This article explores the responses of school principals of small rural schools in Victoria, Australia to leadership challenges they identify as characteristic of these contexts. The research is an exercise in grounded theory building, with the focus on the principalship as it is enacted in small rural settings. The article also seeks to trace the…

Assuming the quality of the principal is directly linked to student learning and instruction, whose responsibility is it to develop building administrators to their fullest? This question is at the center of Principal Training on the Ground by Sandra Stein and colleagues from the School of Public Affairs at Baruch College of the City University of…

This book is intended to serve as a practical guide to developing, implementing, and appraising mentoring programs for school and district leaders. It describes mentoring and discusses why it is an important issue in professional development. A three-phase model is presented to help lead school districts and individual school personnel through the…

Feedback provides information that lets people know how they are doing. When they are monitoring their everyday work, it lets them know how they measure up. When they are setting development goals, it reinforces changes they are making. Many people know they need feedback, but are unsure how to get it. Three things must be considered: whom to ask,…

Research verified that school business administrators generally agree with the Association of School Business Officials International and Danforth Foundation model curriculum for school business administrators. Samples of 466 school business officials, 100 superintendents, and 100 representatives from educational administration programs were…

Learning from job experiences is essential for every manager's development. Managers learn best from challenging experiences, when employing a variety of learning experiences, and when employing strategies that coordinate what they want to learn with challenges likely to teach these lessons. Becoming a more versatile learner is essential. There…

Conflict is inevitable when people work together because they have different points of view, values, and ways of working. Resolving conflicts can be extremely difficult because of these differences. This short guidebook addresses ways successful leaders can work to manage conflict in the workplace, in particular conflict with people who report to…

This bulletin provides principals with tips concerning how to increase their assistant principals' effectiveness. It explains a four-part process to accomplish this task. First, principals must select the right person based on qualifications that meet the school's profile. Second, they must furnish needed training in self-assessment, goal setting,…

The complete process of initiating and monitoring an evaluation program is presented, noting that the ability to assess the performance of administrators and implement programs to enhance their skills and abilities is essential to the effective management of higher learning institutions. Such field tested resources as evaluation forms, performance…

Responses by Indiana school business officials to a questionnaire (177 for a 88.5% return rate) identified 4 areas of a successful training program: (1) develop communication and human interaction skills; (2) establish mentor and internship programs; (3) continue periodic workshops; and (4) increase computer and technology literacy. (MLF)

In three parts, this book intends to present and illustrate a way of understanding the field of school administration and the work of administrators as craft within the context of how administrators function daily. Part 1 argues for school administrators to perceive their work as craft. Part 2 describes administrators' work as craft in action and…

This publication discusses effective leadership by presenting descriptions of practices for educational leaders. It focuses on six standards, known as the California Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (CPSEL). The California standards, generated from national standards, have been updated and refined to reflect the continuing shift…

Drawing from the experiences of successful businesses and business leaders, this book offers a different look at school leadership. It is intended to be a hands-on guide for school officials by offering perspectives on what it takes to be an effective leader in today's schools. Its concepts and recommendations represent a combination of the best…

This book, intended to be a hands-on guide and training tool, contains basic principles for new principals. Following an introduction, each of the book's 10 chapters focuses on one of the essential components of personal effectiveness. A highly effective principal is: (1) a communicator; (2) an educator; (3) an envisioner; (4) a facilitator; (5) a…

Intended for the beginning principal and the principal's mentor, this book explores the duties in the principal's first year on the job from the viewpoint of both the principal and the mentor. It emphasizes organization during the first-year principalship; tasks to be accomplished each month; leading versus managing and how both can benefit the…