School Principals

School Principals is a timely and important book that fills in a gap in the knowledge base about the principalship. In highly readable form, the writers of this book address such questions as: Who are principals? What do they do? How do they think? What are their working conditions? How are they prepared? Those in educational leadership programs who aspire to be principals will find this information invaluable. Principals who read this will have a better understanding of their everyday work. Educational leadership researchers and policy makers will have a better idea of the population who must respond to the new demands of the principalship.

Autorentext

The Author: Jianping Shen is Professor of Educational Leadership at Western Michigan University. He received his Ph.D. in educational leadership and policy studies from the University of Washington, Seattle. In addition to more than sixty articles in professional journals, he is the author of The School of Education: Its Mission, Faculty, and Reward Structure (Peter Lang, 1999).

Zusammenfassung
"This book is a welcome addition to the literature on the principalship. It pulls together data on the people who take on this role and the programs that purport to prepare them for the responsibilities, challenges and opportunities of this position. It examines some of the reasons this vitally important position is not a particularly appealing occupational choice. This book can inform the debates about how we recruit and prepare principals. It also can engender a clearer understanding and a stronger appreciation of the complexity of the principal's work." (Betty Malen, Ph.D., Professor of Education Policy and Leadership, University of Maryland at College Park)

Inhalt
Contents: Amy L. Kavanaugh: Introduction to Principalship Gary L. Wegenke/Jianping Shen: Gender, Racial, and Ethnic Diversity Among Principals Liliana Rodriguez-Campos/Rigoberto Rincones-Gomez/Jianping Shen: Principals' Educational Attainment, Experience, and Professional Development Jianping Shen/Louann Bierlein Palmer/Cheryle Crawford: The Importance of Educational Goals as Perceived by Principals Van E. Cooley/Jianping Shen: School Accountability and Principals' Professional Job Responsibilities Sue Poppink/Jianping Shen: Principals' Salaries Dorothy VanderJagt/Jianping Shen/Chia-lin Hsieh: Principals' Perceptions of School Problems Jianping Shen: Principals' and Teachers' Power Chia-Lin Hsieh/Jianping Shen: Conceptions of Leadership: A Comparison among Teachers, Principals, and Superintendents Jianping Shen/Van E. Cooley/Connie D. Ruhl-Smith/Nanette M. Keiser: Quality and Impact of Educational Leadership Programs: A National Study Van E. Cooley/Jianping Shen: Who Will Lead? The Top 10 Factors That Influence Teachers Moving into Administration Jianping Shen/Van E. Cooley/Gary L. Wegenke: Factors Influencing Application for the Principalship: A Comparative Study of Teachers, Principals, and Superintendents Connie D. Ruhl-Smith/Jianping Shen/ Van E. Cooley: Gender Difference in Reasons for Entering and Leaving Educational Administration Bradley S. Portin/Jianping Shen: The Changing Principalship.