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This study examined how self-described "wounded school leaders" were being wounded by leadership itself. It grew out of three earlier studies that investigated the leadership crisis in U.S. schools, focusing on the similarities between the stories leaders were telling about crises in practice and those of individuals confronting medical illness. Data came from interviews with 65 superintendents, principals, and heads of independent schools who had experienced significant crises in their own leadership practice. Overall, leaders believed wounding took many forms, ranging from disappointments, problems, or disorienting dilemmas to full-blown crises. The wounding experience was driven by a fundamental underlying proposition: a leader is impelled into a state of dissonance to which he or she adapts. Byproducts of leadership work included vulnerability, fear, isolation, power, and fear of powerlessness. An important learnable moment for leaders often occurred during a wounding crisis and times of discord. Many school leaders became "other centered," carrying the weight of other people's worries, problems, and desires, then developing their own wounds precisely because they often believed they had to hide their fears and vulnerabilities from others. Leaders often believed they had to be helpers and fixers, as well as independent and strong, which thwarted them from listening to their own needs. (Contains 77 references.) (SM)

This study's purpose was to understand further "how" significant leadership crises create a very particular context for telling stories and, specifically, "how" the lives of school leaders are affected by the stories they tell. The study presents the stories of seven private and public school leaders who have experienced a serious conflict, dilemma, or critical event in their leadership practice that has in some way profoundly affected or "wounded" them. The study focused on school leader's "narrative identity" to determine "who" in each case the person had become in the story, "how" their story helped them to become that person and "why." The methodology was ethnographic in that it required retrospective interviewing and narrative analysis. Findings suggest that the difficult experiences evoked stories that could be tentatively grouped by common themes. The storytellers chose a restitution story of how the problem was fixed which echoes the myth of principal as hero; a chaos story of near disaster that was notable by what was absent, that is a distressed telling without order or coherence and an uncertain future; or a story of quest, one that leads to a new or evolved story. All themes, however, are apt to be present at different times in each of the stories. Another finding relates to the particular ways in which participants were self conscious and aware of themselves as story makers and tellers, thus could become in a sense "witnesses" to their circumstances. (Contains 25 references.) (NKA)

In contrast to case study, where participants learn vicariously through other peoples' cases, the case story approach invites people to learn through writing and telling about their own experiences as practitioners. This study of school leaders using case stories in university classrooms and in-service leadership academies focused on what is said and how it is said; how context influences story form and content; and how the case story serves as context of socially situated activity. Research for the study was carried out at 2 universities and 2 leadership academies over a year, with 75 administrators from elementary, middle, and high school settings, both public and private, and from urban and suburban communities participating. The case story research had five steps: (1) freewrite; (2) writing case stories; (3) telling, listening, and discussing case stories; (4) small group reflection; and (5) whole group reflection and conclusion. Results of the study indicated that the individual and collective quest to make sense of complex realities through case stories was critical to learning. Case stories attest to the strength of participants' personal perspectives, are organic rather than mechanistic, and finally, may serve important purposes integrating personal experience with administrative theory. (Contains 11 references.) (ND)

A study investigated the effectiveness of an innovative approach to the case study in teaching educational administrators in master's and doctoral programs. Subjects were 80 students in three institutions. The method uses "case stories," which differ from conventional case studies in that they are highly personal written accounts of real events that include intriguing decision points and provocative undercurrents that encourage discussion. Data for the qualitative analysis were drawn from conversations about case stories, student-written case stories, a survey, and semi-structured interviews. Based on the results, a six-stage model for writing and discussing case stories was developed. Stages include: (1) freewriting; (2) writing the case story; (3) storytelling and listening; (4) small group reflection; (5) whole group reflection; and (6) a concluding discussion about the importance of understanding and improving professional practice. Participants felt the case story method has potential to enhance professional understanding and growth. It was also determined that learning occurs in different ways (intrapersonal and interpersonal) at different stages of case story development. Three themes emerged: stories help people understand what happens to them; meaning is found not only in the story, but also in the relationship of story to teller; and group meaning-making deepens understanding. (Contains 19 references.) (MSE)

This paper presents findings of a study that examined case-study teaching methods, specifically, the use of case stories in the training of educational administrators. A case story blends aspects of the case-study methods with storytelling. The case-story approach asks students to develop case stories, using their personal experience to create authentic educational administration scenarios. The case studies help students share personal leadership practices and dilemmas and promote understanding. A survey was administered at the midpoint and end of the semester to 60 graduate students in educational administration at 3 sites. Interviews were also conducted with professors and students. Respondents said that case stories contribute authenticity to the classroom, foster involvement, bridge the gap between theory and practice, and illuminate discourse. A conclusion is that the case-study and case-story methods are not mutually exclusive but complementary teaching techniques. Together, the approaches encourage skill development and reflection on practice. Whether using the more objective case study or the more personal case story, each method creates a realistic, engaging learning situation. A sample of the questionnaire is included. (Contains 21 references.) (LMI)