Meat in the sandwich: The impact of changing policy contexts and local management of schools on principals’ work in New Zealand 1989-2009

The impact of principal leadership on school outcomes, particularly student achievement, is assuming unprecedented attention internationally. Official discourses often assume that principals can be trained to achieve prescribed outcomes through the employment of learned strategies. Such claims are challenged by critical leadership scholars who insist on the significance of context. This paper explores the impact of policy contexts on the work of a small group of experienced principals in New Zealand over a period of 20 years. During that time, they often struggled to reconcile their own espoused educational principles with policy imperatives in a small country where Local Management of Schools (LMS) has been extreme. It argues that national policy discourse around competition, curriculum and achievement, together with formal accountability to local lay Boards of Trustees (BOTs), are sources of tension and moral ambiguity, which tempt principals to comply and play the game for the sake of their schools. Principals are also caught between local and national accountabilities. In spite of this, principals in the study maintained an educational vision encompassing the wider social context of New Zealand education and retained a sense of personal agency

An Explanation of the Supervisory Model used by Elementary Principal Supervisors in the State of Missouri

The goal for this paper was to discuss the efforts a school district has taken to utilize elementary principal supervisors to build and develop principals’ leadership capacities. The question considered was: (1) How are principals supervised and evaluated in one district? Attempting to answer this question is an important step in operationalizing guiding principles that can be shared with principal supervisors. The discussion included the importance of standards, the modeling of instructional supervision by principal supervisors, the reliance of guiding questions and potential data sources. Additional critical factors included coaching with two-way communication based on a trusting, reflective relationship. As the role of principals’ leadership is elevated to increase the performance of teachers and thus the academic performance of students, principal supervisors should be able to provide principals ownership in their supervision and evaluation, evaluate performance based on standards and indicators, deliver feedback, develop trusting relationships, all by making frequent visits to principals’ schools to further the application of principals’ instructional leadership

Professional Development Principles for Teachers of English Language Learners

Since effective professional development is logically embedded in the reality of schools and teachers‘ work, it stands to reason that the principal would consider that reality for teachers of English language learners (ELL). Certainly, in general, professional development would incorporate principles of adult learning as reported by Knowles (1980): (1) adult learners need to be self-directed; (2) they display readiness to learn when they have a perceived need; and (3) they desire immediate application of new skills and knowledge. Based on adult learning theory, then, principals would provide teachers of ELLs professional development that addresses a need for self-direction, that addresses their particular needs, and that addresses the desire to apply what is learned. Time and created situations whereby teachers can dialogue with other teachers and principals can dialogue with other principals is critical for the effective application of the knowledge gained in professional development sessions and afterward as well

THEORIES OF BEHAVIOR IN PRINCIPAL-AGENT RELATIONSHIPS WITH HIDDEN ACTION.

In Keser and Willinger (IJIO, 2000) we found that many contracts offered by experimental subjects do not satisfy incentive compatibility. While the combination of incentive compatibility and a binding participation constraint would require that the agent incurs a net loss in the less favorable state for the principal, experimental subjects in the role of principals propose contracts in which the agent never risks to make a loss. We identified in the principals’ decision making three basic principles that, combined together, describe a fair offers area into which a large number of the observed contract offers falls. These principles imply that net expected surplus is more evenly allocated between the principal and the agent than agency theory predicts. The aim of the experiments presented in this paper is to test the robustness of these principles when the effort costs increase and the net expected surplus becomes smaller, and to compare their predictive success to the predictive success of agency theory under the assumption either of a risk-averse or a risk-neutral agent. The results show that the fair offers prediction describes the observed contract offers better than agency theory as long as an important net expected surplus is created. However, when the effort costs are so high that the net expected surplus is negligible, standard agency theory does better than the combination of the three principles in predicting the observed contract offers.

Principals as Facilitators of Professional Development with Teachers as Adult Learners

The purpose of this study was to investigate the experiences of teachers receiving professional development designed to enhance teacher’s understanding and instructional use of curriculum from principals in an elementary school setting. Further, this mixed methods study examined competencies of principals in creating the conditions for learning in professional development designed to enhance teachers understanding and instructional use of curriculum by answering the following questions: How do Elementary school principals understand and apply the principles of adult learning in professional development designed to enhance elementary teachers’ understanding and instructional use of curriculum? What is the experience of elementary teachers receiving professional development, designed to enhance teachers’ understanding and instructional use of curriculum, from principals in an elementary school setting? What is the experience of the elementary teachers’ change after receiving professional development, designed to enhance teachers’ understanding and instructional use of curriculum, from principals in an elementary school setting? The participants for this study consisted of two primary groups, (1) elementary public school teachers and (2) elementary public school principals. To satisfy the quantitative portion of this study, participants completed a demographic questionnaire and the Modified Instructional Perspectives Inventory (MIPI). Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics. To satisfy the qualitative portion of this study, a sub-sample inclusive of 8 teachers and 4 principals were identified to participate in one semi-structured interview per participant. In addition, principals completed one observation. Analysis of the quantitative data revealed that principals are perceived as average as it relates to their understanding and application of adult learning principles in professional development designed to enhance teachers’ understanding and use of curriculum. Further a line-by-line analysis of the qualitative data identified five primary themes as they relate to principals as facilitators of curriculum related professional development and adult learning principles. The themes include: (a) principal’s leadership qualities, (b) planning and implementing professional development, (c) climate, (d) instructional activities and strategies, and (e) accountability measures

Transformational Leadership in Preventing IT-Based Pornographyin High Schools

Accessing pornography online, and commiting sexual acts, particularly via cellular phone, is a growing problem among high-school students. This study evaluates the implementation of transformational leadership in schoolsto address the problem IT-based pornography.  Eight senior high schools in Sragen werepurposively sampled for this study, which involved a focus group discussion with informants comprising principals, teachers and students. The findings showed that principals have not implemented all the principles of transformational leadership in tackling the problem of cellular phones being used for pornography. Of the four transformational leaderships four out of the eight principals applied idealized influence; three applied inspirational motivation; none of the eight principals applied intellectual stimulation, and five applied individual consideration

Enquiry Pull Research: An Ethnomethodological Approach to Lean Construction Research or a Lean Approach to Ethnomethodological Research

This paper assembles some principals from three strands of thought: lean theory; ethnomethodology; and Wittgensteinian philosophy. These are considered with a view to their impact on research design and used here as a basis for an initial exploration of a candidate research topic, in order to illustrate this impact. Principles of Lean Theory are considered, along with those from Wittgensteinian social enquiry and Ethnomethodology, in order to suggest a strategy for Lean Research. These are applied to the intial consideration of a candidate research topic, in order to illustrate the argument

Developing the Practices of Basic Education School Leaders in the Sultanate of Oman In Light Of the Total Quality Management Approach

This study aimed at identifying the reality of leadership practices of Basic Education (BE) school principals in the Sultanate of Oman and limited to Al Buraimi Governorate in order to develop their practices in light of the Total Quality Management Approach (TQM). It tried to know the effects of the study variables of respondents on their views. The study problem was determined by the question: What is the reality of implementing the theory of TQM in Basic Education schools in Oman through the principals’ practices? The researcher conducted the study on a sample of (470) employees at BE schools. A questionnaire was used consisting of 60 items representing leadership practices for BE school principals listed into six domains representing some basic principles of TQM. The questionnaire was divide into three sections: the first section asks for personal information, the second section consists of the questionnaire items, and the third section is an open ended question to solicit some suggestions. It was validated and tested by a group of experts in the study field. It used Cronbach’s alpha formula which (0.97). The study data was collected from the field and analyzed by SPSS program. In light of the findings, the study reached the following results: TQM investigated principles are highly existence in leadership practices in BE schools in Al Buraimi Governorate, planning for TQM in school practices are more existent among other principles, however, principals may lack the practices of adopting a culture of quality. In addition, there is a statistical significant effect of participants’ gender on their views regarding the school principals’ implementation of TQM theory in BE schools in Al Buraimi Governorate. Finally, the researcher proposed the following recommendations: promoting awareness of the TQM approach, expanding decentralization in policy formulation and decision-making, increasing staff participation through the involvement and the empowerment of all staff in making educational-decisions, organizing professional development programs based on the needs of principals, increasing the local community’s participation in the process of decision-making and school planning taking into account their assessment of the school services

A study of the perceptions of school administrators regarding educational law, legal policies and procedures.

This study was intended to provide administrators; elementary, middle/junior high and high school principals with an awareness of rights and responsibilities and to help motivate principals to translate basic legal concepts into actual practice. The study involved educational law as it was directly applicable and involved elementary, middle/junior high and high school principals. It presented specific legal principles that have been established and can be relied on for direction in many school areas. The research was intended to provide information about how education practice can be improved, so that it comports with the objectives of legal policy. It was meant to assist elementary, middle and high school principals to become more responsive to the realities of the education organization in relation to the legal policies of education. A survey questionnaire was developed and validated by a pilot-study committee. The population consisted of individuals in similar situations to those for whom the final instrument was intended. The final instrument was mailed to three hundred principals at the elementary, middle and high school levels, in both urban and rural school systems, who had been selected from the twelve counties in Massachusetts. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences Computer Program was employed, utilizing FREQUENCIES, CROSSTABS and CHI SQUARE sub-programs. The findings indicated school administrators; principals at the elementary, middle and high school levels do not feel they are adequately informed about the laws that affect them and their schools. They also reveal that administrators themselves feel that information regarding education law would assist them, for they feel that there is a definite need for them to be informed about the laws that affect them in their positions as principals. It was also implied by the results of the study that knowledge of fundamental legal principles regarding education law would assist them in making administrative decisions. The findings of the study indicated that administrative training of principals at all levels, in both urban and rural school systems should include courses, seminars or workshops on educational law and policy