East Tennessee State University Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University Electronic Theses and Dissertations Student Works May 1990 Minerva at Large: A Study of the Leadership Styles and Educational Philosophies of the Department of Education Secretaries Mark Y. Herring East Tennessee State University Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.etsu.edu/etd Part of the Educational Administration and Supervision Commons, Other Education Commons, and the Public Administration Commons Recommended Citation Herring, Mark Y., "Minerva at Large: A Study of the Leadership Styles and Educational Philosophies of the Department of Education Secretaries" (1990). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 2729. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/2729 This Dissertation - Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Works at Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University. 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Cast Tennessee State University, 1990 UMI 300 N. Zccb Rd. Ann Aibor, MI 48106 MINERVA AT LARGE: A STUDY OF THE LEADERSHIP STYLES AND EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SECRETARIES A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis East Tennessee State University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education by Mark Y. Herring May, 1990 APPROVAL This is to c e rtify that the Graduate Committee of Mark Y. Herring met on the Second day o f April 1 9 9 0 The Committee read and examined his dissertation, supervised his defense of i t in an oral examination, and decided to recommend that his study be submitted to the Graduate Council and the Associate Vice-President for Research and Dean of the Graduate School, in partial fu lfillm e n t of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Educational Policy and Leadership Analysis, aduate C t Signed on behalf of the Graduate Council Graduate School ii ABSTRACT MINERVA AT LARGE: A STUDY OF THE LEADERSHIP STYLES AND EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SECRETARIES by Mark Y. Herring In 1979, President James E. Carter signed into law the thirteenth Cabinet-level o ffice , the Department of Education. Although the United States has had a department, bureau, or office of education since 1867, the newly established Department of Education gave education a seat at the Cabinet table. Since that time, four individuals have served as secretaries: Shirley M. Hufstedler, Terrel H. Bell, William J. Bennett, and Lauro F. Cavazos. Examined in this study were the importance of leadership styles and educational philosophies as exhibited by the four secretaries. A tertiary concern viewed the role of the federal government in education. Leadership styles were determined along the p o litic a l taxonomy of leadership (transactional or transformational) developed by Burns in 1978. Educational philosophies were examined under the traditional guise given them in most textbooks (Realism, Idealism, Pragmatism, e tc .). Two views of government and education were also studied, limited and unlimited. The study was q u alitative rather than quantitative. A content analysis was performed on the secretaries speeches, monographs, a rtic le s , addresses, and annual reports. Interviews were also conducted with the secretaries or th eir proxies. Conclusions of the study called into question the appropriateness of the federal Department of Education and its role as a reform agent In the schools and the ability of a given leader to lead at a federal level of responsibility. Educational philosophies were found to be nearly exact predictors of polices formulated and pursued and may act a good barometers for predicting what direction future secretaries may follow. The historical understanding of limited government may be lost on future secretaries, given the proliferation of federal programs by the government. i i i I DEDICATION For Jim, Chris, and Dee virtus probata florescit iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Acknowledging those who have helped with this project is at once wonderful and awful. It is wonderful, for it gives me pause to thank those who dedicated so much of their time and talent to see this study come to pass. It is also awful for I fear on the one hand that I have implicated the innocent, and on the other, that I have not been thankful enough: Deo g ratias. in both its senses. F irs t, I thank my wife Carol who endured the hardships of a husband who worked only part time and looked to her to furnish our material needs. As always, you did your job with panache and grace. Thank God you have not bowed the knee to the Baal of Feminism. To my daughters, Adriel and A reli, thanks are certainly in order for their endurance of a long race fought hard. You gave up much for this; I hope i t w ill eventually prove of value to you. To Dr. Bob McElrath goes a very hearty thanks for the casual remark he made two and half years ago that effloresced into this study. The flower may not look anything like the seed, but I do believe you may see something of i t here if you look carefully. To my chairman, Dr. Hal Knight, I owe my sincerest thanks. Although it is hard to be sincere or thankful during the birthing stages such a work, as it stands now, I offer my heartiest thanks for your meticulous eye and carking care to produce something we could both be proud of. My sincerest thanks also goes to the other members of my committee, Drs. Charles Burkett, Ernest Bentley, Floyd Edwards, and Ronald Green. Your contributions were always thought-provoking and helpful. Lastly, but most importantly, I must thank Jim Holcolmb, Chris Ecoles, and Dee Kafalas. Jim is a state representative, and Chris and Dee work in the Washington congressional o ffice of my d is tric t. Without the unstinting efforts of these three people, this dissertation would not have made It to its present form. Government is supposed to be of, by, and for the people. Many in Washington have forgotten th is, or perhaps never knew it. These three people helped me remind others that this Republic was founded for the people, and no other. If it does not serve them, i t does not serve at a ll. Thanks so very, very much for a ll your help, letters, phone calls, and leg work. v CONTENTS Page APPROVAL i i ABSTRACT.............................................................................................. i i i ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ........................................................................... v LIST OF TABLES................................................... ix Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................. 1 Statement of the Problem ................................. 3 Purpose of the S tu d y .......................................... 6 Significance of the Study ............................ 8 Assumptions and Definitions ........................ 12 Research Questions ............................................... 15 Procedures , . .......................................... 16 Organization of the study 17 2. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE................................. 19 Education and the Founding Fathers . 20 Federal Involvement in Education .... 37 Evolution of the Office of Education . 46 Bureau of Education: 1860-1900 .... 56 Bureau of Education: 1900-1953 .... 69 The Office of Education: 1953-1980 . 80 The Department of Education: Carter's Prom ise............................................................. 91 Leadership ............................................... 114 Burns' Taxonomy . ................... ...... 123 v i Chapter Page Transactional Leadership ................................. 135 Transformational Leadership . ................... 141 Philosophies of Education