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In order to iniestigate the problems of educational innovation in depressed rural communities, and the efficacy of strategies for change employed by state and federal authorities in the United States, data were gathered in four areas of rural Appalachia and three rural communities in New York. An analysis of these data, and a mien of other relet ant data, indicate that the assumptions underlying prevailing strategies for change are often poorly in tune with the social and political realities of depressed rural communities. These findings point to a need for more realistic innovation strategies as well as a need for more research on this problem.

Scholarship in educational administration is considered from the perspective of a former journal editor. It is proposed that the development of scholarly skills is missing from advanced preparation in educational administration. Yet the skills of enquiry, analysis and writing are essential in any profession and critical to thought and development in professional fields. The import of writing and scholarship for a field of practice like the administration of education is treated, along with reasons for the current state of affairs.

In noting the human being′s propensity to value and evaluate, explores five levels of assessment from the casual to the very serious and rigorous. A distinction is made between management or normative appraisals and leadership or discretionary evaluations for organizational improvement and making a difference. The importance of rigorous assessment of the school by the school head or principal is underscored in the discussion of the why, what, and how of school evaluation for management and leadership by the head or principal.

The Spanish school head is more isolated from colleagues than principals in other countries because the school is the basic educational unit and because Spanish school directors have no structural links within the local system. Describes the design and development of an in‐service training programme for school directors in Spain. Describes the implementations of the programme with international and inter‐cultural co‐operation. Discusses the lessons learned.

Despite a long‐time effort, at least since 1963, to enlarge the base of knowledge utilization in Educational Administration by drawing humanities content into preparation programs for school administration, only modest progress has been made toward this end. A two‐fold explanation is offered. Most notably, it is argued, the practical value of the humanities in Educational Administration has not been projected persuasively in the discourse. The article herewith means to alter this condition and to generate a fresh momentum for blending humanities content with theoretical ideas which are central to school organization and administration.

In this paper, which was presented at the second Inter‐American Congress on Educational Administration, held July 29‐August 2, 1984 in Brasilia, DF, Brazil, the author sketches criteria for a philosophy that could contribute to advancement in educational administration. He then examines some positions and issues in the light of the criteria.

In the past case studies have been viewed principally as instructional tools for developing particular skills. Consequently the cases have been limited to the “issue” and “descriptive” variety. In the future considerable attention should be given to the case study as a research tool. In this regard, “substantive” cases dealing with social science concepts or advanced field practices represent a fruitful area for case development. Cases of all types will need to have immediate relevance to the current problems of practitioners, to cover a wide range of problems, roles, organizational types and environments and to seek to advance knowledge in a systematic way. There is a need for the classification of available cases and for preparation of many more cases, especially of the substantive type, perhaps by graduate students in the universities.