The job of the school principal has become much more complex and demanding over the past several decades. Many university-based principal preparation programs--which prepare the majority of school principals--have struggled with how to make the fundamental changes needed to prepare principals for today's schools. To test a path forward, The…

The job of the school principal has become much more complex and demanding over the past several decades. Many university-based principal preparation programs--which prepare the majority of school principals--have struggled with how to make the fundamental changes needed to prepare principals for today's schools. To test a path forward, The…

In education systems around the world, planners and policymakers are calling for more attention to whole-system improvement. To best address teaching and learning outcomes, teachers and head teachers need whole-system support to build professionalism and improve their practice. The middle tier of education systems, composed of professionals…

To stem the tide of students dropping out, many schools and districts are turning to early warning systems (EWS) that signal whether a student is at risk of not graduating from high school. While some research exists about establishing these systems, there is little information about the actual implementation strategies that are being used across…

Planning, developing, implementing, and sustaining organizational change, such as Response to Intervention (RTI), is a complex endeavor. This brief is designed to give practitioners guidance based on the implementation activities of middle school practitioners across the country. The authors recognize that secondary schools must consider many…

Provides the school principal with a checklist of items to follow in introducing innovations such as instructional television (ITV). (Author)

One of the most difficult school-community relation problems relates to the principal's involvement with the teachers and parents of the area. Poor communication and limited time are chief contributors to the problem and improvement requires a firm plan of operation. Here are eight ideas that can be utilized in developing a program of effective…

Presents and explains how to use a checklist for helping principals determine the presence of effective elements in their schools' staff development programs. The checklist process involves testing such program factors as school commitment levels, needs assessment components, program development activities, program implementation and evaluation,…

As educational leader of the school, the principal must take the initiative to develop strong community support through a public contact system and through the accurate assessment of student needs. (LH)

Discusses the importance of the principal's role in preparing for the changes that are taking place in adapting education's role to a technological future. (MD)

Planning for instructional use of microcomputers should start with the curriculum, not with computers. Planning is a necessity and it should be a fluid process. A planning model offered by the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium starts with an analysis of current curriculum to identify the content, skills, and attitudes that are considered…

The Pre-Professional Laboratory Experience course is a semester-long early field experience involving prospective teacher education candidates in routine classroom activities and observation experiences on the elementary and secondary level. The set of handbooks which was developed to accompany the course includes a student handbook, a supervising…

Outlines five lessons learned at Roosevelt-Perry Elementary School (Kentucky) when the computer education program, Humana Computer Tutor project, was implemented. The principal was important to the success of the program. (MD)

Pinpoints factors contributing to a successful internship experience for aspiring principals, including clearly stated program objectives, a good relationship between the intern and the building administrator, regular meetings of the intern and all administrative staff, and adequate preparation of the intern before assuming the position.…

This brief discussion of basic administrative postures may help principals direct their schools' efforts to cope with minimum competency regulations. (Author)