Case Studies in Vocational Educational Administration: Leadership in Action

These 51 case studies are an educational resource to assist practicing and aspiring vocational education administrators. Introductory materials include a description of the format, learning environments and curriculum design, and learner preparation and modalities. Two references and 10 resources are listed. The cases are organized into 12 functional groups: determining institutional direction, goals, and policies; participating in accreditations and evaluations; collaborating with boards, agencies, and organizations; implementing mandated changes and improvements; implementing self-selected changes and improvements; linking with business, industry, and community; enhancing institutional visibility and image; maintaining and improving fiscal posture; securing and improving facilities and equipment; handling crises; resolving staff and student problems; and participating in individual and group discussions. Each functional group contains two levels of narrative evolvement. The first two cases describe an event or situation as it evolves from start to finish and lend themselves to hindsight types of analyses. The remaining cases are "partial" cases that bring the reader to a point in a situation where he/she must consider what went wrong or what difficulty arose and what should be done next. These cases are suitable for developing problem-solving or decision-making skills. Appendixes include a list of leader attributes and summary of leadership research conducted by the National Center for Research in Vocational Education. (YLB)