Outstanding School Administrators

Supported by the Nebraska Council of School Administrators and the U.S. Department of Education, the authors investigated the successful strategies and attitudes of hundreds of individuals nominated as outstanding administrators by state departments of education, professional associations, university professors, and peers. One thousand outstanding administrators were asked to comment on why they thought they had been nominated, what they had accomplished, and what skills had brought about their successes. Four hundred and ninety-one men and women representing all levels of K-12 administration responded in detail and at length to what has become known as Project Success. Wendel, Hoke, and Joekel present these insights in order to inspire and inform school administrators and other professionals in leadership positions who wish to tread in the footsteps of those who have succeeded.

FREDERICK C. WENDEL is Professor of Educational Administration at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He is the coauthor, with Ward Sybouts of The Training and Development of School Principals: A Handbook (Greenwood, 1994).

FRED A. HOKE has served as a teacher, central office administrator, and director for profit and nonprofit organizations. He owns a consulting business in education policy and personal skill development and career advancement.

RONALD G. JOEKEL is executive director of Phi Delta Kappa International. Prior to assuming this position, he was Associate Dean of Teachers College, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. For the last five years, he has been Chair and Professor of the Department of Educational Administration at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Dean of Teachers College, Associate Professor of Curriculum and Instruction and Chair of the Department of Educational Administration at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.