Ideologies in Educational Administration and Leadership explores ideological dimensions of educational administration in a number of Western and Central European contexts as they influence or shape the understanding, analysis, and practice in the field covering a broad range of topics, such as ethics, governance, diversity, and power. The first section, Philosophical and Theoretical Foundations, includes a range of sociological, political and linguistic approaches to examining ideology in an educational context. The second section, Ideologies of Research and Teaching, includes examinations of neoliberal and technological effects on research and teaching, as well as ideological shifts and challenges, in the West and in Eastern Europe. The last section, Contemporary and International Issues, includes critiques of social media, neoliberal impact on schooling, managerial leadership, university ideologies in Finland, the rationalisation of universities, and the impact of administrative ideologies on school systems. The book will appeal to researchers, practitioners, policy-makers, academics, as well as post-graduates in educational administration theory, and related courses in the ethics and politics of education, educational leadership, and organisational studies.

This collection explores the political philosophy and theory foundations for educational administration and leadership as they influence our understanding, analysis and practice in the field. The first section, "Political Philosophy: The Foundations," discusses the work of such writers as Machiavelli, Kant and Hegel, Hayek, Habermas, and Bourdieu as their theories apply to the educational context. The second section, "Political Analysis: The Critique," examines various types of political analyses, such as the politics of the policy process, minority politics, civil society, micro-politics, community politics, and cosmopolitan theory. The last section, "Current Political Controversies: The Practice," addresses current topical issues of a political nature, including the serving of the state economic agenda, the democratisation of educational organisations, the neo-conservative agenda, and globalisation. The broad international perspective from which these topics are covered makes this volume an excellent addition to the fields of educational leadership, organizational studies, and educational administration theory.

In this book Reynold Macpherson initiates a politically-critical theory of educative leadership as a fresh line of inquiry in the practice, research and theory of educational administration and educational leadership. Divided into four parts, the book introduces the sub-discipline of political philosophy to the field of educational administration, management and leadership. It does this by clarifying the knowledge domain of each and identifying how four political ideologies, specifically pragmatism, communitarianism, communicative rationalism and egalitarian liberalism, have primarily informed and surreptitiously provided contestable justifications for power in the development of practice, research and theory in the field of study. The book goes on to offer three case studies illustrating how political philosophy can be used to interpret how people become leaders and administrators of educational institutions and systems. Additional case studies then demonstrate how crises in governance in educational institutions and systems can be analyzed and improvements made using the tools of political philosophy. The final part uses the sub-discipline to critique the author’s decades of research into educative leadership, and concludes the book by both establishing the relativity of politically-critical critique and the ideology it favours; neo-pragmatism. Political Philosophy, Educational Administration and Educative Leadership will provide practitioners, researchers and theorists in educational administration, management and leadership with a deeper appreciation of power by formally introducing them to the assumptions, limits and tools of political philosophy.

Trapped between an encroaching tide of privatization and a rocky theoretical shore, educational leadership in America’s public schools is ardently researched and professionally practiced, but frequently besmirched and poorly understood. Despite the intentions of public educators to engage all students with the original power of education, disconnections caused by mandates, ideologies, and theoretical fuzziness render educational leadership unreliable. The capacities necessary for school leadership to function reliably on behalf of all students are well within the grasp of present-day public educators. But, the action or agency sufficient to enacting educational leadership reliably is on hold. Educational leadership throughout US public schools is submarined when disconnections and ideological misdirection impede the primary purpose and the moral obligation of public education. To fulfill the promises of public education and restore the intentions of educational leadership requires that educators, policymakers, and proponents of US public education reimagine the interconnections that yield the primary purpose and moral obligation of public education. Functional educational leadership is examined throughout this book as the agency necessary and sufficient for public education to discard the forces and factors that impose unreliability.

Current Issues in School Leadership examines controversies about, and affecting, school practices. Focusing on two essential questions--what is important to today's school leaders? and what is interfering with schooling processes?--it includes chapters by a broad range of authors, with expertise on their specific topic. The text is organized in three sections: *Social and Political Issues; *Curriculum and Learning Issues; and *Organization and Management Issues. The goal of this text--designed for school leadership, educational administration, and foundations of education courses--is to challenge readers to think carefully and critically about each of the issues presented, leading to positive action and leadership.

This book about valuation processes in educational administration has a particular focus on the notions community and professionalism. The topic is addressed comprehensively bringing together the work of some of the best-known and most respected philosophers, theorists and researchers working in this field. It will be of interest to university faculty, graduate students and educational administrators.

In a time of high educational expectations and professional accountability, today's educational leaders need to possess a broad variety of skills that enable them to function comfortably and effectively in changing environments and under highly politicized conditions. Under these circumstances, change is the only constant. The mission of this book is to foster understanding of this reality among those preparing for administrative and managerial careers in pre-collegiate educational institutions and to help them develop skills necessary for working competently within those institutions. This text is eclectic in approach, not ideological, and emphasizes an action-research perspective that compels readers to consider critically the theoretical underpinnings of current educational practice and motivates them to seek practical alternative approaches to solving both common and unique problems. This book addresses general principles underlying the knowledge base of leadership and management as specifically applied to educational institutions. It stirs learners' thoughts through the review of scholarship in a wide range of areas, encouraging them to critically consider the theoretical underpinnings of administrative practice.