Reaching out

Instructional leadership in school districts

Bibliographic Data

ID11259552
AuthorsPeter Coleman, Peter T Coleman (0000-0002-6337-745X, Simon Fraser University, corresponding author), Linda LaRocque (Simon Fraser University)
Year1988
Volume65
Issue4
Pages60-89
Publication date1988-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenuePeabody Journal of Education (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0161-956X • E-ISSN: 1532-7930
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/01619568809538621
OpenAlexW1997891212
LanguageEN
References cited29

This study of the Superintendent's Office in a group of school districts in British Columbia, Canada, examines the similarities between the activities of superintendents in a group of high‐performing districts, and the contrasts with the activities of superintendents in other districts. The activities are defined inductively in terms of "reach," which consists of the "vision" (norms underlying activities) of the superintendents, and the "range" (focus and intensity) of their activities. An explicit and coherent vision incorporating norms of consensuality and accountability underlies the activities of superintendents in high‐performing districts; the balance between these norms slightly favors the latter. The activities, diverse in topic and location, follow from the norms and seem designed to objectify and model them. The "reach" of the superintendency constitutes a personal professional ethos, which may help to shape district ethos, and hence may be related to district performance in student achievement and cost control

Accountability · Control (management · Economics · Educational leadership · Ethos · Instructional leadership · Management · Mathematics education · Pedagogy · Political science · Public relations · Sociology · Educational Assessment and Improvement · Evaluation of Teaching Practices · Law · Psychology · Public Administration · Teacher Education and Leadership Studies