In Search of a Knowledge Base to Guide Program Development in Educational Leadership

Recently, the Executive Committee of the University Council for Educational Administration established a task force to study the issue of finding an appropriate knowledge base for educational administration (UCEA Review, 1991). This event underscores the fact that the field of educational administration is currently going through a period of great introspection. Simply stated, the goal is to improve practice, but that improvement must be based on a recognition of precisely what is the nature of the field. In this article, the search for a relevant knowledge base for the field of educational leadership is described. A number of potential sources for a knowledge base are identified. Finally, a newly-developed program in educational leadership at one university is presented to illustrate the way in which elements of the knowledge base have been incorporated into a new approach to the preparation of future school leaders.