School Administration

A discussion of many of the dilemmas and problems facing school administrators. Topics include: conflicting beliefs regarding the fundamental purpose of school, administering racial and ethnic differences, and monetary incentives to reform teacher compensation.

Because schools must operate in a changing environment, educators must manage change whether they wish to or not. Administrators must plan accordingly, and the best plans spring from a solid theoretical base. This comprehensive handbook provides that base. Sybouts draws on systems theory to develop effective approaches to strategic and operational planning in education. The text evolved from case studies of successful planning in local school districts and from a national survey of education faculty. Sybouts emphasizes that the human dimension of educational planning is paramount, and that leadership and vision are essential to the effective management of change.

Does fear or trust dominate relationships in your school's classrooms? How well do supervisors listen to and respond to teachers? How well do teachers listen to and respond to students? How are problems identified and solved? Supportive Supervision in Schools is a guide for teachers and administrators who want to create good school climates and a school culture that encourages professional growth and development among staff members. It uses a conferencing method to allow teachers, administrators, and students to discuss and reflect upon what they are doing inside the school building. The authors use actual examples to illustrate how supportive environments can be constructed.

Presents what is known about attracting and retaining school administrators, including the factors that influence people's decisions to pursue an administrative career, and concludes that there is no national shortage of qualified people for school administrative positions.

Supported by the Nebraska Council of School Administrators and the U.S. Department of Education, the authors investigated the successful strategies and attitudes of hundreds of individuals nominated as outstanding administrators by state departments of education, professional associations, university professors, and peers. One thousand outstanding administrators were asked to comment on why they thought they had been nominated, what they had accomplished, and what skills had brought about their successes. Four hundred and ninety-one men and women representing all levels of K-12 administration responded in detail and at length to what has become known as "Project Success." Wendel, Hoke, and Joekel present these insights in order to inspire and inform school administrators and other professionals in leadership positions who wish to tread in the footsteps of those who have succeeded.

The authors developed this textbook in response to an increasing interest in ethics, and a growing number of courses on this topic that are now being offered in educational leadership programs. It is designed to fill a gap in instructional materials for teaching the ethics component of the knowledge base that has been established for the profession. The text has several purposes: First, it demonstrates the application of different ethical paradigms (the ethics of justice, care, critique, and the profession) through discussion and analysis of real-life moral dilemmas that educational leaders face in their schools and communities. Second, it addresses some of the practical, pedagogical, and curricular issues related to the teaching of ethics for educational leaders. Third, it emphasizes the importance of ethics instruction from a variety of theoretical approaches. Finally, it provides a process that instructors might follow to develop their own ethics unit or course. * Part I provides an overview of why ethics is so important, especially for today's educational leaders, and describes a multiparadigm approach essential to practitioners as they grapple with ethical dilemmas. * Part II deals with the dilemmas themselves. Ethical dilemmas written by the authors' graduate students bring readers face-to-face with the kinds of dilemmas faced by practicing administrators in urban, suburban, and rural settings in an era full of complexities and contradictions. * Part III focuses on pedagogy and provides teaching notes for the instructor. The authors discuss the importance of self-reflection on the part of both instructors and students, and model how they thought through their own personal and professional ethical codes as well as reflected upon the critical incidents in their lives that shaped their teaching and frequently determined what they privileged in class.

Schools are described as social systems whose primary organizational features are closely interrelated. Methods for coordinating these features are presented so schools can restructure their bureaucratic orientation. The interrelated nature of a school's various subsystems is highlighted to point out how they can be coordinated so genuine restructuring can be achieved and maintained.

Developed in response to the growing interest in examining individual schools as they undergo change, this book features eight case studies of urban elementary and high schools as they face problems and attempt to find solutions in their quest to reform themselves. The cases, with all their pitfalls and problems, provide examples of the very bumpy road of change and of the individual school cultures that sometimes support and often impede reform. Told in the individual voices of various school leaders, the narratives reflect the inevitable biases of people immersed in their work. Their richness derives from the passion with which these stories are told. Textured and complex, these chronicles invite readers to think deeply about the many layers involved in the process of changing schools. School Leadership in Times of Urban Reform is a powerful text for courses in educational leadership, school reform, and the politics of education. Engaging pedagogical features at the end of each case facilitate its use: *Each case ends with an "Analysis of Leadership" section and "Extended Thinking" questions and activities. *Sections 2-5 conclude with "Reflections" to help the reader uncover the major themes and issues. Section 1 is an introductory analysis of reform and school leadership; it provides a frame of reference for examining the case studies that follow. Sections 2-5 are organized around eight case studies (two per section) that address questions of how the leadership roles of school principals and teachers have been shaped by the reform initiative; how parents and local communities have contributed to school reform; and how the culture of the school, and teaching and learning, have been shaped by reform. The final section synthesizes and analyzes what the authors have learned through these cases concerning the leadership roles of principals, parents, community members, and teachers during the period of reform; how the cultures of schools changed as reform progressed; and how reform impacted the instructional practices of teachers and the learning of students.

In higher education, decisions are made against a complex and often conflicting backdrop of applicable law, ethical questions, and practical considerations. Goonen and Blechman assist academic administrators by providing an overview of the legal parameters, ethical questions, and practical suggestions applicable to the most frequently encountered areas of academic decision making.

The school principalship is one of the most demanding and misunderstood jobs in American education. This professional reference offers practical advice on how to perform that job successfully. The volume overviews the efficient management of resources, the importance of strategic planning, and the legal and business concerns that principals must face. The book also emphasizes the role of the principal as a leader in the educational community.

Webster's points are: (1) the principal must teach teachers using an informed vision of the school as an ideal setting for learner growth, (2) teaching the universe of discourse and its skills are the most important activities in schools because discourse is the "master switchboard" of all teaching and learning, and (3) effective principalship is eclectic and pragmatic. The focus of the book includes educationally sound, legally defensible teacher evaluation that has been developed with other principals who have perfected the science of "writing up" teachers. Innovations in Webster's method involve approaches to staff development, different portrayals of the authoritative basis of the principalship, and the evaluation of teaching from the point of view of discourse among practiced and inexperienced teachers.