chapter 22
PREFACE
A
Handbook for Language Program Administrators (Second Edition) is
designed for practicing and prospective language program administrators. This second edition is still the book that we wish someone had
given us when we first took on language program administrator responsibilities almost three decades ago. Like most language program administrators who transition from teaching into administration, we learned
that the job of a language program administrator was multifaceted, requiring a wide
range of skills, knowledge bases, and expertise that we had not acquired as a result of our
educational backgrounds nor our experiences as language teachers. We learned how to be
administrators much like apprentices in a twelfth-century craft guild, on the job and by
trial and error.
The apprenticeship process that we experienced as new language program administrators is reflected in the cover artwork, which emphasizes two dimensions of language
program administration: our many roles and how we learn them. In our search for artwork that would capture the essence of language program administration, we realized that
one image could not possibly represent what it is that language program administrators
do. The cover art that we have chosen, adapted from eighteenth century Catalan woodcuts, depicts a variety of craft guilds that symbolize how language program administrators have traditionally learned their craft and the different responsibilities that they have.
One woodblock in particular, specifically the one with two characters stirring ingredients
in a large pot, depicts not only the work that administrators do with others but also the
various knowledge bases that must coalesce for administrators to be successful in their
jobs. These forms of collaboration and knowledge bases are explored throughout the
volume. The other woodblocks depict different facets of a language program administrator’s job and characterize specific sections of the volume. Part I, The Language Program
Administrator: The Basics, is represented by the character with the hammer and chisel;
we interpret the woodblock image as a metaphor for the work required to develop skills
as an administrator. Part II, The Language Program Administrator As Leader, is depicted
by the woodcut with a modern-day computer, representing the notion that leaders have
to look ahead to the future and plan for tomorrow. Part III, The Language Program
Administrator As Promoter, is represented by two people blowing horns, characterizing
the responsibilities that administrators have to promote their programs and advocate
for their students, faculty, and staff. The Language Program Administrator As Manager,
Part IV, is captured on the back cover by the character seated at the desk with the
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contemporary in-out box. And Part V, The Language Program Administrator in
Different Contexts, is depicted by the woodcut on the back cover with individuals from
different contexts seated around a conference table.
Of course, craft guilds were dependent on many people working together cooperatively to produce a high-quality and marketable product. In the same way, this Handbook
is the product of many authors who contributed their expertise in a cooperative spirit.
The contributors to this volume are or have been language program administrators in
many different contexts—binational centers, adult education, K-12 schools, international
schools, university-based language programs, and in both public education and private
schools. Thus, they have been able to not only outline critical issues in their chapters, but
also offer practical and useful advice based on their own experiences. The insights that
they offer readers can be equally valuable, with some adaptation, to all language program
administrators, both in the United States and abroad.
The first edition of A Handbook for Language Program Administrators (1997) came
about as a result of our own experiences as intensive English program (IEP) administrators in the U.S. Thus, the focus of the first edition was on U.S.-based IEP administration. In the past 15 years, we have seen the growth of English language teaching expand
exponentially, resulting in the need for effective language program administrators in many
global contexts. Consequently, we have expanded the scope of the second edition so that
chapters address the needs of language program administrators in a wide range of language program settings. As you will see, contributing authors have done an excellent job
of carrying out our broadened vision for the second edition.
In addition to an expanded focus, the second edition includes both new and continuing authors. Many of the topics that were covered in the first edition remain, and authors
have not only broadened the scope of their chapters but also updated their chapters to
reflect contemporary administrative issues. New to the second edition are Parts I and V.
The Language Program Administrator: The Basics (Part I) responds to the needs of the
increasing numbers of language teachers who are transitioning from teaching to administration to meet the growing need for language program administrators in all contexts.
Part V provides Handbook readers with key information on some of the different contexts
in which English language program administrators work, as well the challenges that they
face in these contexts. More details about the second edition are provided in the paragraphs that follow.
Suzanne K. Panferov, Kathleen M. Bailey, and Cara N. Llamas start off the volume
in Part I, The Language Program Administrator: The Basics. In Chapter 1, Panferov
discusses the process that English language teachers go through as they transition into
their roles as language program administrators. The chapter offers guidelines and suggests strategies for teachers who want to become administrators. In Chapter 2, Bailey
and Llamas examine program administrators’ beliefs about the knowledge and skill sets
that administrators need to function effectively in their jobs. Both chapters are new to the
Handbook and respond to the fact that more teachers are considering careers as language
program administrators, and they are concerned about having the appropriate skills to
maintain standards of excellence in their programs.
In Part II, The Language Program Administrator As Leader, Fredricka L. Stoller
presents the administrator as a catalyst for change and innovation, demonstrating how
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innovation can empower program personnel, invigorate programs, and lead to improved
teaching and learning. Kristin E. Hiller considers the language program administrator as an intercultural navigator and discusses the roles that culture and leadership play
in developing the necessary skills to work successfully in intercultural contexts. Sarah
J. Klinghammer explores the role of the administrator in developing a strategy process
and in planning strategically. She outlines the steps that administrators can follow when
bringing language program personnel into the planning process. J. Alexandra Rowe highlights the challenges that administrators face in their roles as decision makers and negotiators. Finally, Leonardo A. Mercado explores issues related to quality assurance—the
merging of solid pedagogy with quality service to assure the highest degree of student
participation, satisfaction, and success.
The chapters in Part III concern the language program administrator as promoter.
Elizabeth F. Soppelsa highlights the responsibilities that language program administrators have for empowering faculty through participatory decision-making and ongoing
professional development. MaryAnn Christison explores five ways in which the language
program administrator can serve as a language-student advocate. Frederick L. Jenks and
Patrick C. Kennell discuss the process of building academic legitimacy and outline ways
in which program status can be improved.
Part IV, The Language Program Administrator As Manager, contains five chapters. Joseph O. Davidson, Joy S. Tesh, and Sandra L. Hartmann discuss the theory and
practice of organizational design and offer concrete suggestions for keeping records,
running meetings, establishing committees, conducting self-studies, and improving communication among program personnel. Joann M. Geddes and Doris R. Marks provide an
overview of personnel matters, including useful guidelines for staffing, supervision and
evaluation, problem solving, and professional enrichment. Denise E. Murray examines
the role of the administrator in financial planning and the management of resources.
MaryAnn Christison and Fredricka L. Stoller set forth time management principles for
busy language program administrators. The section concludes with Michael Witbeck and
Deborah Healey, who explore the promises and challenges of technology in relation to
instructional practices and program administration.
The final section of the Handbook, The Language Program Administrator in
Different Contexts, is new and contains six chapters, each devoted to helping readers
understand language program administration in different contexts. With the rapid growth
of English language programs in the past few decades and the need for qualified language
program administrators, we felt the need to explore language program administration in
different contexts. Chris Parisoff and Nancy Reeder focus on adult education programs;
Vivian I. Morghen discusses binational centers; Jim Hamrick turns his attention to a
discussion of intensive English programs; Celeste M. Scholz introduces us to international schools; Kristen M. Lindahl and MaryAnn Christison look at K-12 schools; and
finally, Mary Reeves presents information on private schools. The authors of each chapter
describe the specific language program type, review its major functions, outline its outstanding instructional features, and discuss the challenges that language program administrators face in that context.
Together, the 21 chapters in the second edition provide state-of-the-art advice on
many important aspects of language program administration. We hope that this updated
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and substantially revised Handbook will serve the needs of practicing administrators and
also help prepare future administrators. When we first became program administrators, there were so few available resources for us to consult. We relied mostly on common sense, trial and error, and the conversations that we had with colleagues who found
themselves in similar situations, learning by doing. The first edition of A Handbook for
Language Program Administrators (1997) included a professional history of language
program administration and symbolically represented its emergence as a new field. This
second edition, with its much broader scope, moves the field forward in its attempt to
address current issues, such as the transitioning of teachers into roles as administrators,
defining skills, setting standards, and recognizing the importance of understanding context and the role it plays in mediating the work that language program administrators
do in a variety of settings. We are pleased to see the second edition of A Handbook for
Language Program Administrators join the ranks of other books and articles that support
the development of the now recognized field of language program administration.
As editors of this volume, we would like to thank the contributors who took time
from their busy administrative schedules to write chapters for the second edition. We
appreciate their continued support and commitment to the shared belief that the profession needs a practical handbook on language program administration. As the Handbook
was nearing completion, one of the contributors, Frederick L. Jenks, passed away. We are
deeply saddened that the field has lost such a passionate and skilled administrator, professional, and friend. Yet, we are truly grateful for his contribution to the Handbook because
a handbook for language program administrators would be incomplete without his voice
and his insights.
We would also like to thank Bill Grabe, Northern Arizona University; Adrian S.
Palmer, University of Utah; and Cameron Christison, for their professional and personal support. Thanks also go to our copy editor, Paula Schlusberg, for her careful reading of the final manuscript. We are grateful to Aarón Almendares-Berman and Simón
Almendares-Berman, of Alta Book Center Publishers, who have believed in this project
and supported us in our vision for a second edition. Finally, we thank you, the readers—
program administrators past, present, and future. We hope that you find the second edition of A Handbook for Language Program Administrators useful and a valuable addition to
your professional libraries.
MaryAnn Christison
University of Utah
Fredricka L. Stoller
Northern Arizona University
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