Search

This paper is one of a series of vocational papers reporting results of individualized continuing education (ICE) programs for school administrators and school climate improvement programs. It summarizes the practices of some 45 school districts throughout the nation that have actually been operating individualized continuing education programs. Each district is involved in developing its administrator renewal program by focusing on school improvement through improved leadership behavior of school administrators. The essential questions discussed here are those concerning a definition of individualized continuing education, the basic ingredients of such a school district program, processes to be utilized by a school district in organizing and sustaining such a program, and the means by which an individual school administrator might organize his self renewal program. The guidebook is for superintendents, principals, key teachers, professors, coordinators, area superintendents, assistant principals, assistant superintendents, and others interested in self and school improvement processes. It is also designed for school administrators responsible for developing inservice education programs for school district leadership personnel. Although the word "school" is used throughout, the concepts and practices described are equally applicable for educators associated with school district level operating divisions. (Author)

This paper focuses on the principal's role in developing an improved or humane school environment for learning. It explores the thesis that the principal can be an effective and dynamic climate leader for change, but that he works within a participative process that involves all those who are part of the school environment and some who are not. The authors examine determinants of school climate, the principal's role in creating and maintaining a more positive environment, implementation strategies for a principal to begin improving his own skills toward fulfilling such a leadership role, and techniques for assessing the effectiveness of the approach. (Author/WM)

This paper examines the structure and function of CFK Ltd., an educational foundation devoted to school improvement using humanizing processes. Six ideas were developed to guide the foundation: Encourage potential clientele to determine the Foundation's areas of interest; given identified problem areas, encourage interested school administrators to develop a diversity of selected programs within their school districts; form a national collegial team of educational leaders to foster sharing processes among the school districts and professional-personal relationships among these leaders; encourage this group to determine the Foundation's practices and yearly plan of programs, services, and activities; employ a small staff to serve as a catalyst for this team; and after a period of time, dissolve the Foundation's relationship so that the involved educators can themselves become the catalyst. (Author/WM)

Prepared by the Indiana University High School Curriculum Center in Government, this paper presents a brief but comprehensive introduction to the main characteristics of a behavioral approach to American politics. The first of four parts sets forth assumptions and requirements implicit in a behavioral approach and elucidates the relationship between science, political science, and political behavior. The second part explains one formulation of a behavioral perspective--the "field approach"--which conceives of the individual as a biological and human entity existing within social and cultural environments. The third part suggests how the field approach can make the political behavior of the American citizen more intelligible by emphasizing the relevance of four factors: political culture, sociology, psychology, and socialization. The fourth part applies the same four categories of the field approach to the behavior of political leaders, both formal and informal. (See TE 499 926 for a description of the Center's experimental course in American political behavior.) (LH)

These studies, conducted at an experimental secondary school which sought to create "community felling" by not separating students by grade or ability, looked at the students' social patterns and groupings and at the impressions which subgroups had of own group and other groups. The first is based on an all-school sociometric questionnaire; the 2nd, on interviews with members of friendship groups that were exposed in the sociometric. It was found that there were some readily identifiable friendship groups, and that they were more homogeneous than diverse, there were many isolates who received no choices at all; there were few cross-sex or cross-grade-level friendship choices; and choices within the Home Groups showed great differences from the choices made in the school at large. There were few cross-race choices. Students in some of the clear-cut friendship groups frequently lacked information about others, had negative feelings towards them, and spoke of groups not identifiable in the sociometric in terms of stereotypic language. Particular efforts were made to minimize differences amongst the individuals within their own groups. (KS)

The major purpose of this literature review is to determine what is known about a) prevailing patterns of interaction between leaders and other adults in public schools and b) conditions under which specific patterns of behavior of leaders are connected with variations in the behavior of other people in the school. A second objective is to find out what patterns of behavior make a difference in the performance of others and under what circumstances such connections between leader behavior and the behavior of others occurs. The literature is reviewed in terms of a network of forces, or of independent conditioning and dependent variables, with student learning considered as the major output or dependent variable. A heuristic model of this network is diagrammed and discussed in the introduction. The literature review is organized into sections on the role of the leader, leader behaviors and characteristics which have impact on others, and conditions affecting leader behavior and its consequences. References are included. Related documents are ED 084 658, SO 006 685, 686 and 688. (Author/KSM)

Any attempt to derive conclusions from the literature regarding leadership in education is limited because much of the literature consists of untested opinion and most empirical studies are based on information from one school or one school district and are thus very limited. Most studies utilize variables that are unique to the particular study and/or are nontheoretical, thus providing little in the way of a framework for integrating findings from different studies. Generally, studies fail in specifying the conditions under which a relationship between variables is tested, thereby running the risk that an actual relationship is undetected; and investigators tend to use perceptions of involved persons rather than observations by a third party as sources of information regarding variables, thus making findings subject to the attitudes or the memory of participants in the organization. In many cases, information regarding both variables is obtained from the same respondents, thus inflating the obtained measure of relationship because of a response set. Finally, the models used for differentiating among behavior patterns provide for limited alternatives and frequently involve one specified behavior (with the only other option being the absence of the one specified), thus running the risk of not differentiating what are actually meaningfully different behaviors. (Author)

A 3-week inservice program for 19 midcareer school administrators was held at the University of Illinois during the 1969-1970 academic year. The basic project purpose was to establish a linkage of mutual respect and common interests between practicing administrators and university scholars in related fields of study. Topics covered in this collection include: (1) school community linkages, (2) professional and school roles, (3) day-care centers, (4) state aid, (5) PPBS and organizational change, (6) professional negotiations, (7) staff involvement, (8) differentiated staffing, (9) pupil personnel, (10) special programs for students unable to adjust to regular programs, (11) administrator inservice programs, (12) long-range planning, and (13) school desegregation. A list of program participants and their addresses is appended. A related document is EA 003 179. (Map on page 268 may reproduce poorly because of marginal legibility.) (LLR)

The principal is a functionary rather than a leader. Principals can become more effective in their positions through understanding their roles in the authority structure of the school. (Author/WM)

It was found that the presence of NH3 or (NH4)2CO3 in isopropanol-water solvent systems used for the chromatography of cyclic nucleotides results into appreciable losses of the cyclic compounds which are hydrolysed to nucleotides. This happens almost exclusively in the preliminary phase of the chromatography i. e. before the compounds are covered with the solvent. In order to use such solvents for quantitative purposes, it is necessary to add the NH3 or (NH4)2CO3 to the system only after the compounds to be analysed are covered with isopropanolwater. The hydrolysis presumably takes place by a preferential adsorption of water to the paper during the equilibration period with the local formation of a too alkaline NH3 solution. It is probable that the same mechanism operates in solvent systems containing essentially an organic solvent, water and ammonia or compounds giving rise to ammonia.

The purpose of this paper was to measure small groups at various stages of their development and observe the effects of changes in group process on emergence of role types and the impact these roles have on group membership as a whole. Most small group measuring instruments have been built around a task-leader or socio-emotional leader dichotomy. Lack of consistent direct relationship between the influence of individual members of the group and their position in the group suggests that an understanding of group leadership and power cannot be gained solely from a functional approach in a social influence perspective. The propositions and hypotheses of this paper are concerned with the general power a leader in a group holds over the membership throughout the group's life span. Proana 5 computer simulation was used to demonstrate the theoretical considerations of this paper in terms of small group interaction, providing a possible description of the interaction of on-going groups. (Author/LG)

Included are papers presented at the 1969 University of Illinois Colloquium on the Preparation of Teacher Educators in Mathematics. The first paper, "On the Preparation of the Teacher of Teachers" by B. Othanel Smith, examines the prominence of research in the teacher training programs. The second, "Source and Supply of Leadership in Mathematics Education" by Howard F. Fehr, discusses the characteristics of leaders and the tasks of future leaders in mathematics education. The last, "Preparation for Effective Mathematics Teaching in the Inner City" by Irwin K. Feinstein, outlines what should be the mathematical and professional background of those teachers working with inner city children. Following each of these three papers are two response papers written by other mathematics educators. (RS)

The Invitational Small Schools Conference, held November 1973 in Tennessee, was the starting point in launching the Small Schools Task Force. The primary objectives of this task force are to identify needs and priorities of small schools in Tennessee, to provide leadership for the development of pre- and inservice education programs for small school personnel, and to generate research related to the small school. These objectives were especially aimed at 96 small school districts in Tennessee which in all likelihood need assistance they are currently not receiving. The Task Force Position Paper, the first presented at the conference, gave purposes, needs, and strategies. The second paper, Strengths and Weaknesses of Small Schools, included practices, programs, and administrator considerations. Other presentations were: Political Realities; The Economic Picture; The Educational Scene; Social Values in Rural Tennessee; Demographic Considerations; Health Conditions and Services; and The Development of Rural Education: The State of the Art. The Conference Summary presented participant views of the discussions. Persons attending the conference were also listed. The Appendix gave characteristics of the model innovative and rural futures development processes. (KM)

The parish administrative board--the Session--is an interactional group according to the operational definition as advanced by Gibb, Proshansky and Seidenberg. As a group it shares relatively common religious and moral values, as well as institutional goals. The perimeters of the Session's group life are clearly, if not legalistically, defined by the constitution of the United Presbyterian Church. Prescriptions for study are not so clearly spelled out, although the Session's willingness to study is assumed by the national church boards and agencies. Does the minister's style of leadership and the Session's task-orientation effect the board's functioning as a learning group? In this paper, an effort is made to find answers to some of these questions from the literature of small group research. Two hypotheses were advanced: (1) Administrative groups are differentiated from learning groups primarily by styles of leadership and group tasks and goals; and (2) Administrative groups in the church can become more effective at learning tasks by an educationally oriented and flexible leadership style of minister behavior and a commitment to study as well as to problem-solving and administration. The major conclusion of this paper is that an administrative group who perceives its work to be decision-making may not engage readily in other tasks, unless it, as a group, accepts such tasks and makes a commitment to them. (Author/CK)

Although many authors have spoken to the concept of leadership, basic predictive theory has eluded all who attempt to define it. This paper undertakes to conclude inductive principles suggested within published leadership literature of an experimental design. A thorough review of this intangible, leadership, was undertaken from papers indexed in the Education Index (1959-1969) and in Research in Education (1966-1969). A spectrum of these leadership theories is discussed. (Author)

This paper isolates some of the strengths and weaknesses of leadership research by evaluating it from both a theoretical and methodological perspective. The seven theories or approaches examined are: great man, trait, situational, style, functional, social influence, and interaction positions. General theoretical, conceptual, and measurement issues are considered as they relate to methodology. If theoretical and methodological improvements are made, the study concludes, leadership research can make a significant contribution to our accumulation of knowledge concerning small groups. (Author)

An attempt to formulate a more global but functional framework for analyzing local organizations as mechanisms for citizen participation in development is presented in this paper. Both the review of the literature and the prescriptive guides to action are presented under the following headings: membership and leadership, management of alienation and grouplessness, access to training and education, channels for communication of innovations and change, mechanisms to mobilize resources, access to markets, access to power and influence, and other linkages and levels of organization. Major recommendations are that agricultural leaders should have some social science training, that participation analysis should be used in assessing the role of the local organization in the continuous integration of community members into a modernizing society, that studies of farmers' organizations as information and development promoting systems should also analyze the skill and learning aspects, that attention should be paid to the roles of economic and social information in developing effective communications channels, that attention should be given to the role of agrarian reform in the mobilization of human energies, that there must be adequate market access and more access to power and influence, and that additional levels of organization should be created. (PS)

The purpose of this document was to gather information on the effects of recent developments and improvements in educational programs in Appalachia. The presentation is primarily intended for teachers, administrators, members of school boards of education, and others involved in educational projects in the Appalachian region. The paper focuses on all kinds of efforts put forth to educate people of Appalachia, not just efforts of formal educational systems. Organization of the paper follows a model of change in which the authors discuss the Appalachian setting and inputs for change which have been introduced and then attempt to assess the impact of various programs of the life-styles of individuals and on the institutional structures. Notes and a reference list are included. (AN)

A 4-day seminar, funded by ESEA Title III, studied the appropriate role of the American school board in the present climate of change, and the future role of the school board. Educational authorities were asked to prepare position papers for the seminar and persons with experience at the local board level were invited to respond candidly to all seminar presentations. Part I of this report contains six papers prepared for the seminar, covering such topics as problems of decentralization, fiscal policies, urban schools, and school board leadership. Eight broad ideas on new requirements for effective leadership are offered for consideration by the educational leadership community. Part II is a workbook that provides topics and quotations for further discussion. (MF)

The thesis of this paper is that the group therapy process is enhanced by the use of two or more therapists in the group. The three main roles in a group are: (1) facilitator, (2) focal member, and (3) observer. The use of an additional therapist affords the opportunity for therapists to assume the focal member role without loss of group control, that is without clients assuming the facilitator role defensively. Further advantages include: (1) the focus of authority is distributed over the several therapists, making it easier for each to participate as a real person, (2) group therapy trainees can participate without the full responsibility for the group and freely assume all three roles, (3) therapists who are present can observe the group interaction for research purposes and during post session analysis, check out their "inter-judge reliability," and (4) therapists of different orientations and styles can interact to their mutual enlightenment and individual clients can find, from among the available therapists, the one with whom each can communicate most effectively. (Author/KJ)

This publication presents the papers which were given at the Seventh Annual Leadership Conference for Association of University Evening College officers and committee chairmen and National University Extension Association officers. A summary of the discussion which followed is also provided. Each speaker emphasized the marginal nature of adult education activities of the university and suggested that the university image includes evening college and extension activities, if at all, as a public or community relations adjunct or as a method of securing additional financing. The papers also, however, suggest ways in which adult education can be made an increasingly central concern and responsibility of the university. (se)

This paper discusses results of multiple regression analysis and prediction of certain perceived leader behaviors given measures of organizational characteristics. The "Profile of a School" was used with the Leader Behavior Description Questionnaire, Form XII. Results indicate that significant proportions of variance in leader behavior subscales are accounted for by particular organizational processes. Conclusions regarding leader behavior can be made from measures of organizational characteristics. These results support the assumption that leader behavior and organizational processes are interrelated. The operational properties of the measures used provide information for generating research and developing organizational change strategies. (Appendix C may reproduce poorly.) (Author/LLR)

This paper focuses on role relationships and role conflicts between professionals and paraprofessionals and their potential effect on the efficiency of future social services. Role conflicts can develop when roles are undefined and when there are competitive versus complementary role relationships. The most productive way to approach role definition is the systems approach--determine the overall purpose of the agency; defint this purpose in terms of specific objectives needed; and identify the various methods, personnel, and facilities needed to meet these objectives. Agency activities can be subdivided into: (1) task functions (program design, work facilitation, and goal emphasis), and (2) maintenance functions (support, interaction facilitation, and communication facilitation). There are roles within each of these functions that can be taken by both professionals and paraprofessionals, but the greatest contribution the paraprofessional can make is in closing the cultural gap between professional and client group and in setting a role model for the community. (EB)

Individual papers on quality life in the countryside were presented at the American Country Life Association, (ACLA) Inc., conference. The presidential address, "Quality Life in the Countryside--How Can It Be Achieved? described significant trends which are developing in rural areas. Other major topics covered in the papers included conflicts in values, problems and opportunities of leadership, economic foundations, government services, social organization, cultural foundations, the role of universities and colleges, methods to meet health care needs, and the evaluation of multi-county planning and development. Also included is an ACLA 1967 membership list, minutes of business meetings, reports of the Task Force, and financial reports. (PS)

This thirty-eighth inservice training conference for clergymen and lay leaders in the rural areas of Illinois focuses on providing information in order that rural clergy might have a better basis for an understanding of the context of the rural community, of current developments and trends taking place, of the impact of these trends on people and organizations, and the implications of these trends for organizations and agencies which serve the community. "Church Or Museum" was the opening topic. The theme for the first session was "Implications of Cultural and Socio-Economic Change" and included papers on "The Individual in a Changing World" and "Implications for the Church." The theme for the second session was "Implications of Change in Technology and Communication" and included papers on "Business and Industrial Developments in Illinois,""Developments in Agribusiness,""Developments as Viewed by a Labor Representative," and "Developments as Viewed by an Industrialist.""The Changing Educational Scene in Illinois,""The Development of Junior Colleges," and "The Growth of Town and Country Church Work in Illinois" were topics included under the third heading, "Implications of the Changing Educational Climate." (HBC)