21st Century Educational Leadership

The future awaits and is a virtual unknown except for what can be predicted based on what is now known and speculation about potential changes based on that knowledge. This chapter puts forth predictions about major issues educational leaders may face as the 21st century unfolds. Those issues include: the rapidly burgeoning and ever expanding inclusion of technology in education and modern life; balancing the demands of various educational constituencies, the imperatives concomitant with managing soft interpersonal skills; dealing with diversity and plurality; giving credence to equity and social justice; developing and incorporating new modes of instruction and instructional delivery; defining and incorporating new basic skills; globalization of knowledge, communication and education; and managing change. The 21st century will be about educating individuals and the world as a whole. Educational leaders who grasp that concept and act on it will succeed.

Technology Leadership

Technology has invaded our lives and the lives of our children. In every single aspect of their lives, social, educational, and vocational, technology has a role. Change, nowadays, for the 21st century school leaders means tech-implementation into K-12 settings. This is where tech leadership emerges; if school leaders are not competent in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) field, then they cannot expect teachers to welcome this kind of change. The purpose of our study was to find out the perceptions of K-12 school leaders about the problems they faced during the introduction or facilitation of technology, and solutions they proposed, and then provided them with implications to bridge the gap between the problems and solutions. We followed a qualitative approach to collecting and analyzing the data in our research. Thirty school leaders agreed to be part of the study, all randomly selected schools were K-12 schools. Findings indicated that Lebanese school leaders still have a long way to go to properly incorporate technology into their schools.

Teacher Collaborative Inquiry and Democracy in Schools

This chapter presents possibilities and challenges of teacher collaborative inquiry from the perspective of democratic leadership. Under the pressure of complexity in today's education, building democratic communities is an important strategy for helping leaders and teachers solve problems and create change. Given this, teacher collaborative inquiry can be a useful intervention for democratic school improvement. By examining this premise theoretically with the concept of Woods' (2005) democratic leadership, the authors explore possibilities for how teacher collaborative inquiry could foster democracy. To link the theories to reality, the authors present two case studies of teacher collaborative inquiry groups in one high school, which reveal challenges that school leaders will need to consider when enacting inquiry for democratic purposes. The chapter closes with practical recommendations for diverse leaders seeking guidance for creating democracy in the pursuit of organizational change.

Multicultural Leadership in Higher Education

Women and people of color are vastly underrepresented in the American professoriate; although the presence of female faculty and professors of color is beneficial to the academy on various levels, these groups often face numerous barriers and challenges while serving in the professoriate and striving for promotion and tenure. This study was designed to investigate demonstrated multicultural awareness and positive work environment with regard to race, gender, or a combination within academic departments to help academic leaders better develop and understand multicultural leadership. Data were collected from 650 tenured and tenure-track faculty through an online questionnaire. The data analysis revealed that males and females of color within the professoriate report a less positive work environment than Caucasian faculty.

Research-Based Leadership for Next-Generation Leaders

This chapter uses a leadership typology to review categories of traditional and emerging leadership theories and styles. Those theories and styles that have particular application or extensive research in the areas of education, change, problem solving, decision making, and organizational culture are emphasized. Strategies for increasing leader self-awareness, matching leadership styles and organizational needs, and improving problem solving and decision making are provided. The aim of this chapter is to give a clear and comprehensive overview of the array of leadership styles and theories grounded in research. The intent is to help practitioners working in education be more effective leaders by providing a comprehensive theory base to guide their actions, and to help them utilize the leadership style(s) most appropriate for their organization.

Increasing Leadership Capacity through Emotional Intelligence

The role of the leader is plagued with decision-making. It has been said that the average school administrator easily makes over 100 decisions a day. Each of these decisions carry with it some modicum of stress, however insignificant. The additive affect can certainly take its toll. From the encounter of a late bus to the meeting with an angry parent, the school leader is inundated with a myriad of circumstances that can put the leader on a roller coaster of emotion. How does one balance it all? One viable solution is considering ways to improve on one's emotional intelligence. This article informs the reader on the basis of emotional intelligence, its origins, and how mastering it can lead to increased leadership success.

Principles of Effective Leadership

The words and actions of a leader determine the effectiveness of any organization. An abundance of research provides valuable insight into typical qualities possessed by those who are charged with moving a group in a common direction. Studies show general characteristics of effective leaders, such as common personality traits, communication skills, and dispositional strengths that separate the effective leader from those who are less effective. However, there are other critical elements that must be in place and that go beyond personality, frugalness, and the willingness to work long hours. These basic components are at work in every organization and hold the key as to how a multifaceted, diverse group of people can work toward a common goal. Mastering these domains will provide next-generation leaders with the necessary skills to solve problems in the constantly evolving environment we call “school.”

Motivational Factors for Pursuing Degrees in Educational Administration

Graduate students were surveyed to analyze their motivations for pursuing a degree in educational administration. Researchers also examined whether there were differences in their motivations based on race. According to NCES (2003-2004) only 10.6% of all public school principals were African American while 16.8% of the students they served were of the same race. Understanding that African Americans are underrepresented in school leadership positions as compared to their Caucasian counterparts, the researchers sought to explore whether Caucasians were encouraged to pursue school leadership credentials more often than African Americans. Statistical analysis revealed no significance in the responses of the participants based on race. However, through analyzing motivating factors by age, it was determined that participants between the ages of 20-29, as compared to participants between the ages of 40-49, were far more likely to report that they were pursuing a degree in educational administration because they felt that they could do a better job than their current administrators.

Mentor the Leader

This chapter discusses the importance of mentoring the leader, whether formally or informally, to help successfully prepare one for a leadership role. In particular, the authors suggest using a transformational leadership approach during the mentor-mentee relationship since it has proven to be effective in various working environments. Literature related to various aspects of leadership, mentoring, and generational diversity is reviewed. There are four elements to help successfully mentor a leader: motivation, innovation, integration, and evaluation. All four elements are beneficial to critical thinking skills, personal growth and development, interpersonal skills, and team building. The Mentor-Leader Relationship Scale (MLRS) is introduced as a tool for leaders to reflect on their experiences with their mentor in relation to the four elements.

Exploring the Role of Organizational Culture in Modern Organizations

Organizational culture controls the way employees behave among themselves as well as with people outside the organization, and represents certain policies which guide the employees and give them a sense of direction in the workplace. Organizational culture helps keep employees motivated and loyal to the management of the organization. Having a shared organizational culture in the workplace gives employees a sense of unity, thus promoting better communication and less conflict. The chapter argues that the improved organizational culture has the potential to enhance organizational performance and reach strategic goals in modern organizations.