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Describes attributes of Donald J. Willower from the viewpoint of a fellow professor at Pennsylvania State University. Identifies Willower as a leader in the field of educational administration and as an outstanding teacher and researcher. Willower’s fame helped establish and maintain Pennsylvania State University as a leading institution in the USA. Notes also Willower’s continuing support for the scientific approach to research in the field.

Reviews the extraordinary contribution made to educational administration by Donald J. Willower who died in January, 2000. During his 40 years at The Pennsylvania State University Willower made a profound contribution to the field in general and to the study of values, leadership, pupil control ideology, organisation theory, change, and methods of inquiry in particular. Willower was Distinguished Professor of Education for the closing decade of his career – an appropriate acknowledgment of his outstanding teaching, research, and professional service to the field. For 20 years he was a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of JEA.

Some trends in thought and research over the past 25 years in educational administration are explored. Then some suggestions concerning work that could become part of the research agenda during the next 25 years are presented.

In this paper, which was presented at a Conference for Lecturers in Educational Administration held in Melbourne in August 1981, the author expands upon past criticisms of the phenomenological and Marxist perspectives, provides an extensive analysis of the concept of loose coupling and puts forward a philosophical alternative to the phenomenological and positivistic positions. The interplay of philosophical viewpoints with issues in theory, research and preparation in educational administration is emphasized.

Pupil Control Ideology is expressed in terms of a custodial‐humanistic continuum. A cutodial orientation stresses the maintenance of order through strong discipline and punitive sanctions; a humanistic orientation emphasizes trust and optimism concerning students' ability to be self‐disciplining. Pluralistic ignorance is defined as the shared misperception of an attitude, norm or belief held by members of a group. 296 faculty members from 17 elementary and two high schools in a single school district completed three versions of the PCI form and a sociometric scale. Findings mealed inter alia that there were positive relationships between the individual teacher's PCI and his perception of the PCI both of members of his informal group and teachers in the school district. Individual teachers also perceived the PCI of the typical teacher in the district to be more custodial than his actual PCI. Although perceptions of the PCI of members in the informal group were also more custodial than actual measurements indicated, such perceptions were more accurate.

Describes Willower’s considered and valued role as a professor and reviews aspects of his career. Notes how Willower advocated bringing the work of the practitioner and the scholar closer together and the need to blend knowledge, values, and method. These characteristics contributed to Willower’s substantial role in the foundation and continuing development of the University Council for Educational Administration.

In this study it was found that teachers' own views on pupil control predicted their pupil control behavior, while organizational pressures represented by teacher perceptions of the pupil control views of colleagues and the principal failed to do so. It was also found that teachers perceived their colleagues and the principal to hold more custodial pupil control views than were actually held. The explanation was advanced that teachers behave in relatively custodial ways in places of high visibility to colleagues, but behave more in line with their own views in the classroom.

The pupil control ideology (PCI) studies originated at The Pennsylvania State University under the direction of Professor Donald J. Willower. Describes the beginning and evolution of the PCI studies and the role of theory in their development. PCI inquiry is now in its fourth decade and the concept of pupil control ideology and its measure (PCI form) continue to be useful to researchers as they analyze behavior in school organizations.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the state of the art of theory and theorizing in educational administration. The author investigates in what ways and why theory and practice have been disconnected and how they could be better conjoined. Although progress in the development of theory has been slow, it has been tangible. More recent work has displayed a greater degree of scientism in approach; more people have been involved; the extent of conceptual orientation has broadened; and the number of empirical studies has also increased. Whilst acknowledging the full‐fledged field study as the preferred mode, the author suggests a number of other strategies that may profitably be utilized to provide field data with theoretical utility. An experience audit, log or diary, instruments to function as operational definitions for certain kinds of behavior or attitudes, and devices to measure concepts central to explanation in a given area are examples.

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.