after a Virginia Tech dissertation study of Virginia public school systems by Dr. Michael Thornton in 2009. Data was gathered from the heads of school and the board chairpersons to determine the similarities and differences between the two groups. The head of school position in a Christian school equates to the superintendent position in a public school division. Board chairpersons are in the position as the leader of the school board. Heads of school and school board chairpersons perceived visionary leader, team builder, effective school board relations and Christian school experience as essential leadership characteristics. Heads of school and school board chairpersons perceived that personal and professional integrity, honesty, and fairness and effective communication with board members, staff, parents, students, and the community is essential in head of school leadership. Heads of school and school board chairpersons believe that head of school-school board relations can have an impact on achieving and sustaining school-wide success. This research will be important to those who desire to become a head of school and for school boards to recognize the characteristics needed for the position of head of school. It may be useful for graduate school programs in the training of persons seeking to become a head of school.

The current study examined the influence of classroom age composition (the variability in ages of children in the classroom) on low-income preschool children's rates of change in multiple domains of school readiness. The sample consisted of 4,417 preschool children enrolled in 207 classrooms in a large, diverse Head Start program. Children were assessed throughout the year on four school readiness domains: emergent literacy, emergent numeracy, social and emotional skills, and approaches to learning. Multilevel modeling was employed to examine the main effect of classroom age composition as well as the interaction between classroom age composition and child's age as predictors of children's rates of change in these school readiness domains. Results showed that classroom age composition did not uniformly influence rates of change in school readiness for all children. Instead, a significant interaction between child's age and classroom age composition indicated that younger children developed skills in the domain of approaches to learning at an increased rate when placed in classrooms with a large age composition (i.e., in classrooms with a greater degree of age-mixing). This study extends literature focused on identifying classroom structures that promote positive development of school readiness skills, particularly for at-risk children.

This study examines leader behavior in an independent school setting. Specifically, this qualitative phenomenological study explores the lived experiences of new heads of schools in independent schools located in Louisiana, Texas, and Oklahoma and their conceptualization of the skills required for the headship. The study explores the knowledge and skills new heads say they use as leaders, how the knowledge and skills they developed in their careers prepared them for leadership, and the ways in which they feel they might have been better prepared for leadership. The study uses the skills-based model of leadership as its theoretical framework, and its methodological approach and discussion of findings are influenced by the framework’s three main areas: knowledge, social judgment skills, and problem-solving skills. The study revealed three main types of knowledge relevant to independent school leader preparation: knowledge acquired through terminal degree or other formalized programs, practical knowledge acquired through professional experience, and institutional knowledge, i.e. knowledge unique to a head’s work in a specific school. The study also discusses three distinct ways in which new heads utilize social judgment skills: how they communicate, how they work with school constituents, and how they delegate work. The study suggests patience, deliberation, and listening are key factors in how new heads of school execute their problem-solving skills. The study also discusses other findings of note that are also relevant to the experiences of new heads of school. These include the feelings of loneliness and stress the participants felt as new heads as well as the personal and professional sources of support they sought because of those challenges. The study may be used to inform leader preparation programs oriented towards independent school leaders.

Magistro darbą sudaro įvadas, dvi dalys, išvados ir rekomendacijos, literatūros sąrašas, santrauka anglų kalba ir priedai. Pirmojoje dalyje „Strateginio valdymo vadybinis edukologinis aspektas“ apibūdinama strateginio valdymo samprata, nagrinėjami svarbiausi užsienio ir Lietuvos mokslininkų teoriniai darbai: strateginis valdymas vadybiniu, edukologiniu aspektu, strateginio valdymo reikšmė diegiant naują švietimo politiką, mokyklos sėkmės traktavimas ir sąryšis su mokyklos strateginiu valdymu, edukologinių tyrimų, nagrinėjančių mokyklos veiklos kokybę, duomenys ir svarbiausios išvados. Antrojoje magistro diplominio darbo dalyje „Strateginio valdymo ir institucijos sėkmės sąryšio Visagino savivaldybės mokyklose tyrimas ir jo rezultatai“ skelbiami ir analizuojami autorės atlikto tyrimo duomenys, aptariami gauti tyrimo rezultatai ir svarbiausios mokyklos valdymo problemos bei strateginio valdymo įtaigumas mokyklos sėkmei. Išvadose ir rekomendacijose atskleistas tyrimo metu išryškėjusi strateginio valdymo mokyklose situacija, jos gerinimo galimybės ir tendencijos bei pasiūlymai strateginio valdymo tobulinimui Lietuvos mokyklose. / Work of the master consists of the introduction, two parts, conclusions, recommendations, the list of the literature, the resume in English and appendices. In the first part “Administrative educational the aspect of strategic management” is described an essence of strategic management, the major theoretical works of foreign and Lithuanian scientists are considered: administrative, educational aspect of strategic management, value of strategic management in introduction of new policy of education, interpretation of success of school and communication of success with strategic management, results and the major conclusions educational researches of quality of activity of schools. In the second part of work of the master “Research of interrelation of strategic management and success of an institution at schools of self-administration of Visaginas and its results” are analyzed the given and received results of the research lead by the author of work, the major problems of management of school and influence of strategic management on success of school are discussed. In conclusions and recommendations the situation of strategic management at schools, opportunities of its improvement and the offer for development of strategic management at schools of Lithuania reveals revealed during research.

Étudier le système éducatif ou la pédagogie au Liban impose une différenciation de ce qui peut être écrit en France, au Canada ou dans d’autres pays du monde occidental ou oriental. La société libanaise constitue en effet une société pluraliste au niveau politique ainsi qu’au niveau religieux. Au Liban coexistent deux grandes religions, le christianisme et l’islam. Cette coexistence au sein d’un même pays implique, de par son histoire des rapports entre deux grandes religions, deux conceptions de l’homme et deux cultures différentes, dont l’une trouve sa pleine expression dans la civilisation judéo-chrétienne et l’autre dans la civilisation musulmane. Dès lors, l’enseignement religieux est d’une importance majeure pour les écoles catholiques au Liban qui accueillent des élèves non catholiques dans un pourcentage de 40% et sont dirigées par une majorité des religieux (90%).Le statut du chef d’établissement (CE), religieux ou laïc, ses responsabilité et sa façon de les assumer, son style de direction et ses missions pédagogiques, éducatives et missionnaires jouent-ils un rôle important et lequel dans la motivation des parents d’élèves musulmans qui inscrivent leurs enfants au sein de l’école catholique au Liban (ECL) ?La spécificité de cette recherche consiste à caractériser rôles et missions du chef d’établissement scolaire catholique dans un milieu islamo-chrétien, et à déterminer si la direction assurée par un religieux diffère de celle assurée par un laïc au regard des différents acteurs du système. C’est pourquoi nous avons formulé ainsi la problématique de notre recherche : dans un milieu islamo-chrétien, quel genre de chef d’établissement permet à l’école catholique au Liban d’atteindre ses buts éducatifs, pédagogiques et missionnaires dans le respect de la liberté de conscience des élèves et des familles ?Une enquête de terrain a été menée, par questionnaire et par entretiens semi-directifs, auprès des chefs d’établissement scolaire catholique, religieux et laïcs, des directeurs adjoints, des enseignants, des parents d’élèves, chrétiens et musulmans, et des élèves musulmans. Des perspectives d’avenir ont été émises concernant l’éducation religieuse et l’éducation aux valeurs assurées au sein de l’ECL ainsi que la formation et la professionnalisation des futurs chefs d’établissement dans le cadre de leur recrutement. / To study the educational system or pedagogy in Lebanon imposes a differentiation of what can be written in France, Canada or in other countries of the Western or eastern world. Lebanese society is indeed a pluralistic society on both political and religious levels. In Lebanon two great religions co-exist, Christianity and Islam. This coexistence within one country implies something different from the history of relations between the two great religions, two conceptions of man and two different cultures. One finds full expression in the Judeo-Christian civilization and the other in the Muslim civilization. Therefore, religious education is of major importance for Catholic schools in Lebanon that host non-Catholic students with a percentage of 40% and is managed by a majority of religious leaders (90%).Do the status of the head-teacher, whether religious or secular, his role, his leadership style and his educational missions, educational and missionary play a role and which one in motivating parents of Muslim students who enrol their children in Catholic schools in Lebanon?The specificity of this research is to characterize the roles and missions of the Catholic head-teacher in a Muslim-Christian environment and whether the leadership provided by a religious head-teacher differs from that provided by a layman for the different actors of the system. That is why we formulated the problem of our research as such: In a Muslim-Christian environment, what kind of school head allows the Catholic school in Lebanon to achieve its educational, pedagogical and missionary goals, with respect to the freedom of conscience of students and families?A field survey has been conducted through a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews with heads of Catholic, religious and laic schools, deputy heads, teachers, parents, Christians and Muslims, and Muslim students. Prospects for the future have been made regarding religious education and education to values provided in the ECL as well as the training and professionalization of future school heads as part of their recruitment.

The thesis is divided in two parts. The first theoretical part defines the term cooperation and deals with the question of cooperation and individualism in school environment. It also reflects the documents where cooperation is explicitly mentioned. It shows the influence of school culture and climate on the development of cooperation, and it studies the climate of teacher-staff, and the role of the leadership in teachers' cooperation. The thesis further tries to map the reasons for refusing cooperation and define the environment that would encourage and support cooperation among teachers. At the same time, it identifies obstacles that prevent cooperation. It is aimed at mapping the areas and forms of cooperation used in school systems and various levels in which the teachers are wiling to cooperate. The practical part contains an exploratory study aimed at discovering the actual situation in teachers' cooperation in Primary/Lower Secondary Schools in the capital city Prague and a good practice examples that present options of cooperation among teachers in a Primary and Lower Secondary School in Prague 2.