Digital Commons Network^™

Back Matter - Back Cover

Iowa Journal of Communication

No abstract provided.

Back Matter - Back Cover

Iowa Journal of Communication

No abstract provided.

Marking Gender In Solitude: Ritual Exclusivity In The "Mens' Movement", Monika P. Strom

Iowa Journal of Communication

The search for self-actualization that once drew Henry David Thoreau to the woods of Walden now prompts thousands of men to pack up emotional baggage for a weekend's commune with other men in the great outdoors. As participants in the so-called "men's movement" of the 1990s, their object is to "know deeply who you are as a man. Realize you are not alone" (Stanton 116). The men's movement is more accurately a coagulation of equal rights activism, consciousness-raising, academic men's studies, and mythopoetic "Wild Man" ritualism. The trends share a groping toward self-understanding, as well as recognition of the need …

Administrative Style Determined By Experience And Personality, Kelli Trausch

Graduate Research Papers

In this reflective essay I will share my personal characteristics and background which have colored my view of life in general and administration in particular. These observations, along with the knowledge and skills added through work experience and course studies, result in a selected style of administration which I believe will work well for me as an individual. References supporting the success of my selected style of administration through site-based management have been included. Site-based management is the delegation of authority by the central office or hierarchy to the principal and teachers. This management style has also been called teacher-empowerment, …

Development Of Functional Rapid Prototyping For The Production Of Near Shape Castings And Its Applications For Concurrent Engineering In The Metal Casting Industry, Kelley J. Kerns

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this research was to determine the increased role that rapid prototyping has taken in the metal casting industry for the production of near-net shape castings as well as reducing the new product lead time essential in concurrent engineering cycles. Additionally, research will (1) assess associated costs for product development, (2) determine time percentages procured for each level of development and manufacture and determine the stages where Rapid Prototyping can effectively aid in time reduction and engineering changes, (3) and the trends that the cast metals industry is trying to achieve through use of this technology.

A Personal Vision For Administering Elementary Schools: A Reflective Essay, Bonnie Lenz

Graduate Research Papers

To develop a vision for administration of the elementary school, one must first articulate one's vision for the school itself. In considering the role I might take as a principal, I must begin by questioning the school's purpose, structure and direction. Sergiovanni (1992) advanced the view that schools exist for a purpose, and leadership behaviors or organizational structures that do not enhance that purpose are ineffective and meaningless. Our purpose is to educate students. Does the school's structure support and its leadership point in the direction of offering the best possible education to all children?

A Mission Of Learning: Twenty-Two Suggestions For Reducing The Tension Between Teaching And Research At The Public Research University, Frederick J. Antczak

Iowa Journal of Communication

In April of 1991, an ad hoc group of professors from the University of Iowa's Colleges of Liberal Arts, Law, Medicine, Business and Engineering called the Iowa Teaching Project began meeting and generating ideas on improving what we called the culture of teaching at the University of Iowa. These are some of the ideas that have arisen out of that discourse. Not all have been implemented; not all have even been objects of unanimous assent across campus, or even in our group. But some have actually attracted some additional funding from the Administration and the Legislature, and all have elicited …

Colloquium: Teaching, Communications, And The Public Research University, Frederick J. Antczak

Iowa Journal of Communication

With the following article, the question I want to open for readers of the Iowa Journal of Communication--not only as professional educators, but as parents and citizens of Iowa -- is whether there may be some way that the confluence of these two difficult problems might represent an opportunity. Are there some practicable ways in which faculty in general, communication scholars in general, perhaps rhetoricians in particular can take the lead in reconciling the apparently contrary imperatives of the public research university? And thereby, perhaps, make our centrality more apparent, our situation more secure? I know that serious thinking has …

Front Matter - Table Of Contents

Iowa Journal of Communication

No abstract provided.

Silencing Voices By Celebration: The Paradox Of "The Year Of The Woman", Suzanne M. Daughton

Iowa Journal of Communication

One particularly ironic paradox of contemporary American society is that one of the most successful rhetorical strategies for silencing a voice is to celebrate that voice. The celebrator becomes a (mis)interpreter whose message is louder, and more widely received, than the original. In this essay I will argue that this is precisely what happened to the voices and concerns of women in the 1992 United States presidential campaign.

Executive Summary, Dave Else

Institute for Educational Leadership Monograph Series

Pressures to transform American schools continue to build. And school leaders anxious to respond positively to these pressures seek approaches to better meet expanding student needs while at the same time improving student achievement.

School-based management through shared decision-making has been applauded and criticized; met with exceptional success and disappointing failure, been hailed as the new leadership paradigm to rescue schools and labeled as one more desperate but poorly conceived attempt to resurrect America's schools. These divergent views are, in part, a result of the degree of preparation for moving from a highly centralized, system with lingering strands of autocrated …

Executive Summary, Dave Else

Institute for Educational Leadership Monograph Series

We live in a changing world that is highly diverse in the makeup of its people. A World Village, (Table 1), demonstrates the diversity in continent representation, economics, and religion. While this diversity adds a richness to a society, it historically has often been a source of conflict. Perhaps the conflict is no more visible than in our public schools.

Fear and misunderstanding all too often fuel the fires of conflict. I was adequately reminded of this when traveling to the Slovak Republic to work with school principals in democratizing their schools after the Velvet Revolution. Because they were a …

Issue Area One: The Impact Of School-Based Shared Decision-Making: What Are The Benefits And Pitfalls?, James L. Doud, Ellyn Wrzeski

Institute for Educational Leadership Monograph Series

The topic of school-based shared decision-making is one which has captured the attention of educators throughout the nation. The meaning of the term varies nearly as much as those who speak about it. The rationale for why school-based shared decision-making should or should not exist is debated (sometimes rather heatedly) by those who would be responsible for its implementation as well as those who are responsible for the financial support of public education.

Ten position papers dealing with the benefits and pitfalls of school-based shared decision-making were developed in advance of this conference. These papers, along with comments made by …

Evolving Perceptions Of Effective Administration In Secondary Education, Jeffrey L. Schneekloth

Graduate Research Papers

Educational leaders are faced with a variety of challenges. Effective administrators must be knowledgeable of the wide array of demands and have an innovative ability to manage them. The Master of Arts in Education courses along with personal experiences has helped me develop the beliefs, attitude, knowledge, and skills which I anticipate using in performance as an administrator. The curriculum has helped me formulate a personal vision of how my leadership style can make a positive difference in the lives of students. This reflective essay analyzes a variety of issues facing future administrators and communicates my vision of effective performance …

Continuity And Change: President Constantine Curris' Annual Address To The Faculty, 1983-1993, Constantine Curris

History of Education Book Gallery

Since assuming office at the University of Northern Iowa in 1983, President Constantine (Deno) Curris has addressed the faculty at its opening meeting each fall. This collection of his annual speeches, prepared in recognition of his first ten years of service, reveals an overarching dedication to the university's mission in terms of continuity and change. These speeches cover a range of topics that continue to be pertinent. They demonstrate the president's support of academic freedom, his concern for academic integrity, his awareness of international interdependence, and his dedication to student advancement. Time and again President Curris reminds the faculty of …

Shared Decision-Making Serves Students, Gregory A. Reed

Institute for Educational Leadership Monograph Series

School-based shared decision-making is a system of administration in which the school is the primary unit of decision-making. I believe our students are best served when decisions that affect them are made collaboratively by the adults who are responsible for all aspects of their education. In theory, the teaching staff, administration, and support staff in the school with participation from parents, students, and community members should make all decisions concerning expenditures, curricula, and personnel. The role of the central office should be as a facilitator to the local school while the school board should continue to define and set district …

Demon In The Doorway, Satan In The Schoolhouse: The Myth Of Values Education As Social Savior, Aaron Podolefsky

Institute for Educational Leadership Monograph Series

Conflicts of values are among the most intractable of disagreements. Because values are core elements of who we are, individuals tend to take positions from which they will not compromise. Because values are, ultimately, tied to norms and goals, groups become concerned about the larger agenda of others. Today, many educators are concerned because much of the pressure for teaching values in schools is coming from religious groups perceived as extremist, intolerant, and divisive.

Shared Decision-Making: No Assurance Of A Focus On Student Learning, Harold A. Overmann

Institute for Educational Leadership Monograph Series

As schools have struggled to "reform" themselves over the last decade, shared decision-making (SDM) has emerged as a central component of the reform overnance structure. Diffusion of decision-making authority among the teaching staff at the school site is frequently equated with the production of quality decisions that guarantee student success. In reality, SDM provides no more assurance that decisions focus on student success than traditional decision-making modes.

The Secondary Principalship: The Philosophy Of Educational Administration: A Reflective Paper, Palmer Byrd Ii

Graduate Research Papers

Over the last forty years, education in the United States has undergone several changes. In the 1950's the understood focus of secondary public education was college preparation for those few students who could afford the advances of a higher education. Most high school students did not expect to, and did not go on to college or to the university. During and after the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's, the federal and state governments seriously began to look at the question of equal opportunity in public school education. In the aftermath of the social upheaval of the Civil Rights Movement, …

A Vision Of Middle School Leadership, Steven J. Kwikkel

Graduate Research Papers

I take a moment to look at my watch and everything seems right on schedule. It's 7:59 a.m. and the date is August 25, 1994, the first day of teacher workshops! A letter sent out three weeks ago to the 14 faculty and four staff members I will be working with assures me that all will be present for our first formal building meeting. Materials I had prepared during the months of June and July to prepare for the upcoming year are sitting ready to be picked up by what I have been told is one of the most "dynamic" …

Learning Opportunities Necessary For New Shared Decision-Makers, Steve Kwikkel

Institute for Educational Leadership Monograph Series

If the 1990s are destined to be the era of shared decision-making (NASSP, 1993) then those who embrace it must be willing to make and enforce the range of decisions that will follow. The biggest obstacle I see facing shared decision-making is the lack of opportunities that have traditionally been afforded to interested stakeholders-namely teachers. If teachers are an untapped leadership potential, then it is up to principals as the leaders of leaders (Schlechty, 1993) to nurture and develop these skills in teachers by offering ample opportunities. If the era of top down decision-making is to end, then schools as …

Issue Area Six: Changing Schools For A Changing Society: The Schools As A Positive Force, Maryellen Knowles

Institute for Educational Leadership Monograph Series

Schools can be a positive force for change by being courageously and passionately committed to a vision that focuses on the learner.

Schools can become flexible with resources. An enterprising environment demands a high degree of flexibility with resources and a high tolerance for diverse implementation techniques. Schools must have the flexibility to shift resources from areas of low productivity to new ventures and areas of higher productivity. This flexibility calls for a reduction in rules that restrict enterprising activity and a greater tolerance on the part of decision makers for the ambiguity that is a result of enterprising activity. …

American College Student Activism During The 1980'S, Christopher J. Rolwes

Graduate Research Papers

American college student activism is best known for the part it played during the turbulent 1960's. Many were surprised when it ended abruptly in the early 1970's and students returned their focus to academics and other personal issues. However, the 1980's brought about levels of campus unrest that had not been seen since the late 1960's and early 1970's (Altbach & Cohen, 1989). The purpose of this paper is to analyze the student movements of the 1980's giving attention to the tactics student activists used to achieve their goals. Specifically, the Anti-Apartheid Movement, Central America and the Central Intelligence Agency, …

A Preferred Vision For Administering Secondary Schools: A Reflective Essay, Joseph G. Malsam

Graduate Research Papers

As a classroom teacher for several years, I've had the opportunity to develop what I believe to be a fair and equitable learning environment. I have a real liking for what I've done as a teacher, a respect for my students and an understanding of the proper student-teacher relationship. I've worked with several student-teachers and have attempted to pass on learned skills to them through their on-the-job experiences. Through the years these experiences have helped me continue to learn and grow as a classroom facilitator. I am now at a crossroads of professional growth and have determined a potential change …

Building Trust In The Community, Carolyn Jons

Institute for Educational Leadership Monograph Series

Building trust and respect in schools and communities actually happens one person at a time. Diverse beliefs can be a barrier, but despite disagreements there are effective ways to work together or at least not to sabotage each others' efforts. The six principles for how leaders build trust, found in the book Credibility (Kouzes & Posner, 1993) provided the framework for my suggestions for fostering successful interactions.

Shared Decision-Making: Training Or Culture Change?, Judy Jeffrey

Institute for Educational Leadership Monograph Series

Before beginning this paper, I must advance one important consideration. Shared decision-making is a value, not a training program. Topics can be introduced, discussions held, and skills enhanced, but if the people in the organization do not have an underlying belief that shared decision-making is the way to do business, only superficial activities will occur. If people believe they will be giving power to someone else, then the decision-making relationship will be inherently unbalanced. That belief implies that someone has power to give and, therefore, can take it away. It also implies that the person who received power was powerless. …

School Board Support Essential For Successful Shared Decision-Making, Barbara Grohe

Institute for Educational Leadership Monograph Series

Shared decision-making is a powerful tool in the transformation process. Its power lies in its ability to move decisions closer to the children and people who know them best, and to engage a broader spectrum of the school community in the decision-making process. This engagement often raises serious questions among those accustomed to the traditional power structure. For the school board and the superintendent who are still responsible and accountable for the decisions, this can be a disquieting and uncomfortable situation.

Issue Area Four: Identification Of Legal/Governance Issues Related To School-Based Shared Decision-Making: What Needs To Be Resolved?, Ronald Rice, Louise Esveld

Institute for Educational Leadership Monograph Series

This group's task was to identify major legal/governance issues related to school-based, shared decision-making that need to be resolved. The group first set definitions for which issues would be considered legal and those which would be considered governance. Legal issues, the group determined, are those issues concerned with external controls to the school district, generally imposed by the legislature and/or by the federal government and the Constitution. Governance issues, the group decided, are those local decisions made within the boundaries of external, legal constraints. It was within these definitions that the group began deliberations.

Early in the conference the group …

Moving To A New Paradigm Of Leadership, System, Values, Mick Starcevich

Institute for Educational Leadership Monograph Series

Two of the most popular current themes in local school district management writings and discussions are empowerment and site-based management. These two themes tend to run together a$ we look at restructuring our organization. Organizations have been conceived, constructed, and evaluated on the premise that leaders are responsible for directing and controlling the organization. As leaders try to open up their organization by embracing values such as participation, diversity, and reflection, they face a constant tension resulting from the conflict between these values and the current values used to judge successful leadership. Before leaders can institute real change, they must …

Abracadabra Doesn't Work, Deon Senchina

Institute for Educational Leadership Monograph Series

As a banker for the last 20 years I have had the opportunity to study, analyze, and work with many businesses. These businesses are facing many of the same struggles schools face: how to be pro-active in our rapidly changing world and meet future customer needs more effectively. The "solution" for businesses and schools will undoubtedly be different. Yet I have found there is much about the process of change that is alike.

Abracadabra doesn't work. Change will not happen without both time and effort. There isn't a magic genie or fairy godmother to ensure all the necessary ingredients for …