This dissertation is a qualitative case study on the impact of elections and other alternative selection procedures of secondary school administrators on the school culture in the Brazilian city of Vitoria. The research focused on three urban public secondary schools and the interaction between school principals, students, teachers, parents, and staff development personnel. Much of the recent literature in the United States involving studies of effective schools has dealt with the role of the instructional leader in schoolimprovement. However, the paucity of literature on the role of Brazilian school administrators motivated this study.
Comparison is made between Vitoria, Brazil and Chicago, Illinois, where in some neighborhoods conditions approximate those in developing nations. Attention is focused on the school leader's role in a nation undergoing rapid economic, political, and social change. Conceptual and theoretical significance of the study lies in the fact that it is based on qualitative methodology, and was conducted using inductive, naturalistic techniques. The study attends to the need for theory generation and conceptual definitions as essential precursors to quantitative research designed to test hypotheses.