This book has been written at a time when the direct impact of leadership on the success of schools is increasingly widely accepted. Team leadership has always been important in schools, whether at the level of the department, the curriculum area, the key stage, the phase, or in relation to pastoral and leadership teams. This role has assumed…

A national study was conducted to determine the means by which school districts choose principals. The main goals of the study were to describe and characterize both common practices in principal selection and promising alternatives for improvement of common practice. Accordingly, the study was designed in two phases. In phase 1, field research…

Because of their visibility at the center stage of community life, small-town superintendents have a greater opportunity to act as participatory managers and instructional leaders. This paper reports the results of surveys with 25 small-town school superintendents to discover rural/urban differences, work patterns, and exemplary practices in…

For the past five years, researchers at the Research and Development Center for Teacher Education have studied the role of school principals and other educational leaders in facilitating school improvement. Through this research, much has been learned about the school improvement process and what facilitators do on a daily basis to bring about…

The position of rural principal differs from that of the urban school administrator, often requiring more sacrifice to earn administrative credentials and demanding day-to-day involvement in every aspect of school activity. This paper reports the results of a 7-state study of 600 principals to determine differences between principalships in rural…

This manual describes the implementation of the Far West Laboratory's educational research and development management training program for women and minorities and offers guidelines to institutions and industries creating their own internship programs. A chapter on holistic learning for executives analyses a model incorporating a coordinating…

Students seeking certification in supervision and those seeking certification in educational administration were compared in order to examine differences in leadership styles. One hundred forty-nine educational administration students and 121 supervision students participated in the study at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Four…

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…

The views of Georgia school superintendents on leadership preparation and the role of principals are examined to determine future directions and standards for preparing public educational leaders in the state. Data were collected from 182 (97 percent) of the state's total of 187 superintendents. In the first part of the paper, Georgia…

A national survey of 54 equal opportunity officers in Australian higher education institutions investigated their educational background, work experience, institutional roles, and views on the training and development needs of themselves and others in their institutions. Implications for development of degree and staff development programs for…

The idea of "Executive Mind" carries with it the notion of purposeful and effective action. Part I of this paper characterizes three complements to "Executive Mind"--"Observing Mind,""Theorizing Mind," and "Passionate Mind"--and offers historical figures exemplifying all four types. The concluding…

Research has provided an increasing amount of information about the work-related behaviors associated with effective school administrator practices. Considerably less is known about the factors that bring individuals to pursue school leadership positions and enroll in principal preparation programs. The focus of this paper is research on the…

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…

This sourcebook presents results of a recent case study of how principals are selected in American public school districts. Part 1 (chapters 1-3) describes and evaluates conventional selection practices in 10 randomly supplied school districts according to a five-step process: vacancy announcememts, selection criteria, applicant pools, screening,…

A case study was conducted on how principals are selected in American public school districts. Chapters 1-3 describe and evaluate conventional selection practices in 10 randomly sampled school districts; these include vacancy announcements, selection criteria, applicant pools, screening, and employment decisions. These procedures as currently…