University Culture and Educational Administration Reform: Friends or Foes?

Abstract

Educational administration programs are in desperate need of change. However, substantive change is unlikely given the rigidity of the university culture and its dysfunctional nature. The demand to change American universities has existed for over a century with little effect. However, faculty resistance, wrapped in a rigid culture, rejects competing ideologies. A new paradigm is needed if university preparation of school administrators is to be credible. One alternative paradigm is based on the relationship between the teacher and learner. In this paradigm, leadership is discovered rather than taught. It is a personal journey for the faculty member and student. The relationship between the teacher and student creates an opportunity for the discovery of different structures grounded in existential theory.

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