In fulfilling their gate-keeping function, doctoral programs in educational leadership must attract and graduate the most able candidates if the nation is to retain leadership status in the world economy. Success rates in the past for these goals have been at best mediocre relative to most standards of comparison.Improvements in these base rates are likely to come about only through systematic research and then through the application of this research in the actual setting. That is, data are needed that inform both attraction of and selection among potential candidates for a doctoral program in educational leadership. The focus of this chapter is on providing information bearing on the attraction and on the selection of doctoral students.

The use of adjunct faculty positions has been a growing reality for over thirty years in colleges and universities across the nation. The adjunct faculty makes up 46% of the college and university teachers and 65 % of the adjunct and non-tenure track positions (Euban, 2006). The adjunct professors do not have permanent positions with the university. Usually, they are hired on a semester by semester basis and do not have a full-time contract. These part-time positions are considered a minimum teaching load that does not require the professors to have research or administrative responsibilities. Their employment is dependent on the number of students who enroll in each course offered and they are paid by the number of hours they teach (Kamps, 1996; Wegner, MacGregor & Watson, 2003).

In this article, we examined the history behind character education because we believe that character education an integral component of the educational enterprise. Major contributors to the importance of character education in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries were discussed. Then we focused on the highlights of the last five decades of the 20th century. Finally, we examined recent developments in character education, with particular interest to character education programs.

In response to societal, pedagogical, and economic pressures for change, colleges of education and departments of educational leadership have sought alternative formats for the professional development of educational leaders.

The editors offer concluding remarks on the Handbook of Doctoral Programs in Educational Leadership.

Doctoral students are by their very nature social creatures, and those who experience an "organic union" with others have a far better chance of becoming productive, skilled researchers and lifelong learners. Many studies have found that "cooperative efforts produce higher achievement than do competitive or individualistic efforts" (Johnson & Johnson, 1998, p. 9; see also Johnson, 2003; Winston, 2006). In this confessional essay, I situate myself as a doctoral supervisor reflecting on the value of positive interdependent learning and, as a vehicle for this, research support groups. I have come to realize that my core values are situated, biased, and not generally representative of all of my students, a story I share in this essay. The personal–confessional genre is one in which "confessors" reveal their subjectivities and engage in reflective thinking in ways that potentially shape educational discourse (Bleakley, 2000; see also Bullough & Pinnegar, 2001). In keeping with social theorist C. Wright Mills's conception of research (1959), I believe that "personal troubles" should not be presented merely as troubles but rather "understood in terms of public issues" (p. 226).

Nationally recognized experts in the field of educational leadership and administration contribute to this book, with chapters focused on the past, present, and future of the preparation of our nation's school leaders. Every field of professional practice must periodically reflect on its past, assess current conditions, and chart a course for the future. This book is designed to stimulate thinking and action for the field of educational leadership. The authors portray historical achievements and short comings, describe what is transpiring now, and explore implications of current developments.

This module is designed to introduce educational leaders to an organizational assessment tool called a "culture audit." Literature on organizational cultural competence suggests that culture audits are a valuable tool for determining how well school policies, programs, and practices respond to the needs of diverse groups and prepare students to interact globally. Data gathered from culture audits can guide school and community-wide strategic planning efforts to close achievement gaps, promote prosocial behaviors, and develop global competencies.

As a contribution to the lively debate that has been recently spawned among scholars about leadership preparation embedded in doctoral studies, this chapter explores the relationship between the current conception of the quality practitioner of educational leadership and the usefulness of learning how to conduct action research. The first section describes the quality practitioner and shows how various theories lend themselves to this concept. Building on the theoretical underpinnings for the very practical work of educational leadership, the second section offers a brief discussion of the background and development of action research. In the third section, we consider the appropriateness and relevance of educational leaders undertaking action research projects as the capstone of their doctoral studies. We explore the arguments for the Ed.D. as a more appropriate doctoral degree for the quality practitioner insofar as the Ed.D. is a professional doctorate unlike its research counterpart. And finally, the last section explores a way to weave action research throughout an innovative Ed.D. program so that students of educational leadership experience the application of action research methods to change some aspect of their own organizations as they learn how theory inter-relates with practice. This model is most suitable for part-time doctoral students who have remained employed in some leadership capacity.

Our experience has been that collaborative research models the teamwork required of leaders in schools. Doctoral students must have common goals and build consensus between or among themselves. They must know their role in the research and how it relates to the other researchers. These roles must be defined at the outset of the research process. During the dissertation process, these roles may have to be redefined. Just as knowing the roles of each of the research team members, the researchers also must know the strengths in terms of knowledge, research skills, leadership, and support of each researcher so that the research itself can become the best that can be produced. With teamwork being pivotal in collaborative research, we must address the definition of a companion dissertation, also referred to as a joint, cluster, collaborative, or coordinated dissertation. First and foremost, it is not a single dissertation with two names on it; rather, companion dissertations are characterized by collaborative inquiry by one or more students in which (a) each dissertation may utilize a target population with a unique study sample centered on a problem, a phenomenon, or a general topic of interest or (b) each dissertation may utilize two or more different target populations yet they may focus on the same problem, phenomenon, or topic. We offer five formats in which a companion dissertation can be conceptualized as one of the following models: (a) meta-analytic model, (b) multiple case study model, (c) evaluation model, (d) single case model, and (e) subsequent replication model.

En este artículo, examinamos la historia de la noción de educación que forma del carácter de la persona (en inglés se llama "character education"), porque creemos que ese tipo de pedagogía debe ser integral a la disciplina de educación. Primero, presentamos historias sobre los mayores contribuidores a la educación que forma el carácter de la persona de los siglos XVIII, XIX, y XX. Después, enfocamos en las ideas más destacadas de ese campo de las últimos cinco décadas del siglo XX. Al final, examinamos los desarrollos más recientes en ese campo de educación, con un interés particular en los programas que promueven este tipo de currículo.

Recent events in corporate scandals have led to an increased community awareness and expectation for ethical behavior on the part of public school administrators, who are the CEOs of school districts and campuses. Previously, ethics has received little at

This article describes an evaluation of an Ed.D. Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership conducted at a university in North Carolina. The purpose was to determine graduates’ perceptions of the impact of the degree attainment on their professional career. Results will also assist with efforts for improving the quality of the program of study. Data analyzed included professional accomplishments, scholarly activities, leadership activities that contribute to the education profession and society. Findings indicated that follow up and information provided by graduates of a program provided a unique source of data that can describe the significance and effectiveness of the program to students and to professional communities. Approximately 80% of graduates indicated that the dissertation process was the most effective aspect of their program of study. Additionally, all graduates reported that the degree program resulted in increased income and job promotions. Only 16% of graduates indicated participation in scholarly work.

Since the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2002, underperforming schools have had to adopt research-based models for school reform, without a practical understanding of what that means. This article brings more clarity for educational leaders as they come to decide on how to fit a reform model to their school-specific contexts.

Simulations are presented that are interactive and use video clips to present problem scenarios that are followed by decision-making or discussion opportunities for students. In this online set of simulations are three case studies of typical administrative problems that school leaders and teachers might encounter. The topics for the three cases involve the following: a) a student's walkman-type radio is stolen from him on a school bus; b) some teachers complain to the principal about another teacher who is consistently late in picking up her students; c) one special education student and one regular student in an inclusive classroom get into a fight with a variety of different versions of the fight presented--each of which leads to different problem solving opportunities. In addition, there is a manual that suggests ways in which professors and students may use the simulations, and the manual also provides an overview of decision making theory for students to review.

Increasingly, education schools are being blamed for intractable social problems they did not create and cannot solve. They have been faulted for the quality of the people who choose to become teachers and administrators. They have been blamed for the woes of low-performing schools and school systems. They have been criticized for their inability to close the achievement gap between the most advantaged and most disadvantaged children in America. No other professional school is held similarly responsible.

Superintendent preparation and training has remained substantially unaltered for a half century. State certification requirements drive the content and activities for preparation programs housed in higher education institutions. State agencies never parti

Selecting a new district leader is always a challenge for school board members. A poor decision can lead to difficulties for everyone associated with the school district including the newly appointed superintendent. By relying on the wisdom and experience of the current superintendent, boards of education enhance their chances of selecting the right leader for their district even in a tight candidate market. This publication aligns with the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISSLC) Standard 3: "An education leader promotes the success of every student by ensuring management of the organization, operation, and resources for a safe, efficient, and effective learning environment."

Superintendent Gillet, lacking sensitivity to the environment of the school, allows issues to surface without resolving them within the context of the prevailing climate.