This book provides new and experienced Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) with a critical approach to understanding the importance of outstanding leadership of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and how to effectively meet the current SEND policy requirements. Closely informed by the statutory guidance for SENCOs, this…

Celebrations enrich the lives of students, staff members, and school communities. The authors provide powerful, compelling stories; proven strategies; and practical tools for embedding celebration into school culture. Drawing on insights from schools and districts, this book empowers K-12 teachers and administrators to create a celebratory…

How can we approach professional development in a thoughtful way, keep teachers motivated, and make the process worthwhile? It's a truth that school leaders can't deny: teachers tend to think of PD as a distraction from the "real work" of the classroom--as something to get through instead of an opportunity to engage, learn, and grow as…

Many individuals enter administration not fully prepared for their roles. This is because many preparatory programs have persistent weaknesses in the linkage between theory and practice, are irrelevant and grossly inadequate for the current responsibilities of the principalship, and overlook teaching the social realities of administrative roles.…

"Surprise! Here come the preschoolers." Thousands of elementary principals are receiving a similar message from their supervisors as the concept of universal preschool is propelled to the forefront of the national education agenda. School districts across the country are being infused with wide varieties of federal- and state-funded…

This paper reports on an interpretive study in which 25 elementary principals were asked about their assessment knowledge, the use of large-scale assessments in their schools, and principals' perceptions on their roles with respect to large-scale assessments. Principals in this study suggested that the current context of large-scale assessment and…

Effective schools research gave birth to a new role for principals: instructional leader. Recent studies have suggested the relationship between strong school instructional leadership and higher student achievement. Skeptics question whether the principal's job is realistic and reasonable, with its emphasis on instructional leadership, multiple…

Preparing administrators with the capacity to improve instruction for all learners is critical for recruiting and retaining special education teachers. However, recent research points out the need to improve skills of current and future administrators for this role. To address these concerns the special education and administrator preparation…

We will never teach all our students to read if we do not teach our most at-risk students to read. Another way to say this is: "Getting to 100% requires going through the bottom 20%." Teaching all students to read requires a school level system for early identification of at-risk students and a school level system for providing those students with…

This report presents results from an evaluation of a series of workshops on the role and function of the school principal, held in Alberta, Canada in 1983. The workshops were designed to assist school systems in defining the role and function of principals as a step toward developing policies for implementing changes related to the principalship.…

The author cites conditions for error within schools as one major reason for limited effectiveness of instructional supervision. The ongoing diagnostic process of identifying conditions that reduce the effectiveness of supervision is termed organizational learning. The importance of involving the entire school system is emphasized, and the initial…

Peer coaching, teacher input, and focus on teaching improvement are important ingredients in an inservice teacher training program in a Palos Hills, Illinois, school district. Program goals and guidelines for training sessions and peer coaching teams are detailed. (CJH)

Describes a process whereby a community college continuing education division can be effectively promoted within the college. Considers the following elements of program advocacy: goal setting; evaluation of the continuing education division and its internal and external environments; and devising, implementing, and evaluating advocacy strategies.…

Many middle school and high school youth recognize the value of participating in organized activities outside school, yet too often they limit their involvement because of busy schedules and family lives, disinterest in existing activity choices, lack of motivation to attend organized activities or the lure of freedom or relaxation over structured…

In developing the 1999-2000 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), a special effort was made to include questions that would help determine the extent to which the characteristics of professional development policies and practices were consistent with the emerging consensus on the key features of professional development as described by Hawley and…