Greenfield On Educational Administration

This collection is a representative set of ten of the key papers which Thomas Greenfield, arguably the doyen of contemporary theories of educational administration, has published over the last twenty years. His writings as they appear are eagerly sought after and studied by scholars, students and practitioners in Britain and across the English-speaking world, but are not always readibly available individually. The collection charts the development of Greenfield's views of social reality as human invention, and explores strands of argument on the nature of knowledge, on admininstrative theory and research, on values, on the limits of science and the importance of human subjectivity, truth and reality. The volume is concluded by a discussion between Greenfield and Peter Ribbins, which reflects on Greenfield's career and elaborates on the range of his complex and often controversial ideas.

This monograph discusses Thomas Greenfield's writings and those of his two major detractors, Daniel Griffiths and Donald J. Willower. For nearly a decade Greenfield has attacked traditional theories of educational administration and argued for the centrality of mind in the construction of organizational and administrative reality. An introductory essay discloses the mode of reasoning evident in Greenfield's discourse by identifying ways in which disputation reveals a mental universe, also evident in the works of Griffiths and Willower. In three readings, Greenfield expresses doubts about what he sees as the ill-conceived nature of educational administration. He contends that placing meaning and intention upon experience shapes what we call organizations and that this process should be the focus of organizational theory. Griffith's reactions to Greenfield's doubts are to criticize organizational theories that pertain to educational administration and to offer suggestions that clarify concepts and restrict theories. Willower responds by exploring philosophical issues surrounding theory in educational administration, questioning its "raison d'etre" as a field of academic endeavor. Analysis of Greenfield and his critics demonstrates how theorizing in educational administration exposes differences about educational administration. Each reading provides a list of references or endnotes; an annotated bibliography is included. (CJH)

Values and ethics have traditionally been considered an important influence on administrative practices, and are typically included as a component of core courses in department of educational administration in the US, Canada and Australia. The recent resurgence of interest among practitioners in the topic of values and ethics as a guide to action increases the importance and appeal of this book of readings. This comprehensive book extends beyond the presentation of 'expert opinion' and appeals to an audience of academics and practitioners working at the policy level of educational organisations. Theory building, policy applications and praxis are addressed in this highly adoptable book by leading scholars in the field.

This collection explores historical and present-day issues in education management, the training and development of leaders, and their roles in leading people and managing resources, and provides a focus on the major management issues which are current throughout the education world.The articles reprinted here include the management of applied individual psychology; organizational psychology; individual, interpersonal and group interaction; personality theory; leadership theory and organization theory.

This volume provides diverse perspectives and paradigms in educational administration and leadership. Focusing on particular philosophical and theoretical schools of thought, it traces the contemporary history of debates in the field while also exploring emerging, non-traditional schools for insight and potential contributions to educational administration in multi-cultural contexts. It critically examines trends and issues in society and their impact on educational theory, and gives an overview of the scholarly study of organizations, administration, and leadership to develop introductory understandings of significant concepts and theories.

Studies values and their influences in educational leadership.