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Encyclopedia of Educational Leadership and Administration

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Encyclopedia of Educational Leadership and Administration

Fenwick W. English

Pub. date: 2006 | Online Pub. Date: September 15, 2007 | DOI: 10.4135/9781412939584 | Print ISBN: 9780761930877 | Online ISBN: 9781412939584| Publisher:SAGE Publications, Inc.

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Principalship

JoAnn Franklin Klinker

Principals are midlevel managers responsible for the efficient and effective functioning of the building and the occupants in it. They serve as a vital connecting link between central office/board of education and classrooms and between teachers and parents. As a result, principals face very busy, demanding, unpredictable, stressful workdays filled with conflict, confrontation, and compromise as groups and individuals compete for their attention. It is common knowledge that many principals feel overworked and underappreciated. The acronym LEA (for leading educational authority) embodies the multidimensional responsibilities and tasks of the principalship. As the LEA in the building, successful principals create a dynamic synergy between themselves and the environment in which they operate. Their knowledge, skills, attributes, and values permeate the system through the decisions they make and their moral behavior/ leadership. Yet a theme of responsiveness to the environment also defines the principalship and has done so throughout the history of ...

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