Abstract
The critical role of the principal in leading effective schools is well established in the research base. There continues to be a pervasive, important, and multifaceted need for personnel evaluations in educational institutions. The Texas A&M Principals' Center sponsored the present study to gather data to provide information for improving management development of principals. The data will also be supplied to a national committee to support efforts for developing a voluntary national certification program for principals. The purpose of this study was to gather information about the current beliefs of principals in the 439 Exemplary Schools, identified by the United States Department of Education in 1989-90, regarding the importance of particular managerial behaviors in the principals' job. To support this purpose, the research generated weights to an inventory of managerial behavior. These weights were given by principals of Exemplary Schools. The study also identified the levels of agreement that existed in these assignments of weight by principals of Exemplary Schools. This led to two research questions: 1. What weights are assigned by principals of Exemplary Schools to an inventory of management behaviors? 2. What levels of agreement exit in these assignments of weight by principals of Exemplary Schools? Survey research methodology was used to obtain a systematic and accurate description of facts and characteristics of the population of interest. Four hundred thirty-nine principals, representing both elementary and secondary schools were assigned randomly to one of 10 different questionnaires. A usable response rate of 80-93% was achieved for each of the 10 sets of questionnaires for an over-all response rate of 85.42%. Data were organized for analysis according to the two original research questions derived from the study's purpose. High ratings and rankings by the Exemplary Schools principals are generally marked by high agreement among them. This is demonstrated in the functions of Forecasting/Planning and Technical/Professionalism and the task areas of Instruction, Professional Personnel, and Parent/Community. More middle range ratings and rankings generally correspond to variances indicating less agreement...
Lacy, Vickie Jean Langford (1992). The importance of the functions of management in the tasks of principals of exemplary schools. Texas A&M University. Texas A&M University. Libraries. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /DISSERTATIONS -1387075.