Anita Pankake

• UTRGV retired

The current norm of compulsory formal schooling includes a system in which schools teach state mandated curriculum, parents are held legally responsible to assure their children attend school until they reach a certain age, and students are confined within set class meeting times and set locations during their schooling years. The two terms, educat...

Lead with Me, Second Edition provides courageous principal's with the tools for partnering with teachers in the student learning and improvement process. This practical guide explains the skills teacher leaders need and offers advice for principals who wish to engage teachers in learning these skills. Packed with stories and examples from educators...

Why is it that so many women seem to climb the administrative ladder leading to the superintendency frequently and with relative ease, but do not reach that top rung? Data to help address this question is presented here. These data are part of a larger research project completed in the fall of 2006. In addressing this question, an overview of the s...

This study chronicles important contributions made by Miguel A. Nevárez, an Hispanic model for social justice in higher education. An analysis of archival records and interviews shows how Nevárez brought about greater opportunities for South Texas students by institutionalizing campus initiatives and by playing a role in the birth of the South Texa...

This paper examines the career aspirations of female and male central office administrators and their reasons for or against pursuing a superintendency, in the Texas, K-12 public school arena. Information unique to seeking and attaining superintendencies by these central office administrators will be presented, to assist with illuminating gender sp...

The purpose of this research is to examine the motivations of females aspiring to school superintendency positions in Texas. We report on a reanalysis of data from two previous studies and how the findings build an understanding of previously documented obstacles and barriers female candidates encounter in their journey toward the superintendency....

The purpose of this study was to examine the career paths of central office administrators, both males and females. Do males and females experience different career paths? This paper is based on information obtained from a larger study of central office administrators in the state of Texas. Only the data relevant to the topic of career paths will b...

The purpose of the study was to answer this question: Do children when choosing a book to read for pleasure receive a stereotypical impression of the female role as opposed to the male role as defined by the literature? A qualitative study reviewed main female characters of the Children's Choice books of 2008 with Jung's archetypes (Great Good Moth...

Aware of the gender disparities that exist in the most coveted school district leadership positions, the researchers undertook the project reported here to uncover themes related to factors that contribute to the low numbers of women in the superintendency and assistant superintendency. Having knowledge and understanding of the factors that contrib...

The purpose is to document the ongoing development of two schools in becoming professional learning communities and the effects of meaningful collaboration on teacher learning. The question that guides this research is: How does a school become a sustainable professional learning community? The theoretical framework is based on the work of Senge, H...

If principals expect to reap the full benefits of having teacher leaders in coaching positions, they should create working conditions that encourage positive relationships, reduce risks, and provide leadership development. To take full advantage of school-based coaches, principals must provide them with appropriate support. This paper discusses the...

This article offers information about a district's school improvement efforts to reculture as a professional learning community, which we believe exemplifies the school and district levels of Fullan's (2004b, 2005) tri-level model. We use Fullan's eight elements of sustainability to organize the data gathered in interviews with school and district...

We examined the reported experiences of 12 successful female educational leaders as stories of resiliency development through overcoming or coming back from adversity. Specifically, the reported experiences of these women were examined to determine: When did adversity evidence itself in the lives of these leaders? Were any of the adversity experien...

Report on a study of principals in rural and urban districts in Texas. Lack of time and resources, and changing demographics appeared as major challenges for the eight study participants. Findings agree with other reports appearing in the literature: the need to restructure the job of principal. (Contains six references.) (WFA)

This report documents a study of women superintendents. Specifically, the study identified professional and personal characteristics and styles of leadership to develop archetypes of six outstanding female superintendents in Texas. The intent of the research was also to reveal similarities between and among these superintendents that could provide...

This article reports the results of a preliminary study of how schools involved in a national project are developing structures critical to becoming professional learning communities. The study investigates the characteristics that distinguish schools at a high level of readiness for the development of a professional learning community from those a...

In a Texas study, six successful women superintendents identified vision, passion and commitment, promotion of leadership in others, integrity, knowledge, and stamina as important leadership qualities. Family support, varied work experiences, mentors, formal education, turning points, and failure played important roles in their leadership developme...

This work offers stories and poems from women school executives who rely on inner and external spiritual guides in their careers, and offers insight about the effective use of mentoring. Section 1, "The Professional Self," includes 14 narratives about the experiences of women superintendents, leadership metaphors, gender differences in leadership s...

Ordinarily, one would assume that rural school superintendents provide leadership to all the district's programs. Results from a study investigating the implementation of inclusion in Texas rural schools raises some question regarding this assumption. This article provides an overview of the study, findings, conclusions, and recommended actions for...

School administrators must constantly evaluate and refine school scheduling for optimum student and teacher performance. This book is for school administrators who need appropriate management techniques for scheduling students into classes. All parts of the puzzle are presented so the administrator can make wise choices about configuring the school...

School administrators must constantly evaluate and refine school scheduling for optimum student and teacher performance. This book is for school administrators who need appropriate management techniques for scheduling students into classes. All parts of the puzzle are presented so the administrator can make wise choices about configuring the school...

School administrators must constantly evaluate and refine school scheduling for optimum student and teacher performance. This book is for school administrators who need appropriate management techniques for scheduling students into classes. All parts of the puzzle are presented so the administrator can make wise choices about configuring the school...

School administrators must constantly evaluate and refine school scheduling for optimum student and teacher performance. This book is for school administrators who need appropriate management techniques for scheduling students into classes. All parts of the puzzle are presented so the administrator can make wise choices about configuring the school...

School administrators must constantly evaluate and refine school scheduling for optimum student and teacher performance. This book is for school administrators who need appropriate management techniques for scheduling students into classes. All parts of the puzzle are presented so the administrator can make wise choices about configuring the school...

School administrators must constantly evaluate and refine school scheduling for optimum student and teacher performance. This book is for school administrators who need appropriate management techniques for scheduling students into classes. All parts of the puzzle are presented so the administrator can make wise choices about configuring the school...

School administrators must constantly evaluate and refine school scheduling for optimum student and teacher performance. This book is for school administrators who need appropriate management techniques for scheduling students into classes. All parts of the puzzle are presented so the administrator can make wise choices about configuring the school...

School administrators must constantly evaluate and refine school scheduling for optimum student and teacher performance. This book is for school administrators who need appropriate management techniques for scheduling students into classes. All parts of the puzzle are presented so the administrator can make wise choices about configuring the school...

A survey of educational administrators showed that there was no agreement for full inclusion of individuals with special needs in the public schools. The group of 108 out of 400 was almost evenly divided between advocates and nonadvocates of full inclusion.

This study examined the role of staff development in implementing full inclusion in three rural kindergartens. Participant interviews, observations, and document reviews over seven months indicated that staff development must be closely linked to teacher concerns regarding inclusion, and teachers must perceive the interventions as providing things...

These writers connect con cepts of effective communi cation with actual situations they have observed in schools, and recommend that inservice administrators use the concepts discussed to analyze and improve their effectiveness as commu nicators.

Although much of the current school reform movement relies on the basic assumption of effective elementary school administration, insufficient effort has been made to synthesize key concepts found in organizational theory and management studies with relevant effective schools research findings. This paper attempts such a synthesis to help develop a...

Aimed at both practicing administrators and university education professors, this book discriminates among certain "E-words" ("effective,""efficient,""excellent," and "empowerment") in the educational reform lexicon. According to the introductory chapter, levels of effectiveness, efficiency, and excellence operate as interrelated factors within the...

Reports findings of a survey of Illinois school superintendents which focused on which management practices they recommend in response to enrollment decline. Discusses the 32 most highly recommended practices. (KH)