"Achieving Coherence in District Improvement" focuses on a problem of practice faced by educational leaders across the nation: how to effectively manage the relationship between the central office and schools. The book is based on a study of five large urban districts that have demonstrated improvement in student achievement. The…

Every building administrator must be proactive to accomplish the demands of educating children for the twenty-first century. This entails making ethical decisions, building relationships, prioritizing school safety, and developing excellent communication skills that utilize data as a baseline. As a new administrator, it is very difficult to be an…

Can we imagine different ways of working together to secure better outcomes for children and families? What are the complex issues that underlie the apparently simple call for "joined-up" services? Children's services in many countries around the world are being transformed as part of the call for "joined-up working for joined-up…

Stewardship is the willingness of the leader to serve for the well-being of the school, rather than through controlling stakeholders. Stewards are capable of turning their schools into learning organizations, in which all stakeholders share a feeling of ownership. This book is a sequel to "The Principal's Edge," which covered the first 9 of the 21…

This book presents the stories of a group of Maine educators--teacher leaders, teaching principals, and principals--who met at the Maine Academy for School Leaders (MASL) in 1992 to share their experiences and frustrations and to help each other improve their understanding and practice of educational leadership. They share personal accounts of how…

This book explores the new roles required of principals of dynamic schools. The first chapter examines the following forces that shape principals' activities: teachers are becoming teacher-leaders; parents are more vocal and action-oriented advocates; student bodies are more diverse; the social and technological contexts of schools are more…

This report is the twenty-second in the series of surveys sponsored annually by MetLife since 1984. This year's report examines the essential aspects in student and educator transitions including the supporting relationships. The current study incorporates the perspectives of key stakeholders in exploring this issue: new public school teachers in…

This book was written for teachers and principals committed to instituting shared governance and more democratic forms of leadership and to help understand today's principalship and what it means to administer a shared-governance school. The data were derived from a study of successful principals in schools affiliated with the League of…

Research shows conclusively that principals and other school leaders are essential to school improvement, and that these individuals benefit from the intensive, contextualized support that a coach or mentor can provide. But how does a coach support a school leader in mastering the professional and emotional challenges of school leadership for a…

In this resource, educational coach Karla Reiss helps superintendents, principals, and teachers understand the fundamentals of effective leadership coaching programs that result in long-lasting educational change. Using a balance of theory and practice, Reiss offers 11 core competencies adopted by the rapidly growing coaching profession including…

This book is influenced by and designed to contribute to four significant trends now affecting the school principalship: the increasing significance of the school principal's role in education, the developing interest in the continuing education and preservice preparation of principals, the growing focus on performance objectives for principals,…

This book contains the following papers about the framework of mentoring as a workplace learning strategy and the role of mentoring the education, health, and industrial cultures: "Preface" (Brian J. Caldwell, Earl M.A. Carter); "The Workplace of the 1990s" (Brian J. Caldwell, Earl M.A. Carter); "The Principles and…

This book was predicated on the idea that an effective principal must be proactive in decision making and have available appropriate information sources to make good decisions. Each chapter analyzes decision making from the perspective of different professionals in education and business management. Through the use of personal accounts and case…

One of the tragedies of American education is that so many teachers do not understand or are unaware of educational issues and how they impact on their profession. There is a gap between teacher perceptions and reality and this book is a first step in closing that gap. Hot-Button Issues for Teachers is a timely, comprehensive book that addresses…