Riding the Rapids: Professional Organizations in a Time of Demographic and Technological Change.

Professional organizations that serve school principals have found that the needs and interests of their members have changed, impacting the quality of their service. This study was launched to understand more fully the contextual variables that affected principals' work. It investigated demographic trends among secondary-school principals in Texas, issues that demanded their attention, and resources that helped their work. Quantitative and qualitative data were gathered through a survey of school principals and a series of focus groups held in the state. Demographic data show that an increasing number of middle and high school principals are new to their role and require relevant products and services of professional organizations. More recently appointed principals are more likely to be female, minority, and from an urban setting than more experienced principals. These younger principals are constituencies traditionally underserved by professional principal groups. They also reject old-style professional organizations built around hierarchical governance and longevity and embrace more collaborative and participative activities. This study offers guidance to both professional organizations and institutions of higher education about issues and trends important to middle and high school principals. It identifies strategies that principals find useful in ensuring their continued professional growth. (Contains 14 references and 16 tables.) (RT) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document.