Volume 5, Number 2
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Abstract: One criticism of school leader preparation programs, for rural and/or urban administrators, has been that program builders have developed learning experiences for school leaders in the isolated world of academia. Rural leadership, especially, demands a leader preparation program that can bring a focus and a model of student and school success to an existing community and culture. Understanding leadership in a rural setting must be a component of any meaningful preparation program for superintendents planning to lead in rural communities. A team of six experienced rural school superintendents and two higher education school leaders will build and deliver the program of study for this project. A collaborative model for developing rural superintendents, as transformational leaders, is the basis of this research. Considering Levine's comments on improvement of leadership preparation programs, and many others who have turned a research lens on how school leaders are prepared, gives rise to the project.
AVAILABLE AT: http://cnx.org/content/m34096/latest/
Keywords: rural superintendents, preparation programs, transformational leadership
 Full Text | [ ] | 161 kB |
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Abstract: In this article, we review the issues faced by students who are at-risk of dropping out of school. Specific topics examined herein were: (a) students in danger of dropping out of school; (b) defining dropouts; (c) at-risk students and dropouts; (d) the history of traditional education; (e) alternative schools; and, (f) accountability and alternative education. Also explored in this literature review are studies about school settings and the impact the aforementioned issues have on at-risk students.
AVAILABLE AT: http://cnx.org/content/m34134/latest/
Keywords: at risk students,dropouts,alternative education; educational leadership
| Full Text | [ ] | 192 kB |
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Abstract: Research was conducted investigating a school district "grow your own" principal preparation program. The program studied was based on a model of district-based seminars, guided practice, and one-on-one mentoring through a three-phase, multi-year process. Candidates eligible for this program had already completed university-based administrator preparation programs. This paper describes an effective model for implementing a school district "grow your own" principal development program and gives recommendations for collaborative efforts between educational leadership programs and school districts to enhance the development of reflective leaders grounded in the theoretical literature and steeped in best practices.
AVAILABLE AT: http://cnx.org/content/m34194/latest/
Keywords: leadership, secondary principals, district programs
| Full Text | [ ] | 184 kB |
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Abstract: This paper considers the difficulties inherent in providing leadership for democratic education in the context of public schooling in the U.S. The paper is developed from the perspective that leadership to support democratic education is possible, necessary, and demands conceptual and practical work that is distinctly different from mainstream leadership practice and leadership preparation programs. Drawing on that perspective, the paper proposes a model, termed democratic space, which describes the intellectual, positional, and relational requirements for enacting the kind of leadership that democratic education demands. Following descriptions of salient concepts and contexts (e.g., democratic education, the neoliberal political ideologies shaping public schooling), the paper presents a conceptual framework for the model itself accompanied by descriptions of leadership efforts that illustrate and elaborate upon key components of the model. A concluding section discusses leader dispositions within the context of considering implications for leadership practice and leadership preparation programs.
AVAILABLE AT: http://cnx.org/content/m34193/latest/
Keywords: leadership, democratic education , neoliberal political ideologies
| Full Text | [ ] | 177 kB |