ABSTRACT
While Northrop Frye is undoubtedly correct, not all mental images of an ideal tomorrow are created equal. What this means is nicely illustrated in Steven’s (1986) study of the visions held by elementary principals who differed in their basic patterns or styles of practice, and their resulting effectiveness as described in Chapter 2. This study found that principals with more effective patterns or styles of practice had more extensive, detailed, and integrated visions than did principals with less effective styles. Furthermore, those with the most effective style (e.g., student-oriented, referred to as Style B in Chapter 2) had the strongest program-related visions and worked hardest and most persistently to change their schools in the direction of their visions. It is reasonable to infer from such results that the nature of principals’ visions, as well as their efforts to implement those visions, help account for their impact on schools.
