Case Studies for Educational Leadership: Solving Administrative Dilemmas / Edition 1

by Stephen Midlock

Overview

Case Studies for Educational Leadership gives educational leadership students an opportunity to project themselves into real-life administrative situations and prepare for their future positions in the field. Each case study contained in this practical first edition book asks students to analyze complex problems, consider the moral ramifications of their approach, think on their feet, and ultimately solve the issue at hand.

Appropriate as a supplemental text or a main text to a range of educational leadership courses, this text thoroughly presents the key areas of educational leadership, including instructional leadership; ethics and management; organization and development of curriculum and its alignment with instruction with assessment; supervision of personnel; school community relations and strategic planning; and diversity issues in educational leadership.

Features

• “Here’s What Happened” features following each case study share the true-life story of a real school administrator and prepare readers for realistic situations.
• “Ethical consideration” components within each case study encourage students to reflect upon different approaches to solving the case studies, as well as the possible moral ramifications of each decision.
• Covers multiple administrative positions, such as department chair, assistant principal, principal and central office administrator, preparing readers for a range of educational leadership positions.
• ISLLC standards alignment and cross-reference charts allow readers to draw parallels between standards and case studies.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780135094044
Publisher:	Pearson Education
Publication date:	01/28/2010
Series:	Alternative eText Formats Series
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Stephen Midlock has held an array of administrative positions in diverse school districts for the last two decades. These varied experiences have given him a rich background from which the case studies of this book have grown. He presently is a tenure-track assistant professor in the College of Education at the University of St. Francis, in Joliet, Illinois.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

About the Author xi

Chapter 1 Using Case Studies and ISLLC Standards to Teach Future Educational Leaders 1

An Explanation of the ISLLC Standards 1

Organization of Case Studies by ISLLC Standard 2

How to Use the Case Studies in This Book 5

Homework 5

Spontaneous Response 6

Jigsaw Activity 6

Nonlinguistic Activity 6

Chapter 2 Instructional Leadership 8

2.1 An All-Day Field Trip Impacts the Instructional Program (ISLLC Standard 2) 8

2.2 Kindergarten and the Twins: What Is Our Vision for Learning? (ISLLC Standard 1) 10

2.3 The High School Math Department: Are We Serving All Stakeholders? (ISLLC Standard 1) 12

2.4 Parents' Agreement: No Data Means "Get Rid of It!" (ISLLC Standard 3) 14

2.5 The Physical Education Dress Code and Its Fairness to All Students (ISLLC Standard 5) 17

2.6 The Social Studies Teacher and Ethical Behavior (ISLLC Standard 5) 18

2.7 State Tests and Ethics (ISLLC Standard 6) 19

2.8 The Uncompromising Math Teacher (ISLLC Standard 3) 20

2.9 The Walkout and Related Politics (ISLLC Standard 6) 22

Chapter 3 Ethics and Management 26

3.1 An Alleged Steroid User (ISLLC Standard 6) 27

3.2 Another Assistant Superintendent Falsely Accuses One of Your Staff (ISLLC Standard 5) 29

3.3 A Board Member's Son in a Fight (ISLLC Standard 3) 31

3.4 Cell Phones, a Bomb Threat, and a Building Evacuation (ISLLC Standard 3) 33

3.5 Differing Philosophies about Discipline (ISLLC Standard 5) 34

3.6 The Electricity Goes Out During the School Day: How to Manage This Situation (ISLLC Standard 3) 35

3.7 Ethics and the Principal's Decision (ISLLC Standard 5) 36

3.8 Misuse of the Rtl Initiative (ISLLC Standard 6) 38

3.9 A Murder Occurs a Block Away from the School: Maintaining a Safe Environment (ISLLC Standard 3) 39

3.10 Office Politics: How Does a Conscientious Administrator Deal with Them and Still Maintain a Vision for Learning? (ISLLC Standard 1) 41

3.11 Disposing of an Underground Storage Tank: Legalities and Politics (ISLLC Standard 6) 43

3.12 The Principal Has Turned the Faculty Against You: An Internal Public Relations Situation (ISLLC Standard 4) 46

3.13 The Superintendent Uses District Funds to Fix a District Car, Then Purchases It: What Is the Ethical Course of Action? (ISLLC Standard 5) 48

3.14 A Tornado Strikes at Night: Should I Leave My Family to Check on the Building? (ISLLC Standard 3) 50

3.15 Trying to Implement a "Zero-Based" Budget (ISLLC Standard 3) 51

Chapter 4 Organization and Development of Curriculum 54

4.1 Evaluating the Reading Curriculum Revision (ISLLC Standard 1) 55

4.2 Kindergarten Curriculum Revision: Promoting an Effective Learning Environment Amid Politics (ISLLC Standard 3) 56

4.3 The Life Skills Curriculum: Student Learning vs. Board Politics (ISLLC Standard 3) 59

4.4 The Math Curriculum Council: Professional Advancement vs. What's Best for Kids (ISLLC Standard 2) 61

4.5 Middle School Philosophy and Personal Beliefs Impact Student Learning Opportunities (ISLLC Standard 3) 64

4.6 The Mosquito Unit: When Ownership Takes Precedence over Student Learning (ISLLC Standard 2) 66

4.7 Selecting a New Reading Series: Let's Maintain a Focus! (ISLLC Standard 1) 68

4.8 Selling a New Assessment Initiative to Your Department (ISLLC Standard 2) 69

4.9 The Speech Teacher's Personal Agenda vs. the Instructional Program Goals (ISLLC Standard 3) 71

Chapter 5 Supervision of Personnel 74

5.1 Assignment of Classrooms to Benefit a New Teacher (ISLLC Standard 5) 76

5.2 The Dynamic Reading Program Equals a Recipe for Success? (ISLLC Standard 2) 80

5.3 The First-Year Teacher and the Supervision Process (ISLLC Standard 2) 82

5.4 Four Internal Candidates Don't Get the Administrative Job (ISLLC Standard 6) 86

5.5 Jake's Classroom Management (ISLLC Standard 2) 87

5.6 The Outdoor Education Program That Goes Bad (ISLLC Standard 6) 92

5.7 The Move from Associate Chair to Department Chair: How to Evaluate My Predecessor (ISLLC Standard 3) 94

5.8 A New Assistant Superintendent Is Chosen Over an Internal Candidate (ISLLC Standard 3) 96

5.9 The Science Teacher's Seniority vs. the Instructional Program (ISLLC Standard 5) 100

Chapter 6 School Community Relations and Strategic Planning 102

6.1 The Band Boosters and a Trailer: A School Community Relations Dilemma (ISLLC Standard 4) 103

6.2 The Central Office Snitch (ISLLC Standard 3) 105

6.3 Crisis Management: A Student Fatality (ISLLC Standard 5) 108

6.4 The Dumpster Incident: Internal and External Public Relations (ISLLC Standard 6) 109

6.5 Graduating Students' Families Get Into a Fight in the School Parking Lot (ISLLC Standard 4) 111

6.6 Let My Son Graduate Even Though He Failed Two Courses (ISLLC Standard 5) 113

6.7 Local Florist Complains About the Date of the Prom (ISLLC Standard 4) 114

6.8 Media Scoops and the School's Public Image (ISLLC Standard 4) 116

6.9 A Parent's Concerns About the Technology Curriculum (ISLLC Standard 4) 118

6.10 The Principal Bans the Local Newspaper Editor from the School (ISLLC Standard 4) 120

6.11 Students Against Drinking and Driving: A Good Idea Goes Bad (ISLLC Standard 3) 122

6.12 Students Drinking in Front of the School and the Political Implications (ISLLC Standard 6) 124

6.13 A Student Visa: A Neighboring District Charges Tuition (ISLLC Standard 4) 125

Chapter 7 Diversity Issues in Educational Leadership 128

7.1 Bilingual Issues (ISLLC Standard 4) 129

7.2 The Blind ELL Student: Who's Responsible? (ISLLC Standard 2) 131

7.3 Communication with a Stubborn Superintendent (ISLLC Standard 6) 133

7.4 Faculty Issues Related to Gender (ISLLC Standard 5) 135

7.5 Homosexuality Issues and a Board Meeting (ISLLC Standard 5) 136

7.6 Placement in the Gifted Program? (ISLLC Standard 3) 137

7.7 Pride and Snobbery Between School Districts (ISLLC Standard 5) 138

Chapter 8 Here's What Happened 141

Chapter 2 Case Studies 141

Chapter 3 Cas Studies 145

Chapter 4 Case Studies 153

Chapter 5 Case Studies 159

Chapter 6 Case Studies 165

Chapter 7 Case Studies 171