1.5 Combining forces in the development of programs and services:  (Page 2/7)

Following A Nation at Risk, some academicians have challenged the rationale of applying general organizationalleadership and social science theories to the preparation and development of school leaders. Subsequently, there has been anemphasis on preparing school administrators to be instructional leaders, with researchers and writers emphasizing the uniquenessand importance of curriculum and instructional knowledge for school administrators (Sergiovanni, Burlingame, Coombs, and Thurston,1999; Starratt, 1996). Yet, as Leithwood (1992) notes:

"Instructional leadership" is an idea that has served many schools well throughout the 1980s and 1990s. But inlight of current restructuring initiatives designed to take schools into the 21st century, "instructional leadership" no longer appearsto capture the heart of what school administration will have to become. (p. 8)

Public education is one portion of a complex system of society that extends far beyond the walls of theschoolhouse. The administration of educational institutions is impacted and influenced by businesses, communities, governmentalagencies, laws, special interest and not-for-profit groups, and the general citizenry. The demand of these groups to improve thequality of public education and prepare students for the world of work beyond school is becoming more intense each year. Thedevelopment of state and national standards, public charter schools, and schools-of-choice across the nation has placed theschool administrator in a position of competition and accountability heretofore unknown. Demands by businesses, parents,community groups, legislation, and federal and state governments have forced the school administrator to listen to and collaboratemore closely with social service providers and governmental agencies. These economic, social, and political pressures andchanges require "leadership that is so completely revolutionary that it challenges all our old paradigms" (McFarland, Senn&Childress, 1994, p. 29). The importance of this statement is supported by Beyer&Ruhl-Smith (2000) when they state, "This opinion is shared by a cross-section of leaders representingbusiness, education, government, entertainment, and other for-profit and not-for-profit sectors"(p. 35).

Dissatisfaction with present educational leadership has resulted in school districts hiring business andmilitary leaders to fill school administration positions. These actions have been supported by the premise that successful leadership skills in the military and the business sector areeasily transferable to the leadership of schools. Rodriguez (2000) states, "consensus among educators supports the development ofprograms that train future administrators to work in collaborative and interdisciplinary settings (p. 65). An example of such acollaborative effort is an international educational program entitled, "Collaborative Educational Programs for the Americas"(CEPA). The CEPA program is one example of an interdisciplinary group of professionals in law enforcement, education, and themilitary working together. CEPA develops educational programs that focus on "the establishment of collaborative partnerships to dealwith the challenges of educational and social reform" (Rodriguez, 2000, p. 66). More recently, the City of Chicago Mayor RichardDaley announced an initiative in which the Chicago Public Schools are exploring a charter school format that will combine theexpertise and educational personnel of private schools with that of the public schools to offer an alternative educational opportunityfor public school students. The reform plan will lean heavily on the private sector for ideas, funding, and management (Dell’Angela&Washburn, 2004; Grossman, K. N., 2004)).