The Write Stuff: A Study of Productive Scholars in Educational Administration

Abstract

This study explored differences between a sample of highly productive scholars and a random sample of more typical scholars. Surprisingly, few demographic differences emerged; neither were large differences found in institutional responsibilities or sup -ports. Productive scholars evidenced a greater orientation toward theory and research, whereas more typical scholars were oriented toward issues in the field. Although the field has made substantial progress in attracting more women into the professorship, the small number of minority professors in educational administration remains a serious problem. Finally, five challenges are proposed that, if met, will improve the quality and use of research in educational administration.