Principal performance can improve if daily 15-second visits to every classroom are made a high priority. Tips include determining teacher attitudes and kinds of teacher-student interactions, looking at the classroom environment, and listening to between-classes student conversations. (KS)

Responsible and effective administrative leadership requires confronting those members of the teaching staff who are a negative influence on the institution. Importantly, the absence of expressed appreciation for good work can have a devastating impact on a principal's image if he or she suddenly begins to confront poor performances. Actually, the…

Among the patterns of behavior that indicated chronic deterioration of job performance are absenteeism, confusion and difficulty in concentration, poor collegial relations, and rigidity. Outlines steps that a principal can take to have a constructive confrontation with a troubled employee for that person to be motivated and take the initiative for…

Jobs should be perceived in terms of their roles in achieving organizational objectives. As those objectives shift, jobs should be redefined. Job performance evaluations should focus on results rather than on activities. Job planning should involve both the organization and the individual job holder. Appendixes cover head teachers' job…

When properly managed, stress can serve as a key to successful job performance. This book explores the link between pressure and performance in schools. It shows how to recognize stress as both a facilitator and debilitator of effective performance. Chapter 1 serves as a personal stress checkup. Chapter 2 explores the myths of administrative…

Desribes the case of Carlos Bueno, a fictional elementary school principal who transforms a racially troubled school into a model of cooperation and excellence. Bueno is later appointed principal of an unruly junior high school, with disastrous results. Readers are asked to study Bueno's failure and decide the beleaguered superintendent's best…

Five questions relating to the management of incompetent teachers are answered: (1) What is incompetence? (2) How can the administrator help the incompetent teacher? (3) How can principals prove incompetence during dismissal hearings? (4) What kinds of resources are needed? and (5) Why is managing incompetent teachers worth the effort? (PGD)

This paper is based on a descriptive study of six elementary school secretaries. The study was undertaken to gain an understanding of the work of the school secretary and how this work might contribute to school effectiveness. Several research methods were combined in this study: onsite observations, interviews with secretaries and their…