Abstract
In this study, 206 teachers, 35 school board presidents, and 37 superintendents/principals (n = 278) were surveyed regarding their views of effective leadership behaviors demonstrated by school leaders with dual role responsibilities through serving as both a school principal and as a superintendent in small rural school districts. Data were collected through use of the Leadership Behavior Description Questionnaire Form XII and the Leadership Behavior Description Questionnaire Form XII Self. Of the 12 leadership domains assessed through use of this measure, statistically significant differences were yielded on 6 of the 12 leadership areas: Representation; Demand Reconciliation; Tolerance of Uncertainty; Persuasiveness; Initiation of Structure; and Role Assumption. Superintendents/principals reported lower scores in these areas than did teachers and/or school board presidents. Implications of these findings are discussed.
Highlights
Since the mid-1700s, the backbone of American education has been rural education
What effective leadership behaviors are exhibited by the superintendent/principal?
Research Question One: What effective leadership behaviors are exhibited by the superintendent/principal? For this sample, 37 participants responded to the survey
Summary
Since the mid-1700s, the backbone of American education has been rural education. At that time, of the country’s 212,000 one-room schools, 1⁄2 of American school children were enrolled. Nearly 1/3 of American school children attend public schools in rural communities, of which they constitute 43% of all American public schools (United States Department of Education, 2003) Since their creation, small rural school districts have been primarily a one-person operation. Because small school systems lack the number of positions available in larger systems, a single administrator is often given several coordinated responsibilities which would normally warrant a separate position in a larger school district (Wylie & Clark, 1991). Such administrators truly wear “many hats.” They are subject to what Katz and Kahn (1978) termed “role ambiguity,” wherein uncertainty about what a job should include coupled with an unwieldy range of role expectations leads to low job satisfaction and high tension (p. 190)
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