Volume 29, Issue 3    Summer 2008

Table of Contents

Leadership Behaviors of Superintendent/Principals in Small, Rural School Districts in Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Maria T. Canales, Carmen Tejeda-Delgado and John R. Slate

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.

Transformational ‘Teacher’ Leadership in Rural Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Kirk David Anderson

ABSTRACT: In this paper, the author explores the rural school context and its teacher leaders as a third transformational leadership prototype adding to Leithwood and Jantzi’s (1999) two transformational leadership prototypes of females and new teachers in the elementary school. The author helps illuminate new understanding of rural schools and their highly interactive decision making styles where teacher leaders are a source of creativity development of unique forms of leadership.  If researchers focus on teachers as leaders in rural schools, specifically those who operate outside of traditional leadership roles, there exists a promising area of new understanding for educational leadership as transformational teacher leadership.

Factors Associated with the Personal Assessment of College among American Indian Students at a Rural University  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Terry Huffman

ABSTRACT: This study examines the relationship between four independent variables (gender, age, reservation background, and cultural traditionalism) with three dependent variables (assessment of college, transition to college, and impact of college on an appreciation of Native heritage) among a sample of American Indian students attending a small, rural university. Findings include no significant relationships between any of the independent variables and the assessment of college. However, the transition to college is associated with age, reservation background, and cultural traditionalism while the impact of college on an appreciation of Native heritage is related to cultural traditionalism.

Relationships between District Size, Socioeconomic Status, and Student Achievement in Washington . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Vince Diaz

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this article is to describe the relationship between district size, socioeconomic status, actual levy percentages, and their predictive influence on the 2003 Washington Assessment of Student Learning results for 4^th and 7^th grade students in Reading and Mathematics. The convenient sample was 82 Washington State 2^nd-Class school districts with enrollments between 500-2,000 students. The results indicated: (a) no significant correlations between achievement and district size; (b) socioeconomic status was the best predictor of achievement; and (c) actual levy percentages and student outcomes were significantly correlated in the positive direction.

Weighing In: Rural Iowa Principals’
Perceptions of State-Mandated Teaching Evaluation Standards  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Terri A. Lasswell, Nicholas J. Pace and Gregory A. Reed

ABSTRACT: As the accountability movement has gained momentum, policy makers and educators have strived to strike a difficult balance between the sometimes competing demands at the local, state, and federal levels. Efforts to improve accountability and teacher evaluation have taken an especially unique route in Iowa, where local control and resistance to state mandated curricular standards have been popular topics from the statehouse to the convenience store. This research explores principals’ impressions of Iowa’s state-mandated standards for best-practice teaching (as opposed to state mandated curricular standards). Further, the research examined the extent to which the Iowa Teaching Standards (ITS) and accompanying Iowa Evaluator Approval Training Program (IEATP) have impacted the way teacher evaluations are conducted in the state’s rural schools. Evidence indicates that most principals felt that ITS and the accompanying IEATP made them feel adequately or very well prepared to conduct teacher evaluations. In addition, 65% of respondents reported that IAETP had changed the way teachers are evaluated.

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