Constructing a Theory of Educational Administration

The development of administrative theory has long been a quest for scholars in the field of educational administration. The beginnings of the development of a theory of educational administration began with Griffiths‘ (1959) now classic Administrative Theory, where he outlined the problem and noted, ―The field [of educational administration] is no longer neatly defined [and] textbooks are characterized by a search for the substance of administration and for a theory which binds the substance together‖ (p. 1-2). The need for such a theory has been important because a theory could serve to guide and support practice, even though the link between theory and practice has not always been articulated. In addition, the complex interactive nature of educational administration and the different school contexts have made it difficult to establish a uniform administrative theory. English (2002) called the theory-practice gap the ―Gordian Knot.‖ He noted, ―The theory-practice gap is a direct result of continuing to use inductive methods in creating theories for use in studying schools and the practices in them. The creation of … theories in educational administration … are not likely to come about under the way theories are constructed…in much of the present research‖ (p. 3)

Instructional Supervision and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Perspectives From Principals

Six questions that instructional supervisors have been faced with and had to respond to during the COVID-19 crisis include: (a) How do we support teachers in the transition from face-to-face to virtual classes and meetings; (b) How do we focus on addressing the needs of teachers while engaged in remote or online learning; (c) How do we maintain communication, contact, and relationships with teachers; (d) How do we celebrate successes as teachers work with students in the virtual world; (e) How do we assess the quality of the teaching–learning process; and (f) How do we plan for the next steps? Within the scholar–practitioner theoretical model, this study narrates how two principals in Texas addressed each of these six questions. The case studies presented could be used as historical accounts, meaning that leaders could learn from their successes and their mistakes as they move to the next phase of reopening schools

Global labour markets, return and onward migration

There is increasing evidence that international migration is characterized by frequent return and onward migration. This has important consequences for the contribution of immigrants to the economy of the host country. Lack of longitudinal data has prevented much analysis of how frequently international migration involves a sequence of location decisions or how long the typical migrant stays in a host country. A newly available longitudinal data set covering all immigrants to Canada since 1980 provides the opportunity to address these issues. The results show that a large fraction of male immigrants who are of working age, especially among skilled workers and entrepreneurs, are highly internationally mobile