Editorial

Citation

Ross Thomas, A. (2007), "Editorial", Journal of Educational Administration, Vol. 45 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/jea.2007.07445aaa.001

Editorial

With regret I have to announce the retirement of three members of the Editorial Advisory Board. Included are two of the journal’s longest-serving Board members.

Max Howell, Headmaster of the Brisbane Grammar School, joined the Board in 1973 and from that time on served the journal with distinction, bringing to his evaluations of submitted papers a degree of insightfulness characteristic of the most experienced of school leaders. Max always considered a paper primarily in terms of its contribution to practice – its usefulness to the profession of school leadership. Ill health has forced his resignation.

Terry Lane (who joined the Board in 1975) was, for several years while at the University of New England, a most active Associate Editor. In particular, I am indebted to the times he acted in my absence as Editor of the journal. In the ensuing years he has worked in several countries, sometimes in challenging circumstances, but always as a close “friend” of the journal acting, in particular, as a critical reviewer of submitted papers.

Mark Hansen of the University of California Riverside joined the EAB in 1991. His particular interest in the education of developing nations enabled him to contribute greatly to the journal especially in assessing an increasing number of submissions from writers in countries in which the study of educational administration was in its infancy.

To these three retiring members I express my sincere thanks for all that they have so generously contributed to the Journal of Educational Administration.

Two new members have been appointed to the Editorial Advisory Board. I welcome Ken Avenell, current President of the Australian Council for Educational Leaders and Senior Project Officer in School Leadership and Administration in Catholic Education, Archdiocese of Brisbane. I also welcome Susan Bon of George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia. Formerly of the Pennsylvania State University, Susan will bring a wide-ranging expertise to the Board particularly in the realm of education and the law.

It is also appropriate here to acknowledge the contribution to the journal made by its Managing Editor, Rachel Murawa at Emerald Publishing. Rachel was of immense value to me and wholeheartedly championed the cause of the journal. I am particularly indebted to her for all of her assistance and, in particular, I record her participation in meetings of the American Educational Research Association where she acted as representative of Emerald’s educational journals and participated in Editorial Advisory Board meetings. I wish her well in her new position.

New location for the journal

As from 2007 the journal will be located at the University of Wollongong, NSW. For all of its 44 years since establishment the Journal of Educational Administration has been located at the University of New England but it has become necessary to leave that institution, particularly because of the decline therein in educational administration as an area of academic pursuit and the lack of acknowledgement afforded the journal as one of the outstanding publications in the field. (The JEA is the longest-established of the major periodicals in educational administration.)

Arguably the most exciting development in the study and application of educational administration and leadership in Australia is now to be found at the University of Wollongong where the Australian Centre for Educational Leadership is located. The Centre is making a most significant contribution to the field and its members, Dean of the Faculty of Education, and Vice-Chancellor of the University have warmly welcomed the journal’s “arrival”. It is of particular significance to acknowledge the presence in the Centre of the journal’s Associate Editor, Narottam Bhindi, and EAB member, Steve Dinham (former faculty members at the University of New England). Both have contributed significantly to the journal for several years. Their experience and enthusiasm will help assure the future and the continued prestige of the journal.

As Visiting Professorial Fellow at the University of Wollongong I intend to carry on as editor of the JEA for perhaps another two years before inviting a member of the Australian Centre for Educational Leadership to assume that role. The journal will be in the best of hands.

Readers

The task of evaluating papers submitted to this journal is assumed almost entirely by members of its Editorial Advisory Board. There are occasions, however, when additional readers are invited to assist me in deciding on the merits of a particular submission. During 2006 (Volume 44) the following assisted in this manner and I extend my thanks for their contributions:

• •

  John Schiller, University of Newcastle, NSW.

• •

  Larry Smith, University of New England.

• •

  Michael Hough, University of Wollongong.

• •

  Alan Shoho, University of Texas at San Antonio.

• •

  David Sloper, IHABU, Canberra, ACT.

This issue

Articles in this issue have been contributed by writers in Israel, Belgium, Australia and the USA.

In the first of these Tubin explores the interaction between ICT and a school’s organizational structure. Building a theory from a case study reveals that ICT tends to generate three kinds of differentiation within a school’s structure – segmentation, stratification, and functional differentiation. The type of differentiation correlates with the school’s communication and set of contingencies which includes ICT usage types, leadership style, time and space arrangement, source of expertise, and the “champions” – those who bear the burden.

Devos, Bouckenooghe, Engels, Hotton and Aelterman next report on their study of well-being among a sample of Flemish primary school principals. Well-being is a complex psychological phenomenon which is subject to many influences. In general self-efficacy and achievement orientation are significantly correlated with several aspects of positive well-being, e.g. job satisfaction and job enthusiasm. Few effects can be attributed to school culture and structure but school boards are influential in determining both positive and negative well-being.

A second report from Dinham adds to his earlier article on the AESOP project in this journal (see Vol. 43 No. 4, 2005). Herein he reports on the leadership that heads of faculties (departments) display in effecting exceptional educational outcomes. Whilst innate, personal qualities are important, much of what these heads of department possessed and demonstrated had been learned from others. Basic to their leadership was a focus on students and their learning. Contributing categories included promotion and advocacy, department planning and organization, collaboration and common purpose, and expectations of success.

Riley and Mulford next present an analysis of the National College for School Leadership (NCSL ) in England. The college represents a most significant step towards ensuring that school headteachers are adequately prepared for the challenge of educational leadership in the modern age. But the modern age, whatever the term connotes, is changing so rapidly that college personnel must constantly be attuned to developing challenges and demands. The authors acknowledge the many strengths adequate for the initial core activities of headteacher development but the continued increase in expectations necessitates a strategic re-examination of NCSL capability.

In the final article, Madsen pursues the common belief that much of who we are is developed during childhood. Thus the author, through intensive interviews, elicits from ten women university presidents their perceptions and experiences related to the lifetime development of leadership skills, abilities and competencies. The findings support the growth-task model of human development. As children, the presidents were generally obedient, reflective, observant, smart, self-directed, competitive, and moderately to highly confident. It was important for them to live up to their own expectations and those of significant adults around them. Other than their own parents, influential individuals during their childhood included predominately women (e.g. elementary school teachers). Their most helpful learning experiences involved challenging and difficult situations.

Four book reviews complete this issue.

A. Ross Thomas