Not available / text

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of high school assistant principals in Indiana. In this descriptive study, the researcher examined (a) the job responsibilities and duties of the high school assistant principal, (b) the degree of involvement in the job responsibilities and duties of the high school assistant principal, (c) the degree of job satisfaction for areas of administrative responsibilities, and (d) the areas of responsibility that high school assistant principals were provided the most and least training to prepare them for the principalship.The study was limited to the population of high school assistant principals in Indiana public schools. Out of 492 high school assistant principals, 271 responded to a paper or on-line version of the survey instrument used in this study. The survey instrument included 141 forced responses divided into four sections: Duties and Responsibilities, Job Satisfaction, Preparation, and Demographics.Of the six administrative areas in this study, high school assistant principals reported having a greater level of responsibility for duties in the area of school management and the lowest level of responsibility in the area of community relations. In terms of job satisfaction, assistant principals reported being most satisfied with the performance of duties related to student activities and least satisfied with duties related to curriculum and instruction. Assistant principals reported being the most prepared to perform duties related to student activities and least prepared for those duties related to curriculum and instruction. The demographics gathered from the study revealed that most high school assistant principals in Indiana were male, white, married, served over five years in this position and in the next three to five years plan to remain in their current position.Conclusions and recommendations of this study focused on developing a consistent definition of the role of the assistant principal in Indiana. In addition, if assistant principals are content in making this a career-oriented position, then state officials, universities, and school districts, must collaborate to provide a system of training and development of well-rounded knowledgeable leaders for the future of our high schools in Indiana. / Department of Educational Leadership

It is generally recognized that the assistant principal’s position is a launching point for a career in school administration. The scarcity of research and literature pertaining to the role of the assistant principal led the researcher to compare the actual tasks being performed by public school assistant principals to their ideal job expectations. Assistant principals throughout Indiana participated in the study. The sample consisted of 283 assistant principals, who completed a 59-item survey developed by Kriekard (1985). From the sample, 152 responded via email (53.7%), while another 131 (46.2%) responded by mail. The overall response rate was 54%. The study sought to distinguish what job responsibilities were expected and performed by secondary assistant principals based on the six task areas in the survey. These included: Management of Schools, Leadership in Staff Personnel, Community Relations, Instructional Leader, Student Activities, and Pupil Personnel (Kriekard, 1985). Using SPSS as the statistical program, the results of this study indicated that assistant principals today are still performing many of the same duties that assistant principals performed in the 1960s. Significant results were found within the tasks areas of: Management of Schools (.000), Leadership in Staff Personnel (.000), Instructional Leader (.000) and Student Activities (.000). This suggests a significant decrease from actual job responsibilities as compared to the expected job responsibilities. Significant differences were also found within the independent variables of age, school setting, and career aspirations using T-test and ANOVA procedures. These findings were discussed and future research was suggested. / Department of Educational Leadership

The primary purpose of the study was to determine the degree of acceptance of the Trump model by secondary school principals and superintendents. A secondary purpose was to identify from the literature the different roles, responsibilities, duties and expectations for the future public secondary school principal.A questionnaire was designed to determine the degree of acceptance of the Trump model for secondary school principals by selected public secondary school principals and superintendents. The questionnaire was composed of twenty-five multiple choice items. Each item had three possible answers, a concept advanced by Trump and two alternative concepts derived from a review of the literature.The population consisted of all principals of public secondary schools in Indiana with an enrollment of 300 or more, and all superintendents of school districts containing at least one high school with an enrollment of 300 or more. Usable responses were received from 419, or 82.8 percent, of the population.The following conclusions were derived from the findings in the study:1. The principals and superintendents accepted the concepts advanced by Trump more readily than the alternative concepts. Seven Trump concepts were found to have "very high acceptance" among the principals and five Trump concepts were found to have "very high acceptance" among the superintendents. Only one alternative concept was found to have "very high acceptance".2. The principals and superintendents rejected the alternative concepts more readily than the Trump concepts.3. The principals and superintendents tended to agree concerning the future role of the secondary school principal. A significant difference in the responses of the principals and superintendents was found for seven of the twenty-five questionnaire items.4. Principals and superintendents agree that a secondary school principal should give highest priority to the improvement of teaching and learning. However, there is disagreement among principals as well as among superintendents concerning the amount of time that will be devoted to this task by secondary school principals. Nearly as many principals indicated that thirty percent of the time of the principal will be devoted to the task as indicated the seventy-five percent proposed by Trump. Responses of superintendents were distributed in a similar manner.5. Principals and superintendents tended to disagree with the Trump concepts concerning the duties, responsibilities, and training of managerial assistants. Generally, principals and superintendents would not delegate as much authority and as many responsibilities to managerial assistants as Trump proposed. Also, principals and superintendents would require managerial assistants to have training as a principal rather than the unique background of preparation and experience that Trump proposed.The following recommendations were made as a result of the findings:1. Principals and superintendents need to become aware of the value and necessity of special institutes, courses, and workshops which last for several weeks during the school year. Such in-service training should enable principals to work more effectively toward the improvement of instruction and curriculum, to keep abreast of new methods and trends in education, and to learn more effective techniques to long-range educational planning. Professional organizations, colleges, and universities will need to do a more effective job in the future of educating school boards, principals, and superintendents to the need for such in-service training if the principal is to be a knowledgeable instructional leader.2. In the future principals will need to delegate more authority to various assistants in order to have time to function effectively as instructional leaders.

The main aim of this research was to investigate the conditions that influence and shape the occupational perceptions of principals; systematically observe primary school principals in the islands of Malta, and to contrast these findings with the perceptions of a group of deputy principals. To achieve this aim three studies were conducted. The first study employed a self-administered questionnaire survey method employed with all principals in primary schools (i. e. state, church and private). 'Discussions with parents', 'discussions with staff' and 'desk work' have been highlighted as the major job functions taking up most of the principals' time. Half of the respondents rated 'desk work' as their majorjob function. The Maltese principal tended to perceive his/her role as falling within the chief executive model. The principal's duties related largely to the division and allocation of work, the co-ordination and control of organisational activities, communication with parents and staff, maintaining discipline and order, and maintaining the level of resources and plant upkeep. This survey, however, shows that principals wanted to take on functions within the leading professional model. In the second study, an observational study was conducted with the aim of checking out some of the perceptions principals held towards their role and to add another dimension to the overall picture by identifying what principals actually did in their daily life at work. The study explored the work patterns of eight primary school principals in the state sector. The observational study attested to the multi-varied nature of the principal's role. The principal's day was generally hectic in pace, varied in its composition, discontinuous and superficial in any pursuit of tasks, with the unexpected always as one of the few certainties of thejob. The principal's energy was observed as being devoted to keeping the school ticking over in the short run with hardly any time being devoted to discuss matters of direct relevance to the teaching-learning process, such as classroom practice, curriculum review and update. The dominant model was that of the transactional leader who is fixing things, managing and coping in order to maintain the smooth operation of the organisation. As highlighted in the questionnaire survey principals devoted their time to administration, pastoral care and communication with parents. Little to no time was stated as being devoted to high value tasks such as strategic planning and curriculum review. The portrayal of Maltese primary school principals is that they are not so much reflective or transformational leaders, rather they are chronically busy, reactive as against proactive, and caught up in, and tied down by the unceasing demands of others for their attention. The present research seems to have identified the transactional nature of leadership as the main medium of interaction that the primary school principals opted for. Bearing in mind the present period of changes and development of school management practices in Malta, it was felt appropriate to seek feedback from deputy principals whose own role was undergoing change. A small group of twenty newly-appointed deputy principals were approached to view how they perceived the role of the principal. At the same time it sought to identify their perceptions of their own role, and get an indication of how they viewed tomorrow's principalship. This, it was felt, would provide data as to how Maltese administrators in general viewed their role. Deputy principals presented similar feedback to that presented by principals. The major difference being in the way deputy principals perceived tomorrow's principalship – one which went beyond the transactional model of principal as administrator to the transformational model of principal as leading professional. However, nothing conclusive can be drawn out. There is a strong indication that principals and deputy principals desire this move but some responses express a certain degree of inconsistency which shows that the implications behind the transformational model are not well and truly understood by the participants of this survey. The implications of the findings for today's and tomorrow's principalship were discussed.

This portfolio presents a research continuum spanning the period of the author’s Ed.D. candidature (1998–2004) addressing the questions, What capabilities contribute to effective school leadership; Why do so few women become school principals and what strategies can be employed that will redress the current gender imbalance among school leaders? Findings are drawn from four research projects : Women as educational leaders; Leading change in NSW government secondary schools; The role of middle management in secondary schools and leadership capability – principals in NSW government schools. These findings suggest that structured opportunities for professional learning within different educational contexts need to be readily available, supported and accessible. The relative lack of disparity between the leadership practice of ‘effective’ female and male principals demonstrated in this research portfolio suggests a gender inclusive framework to be a viable way forward / Doctor of Education (Ed. D.)

Thesis (Ed.D.)--University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2007. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Feb. 29, 2008). Directed by Ulrich C. Reitzug; submitted to the School of Education. Includes bibliographical references (p. 287-293).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M. Ed.)--Victoria University (Melbourne, Vic.), 2007. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (D.Ed.) in Educational Leadership--University of Maine, 2008. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 216-226).