Education Commons^™

Compulsory Education: Challenges And Opportunities, Marilyn Grady, Doreen Gosmire

Department of Educational Administration: Faculty Publications

Compulsory education is a deep taproot in the history of our country and is at the heart of our educational system. Since Thomas Jefferson's presentation of the "Bill for the General Diffusion of Knowledge" in 1775, we have made compulsory education a central focus of our society.

Initially, Jefferson's proposal called for mandatory education for all children for three years. In the 1700s, a year of schooling was not the same as a year of schooling in the 19005. Jefferson's proposal required schooling in reading, writing, and ciphering so that an individual was capable of conducting daily business affairs.

Compulsory …

Early Leaver Superintendents, Marilyn Grady, Jack Mckay

Department of Educational Administration: Faculty Publications

In studies of the critical incidents that cause superintendent turnover (Grady and Bryant, 1991a; Grady and Bryant, 1991b; Grady and Bryant, 1991c), we became aware of the "early leaver" phenomenon in the profession. This phenomenon has caused us to question early leavers about their incentives for staying in or leaving the superintendency.

The discussion of when and if education will ever be a "true" profession is intertwined with the departure of individuals from the superintendency at the prime of their careers. How often do we learn of physicians who leave the medical profession at 45 or 50?

Our study was …

Superintendents' And School Board Members' Perceptions Of Empowerment, Marilyn Grady

Department of Educational Administration: Faculty Publications

This chapter focuses on superintendents' and school board members' perceptions of empowerment. The literature is rife with descriptions of empowerment from the perspectives of principals and teachers. Little has been written about empowerment from the perspectives of superintendents and school board members. This chapter is based on interviews conducted with school board members and superintendents from four midwestern states, as well as available literature. The school board members and superintendents who were interviewed represent districts that have had experience with empowering their staff members. Using this information, the sections include administrators' roles, school board members' roles, impact on administrative roles, …