Ways in which teachers and principals respond to changing leadership roles and some practical steps that principals can take to support leadership are discussed in this article review. It focuses on five papers that explore educators' roles, offering advice on how to respond to changing expectations. "When is New: A Plan of Action" (A. W. Hart)…

This publication reviews five information sources about new designs and recommendations for principal preparation programs. In "The Landscape of Leadership Preparation: Reframing the Education of School Administrators," Joseph Murphy examines the nature of current problems in administrator preparation. He argues that before they can draw sound…

This document consists of the two 1999 issues of a semiannual newsletter that provides current information and research on leadership and administrative issues in early childhood education. The Spring 1999 issue compares elementary schools and child care centers with regard to investments made in the professional development of teachers. The…

An examination of literature in the field of staff development reveals five models of inservice for principals. The traditional model involves enrolling in courses at colleges and universities. Institutes are short-term specific learning experiences. Competency-based training identifies knowledge and skills needed and focuses on influencing…

Identifying an instructional leader as a principal who engages in activities that significantly affect the learning that goes on in the school, this article profiles an elementary school principal recognized by the Oregon Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development as one of the state's most effective instructional leaders. The author…

To overcome teacher isolation and help make teaching a more attractive profession, educators might consider a peer support system based on the Stanford Collegial Evaluation Program. This paper describes the program's background, functioning, barriers to successful implementation, and how to neutralize them. The Stanford program uses a peer…

Collaboration as a strategy to improve the instructional effectiveness of a school's faculty is examined in this bulletin. The first of four chapters provides a brief discussion of teacher isolation and its consequences and the positive effects of collaboration on school renewal, teacher satisfaction, teacher learning, cooperation among students,…

The two articles in this bulletin concern an experiment in progress to determine if training teachers in a structured program for mathematics instruction results in higher student achievement and if the effects of the program on teachers and students would be enhanced if the building principal participates in and supports the inservice process. In…

Now that educational reform has targeted principal performance as a key to school excellence, methods and procedures for evaluating these administrators have become an increasing concern. Current studies suggest that evaluation practices used in many districts are ill-suited to improving principals' performance and professional competence. Many…

A newsletter addresses the issues school administrators should consider in planning and implementing the use of microcomputers in their schools. Described are ways in which microcomputers will change management, the variety of ways computers can be used in educational administration, classroom activities using computer-based instruction, criteria…

The CAG "Communicator" focuses on serving gifted students in California. This document consists of the four issues of "Communicator" issued during 1998. Featured articles include: (1) "Underachievement for Some--Dropping Out with Dignity for Others" (Sally Reis); (2) "When Gifted High School Students Fail"…

Low staff morale results from professional lives that have little meaning; from frustration and the inability to change what is happening; and from muddled goals and demands exceeding scarce resources. Schools with high staff morale have very distinctive features, including a sense of community. Factors determining high morale are: (1) input into…

Although there has been a paucity of research on what effective secondary school principals do, two recent studies offer some clues. A 1983 report by William Firestone and Bruce Wilson asserts that a high school principal may best be able to influence the school through bureaucratic and cultural linkages. Bureaucratic linkages are formal enduring…

The Leadership Excellence Achievement Plan (LEAP) presented here is a way for principals to improve leadership ability with an emphasis on evaluation. It first recommends formulating a precise definition of the principal's job divided into three areas: technical competencies, administrative skills, and performance goals. Among the technical…

Increasing evidence shows that school leaders, throughout all stages of their careers, can benefit from a mentoring system in which a seasoned leader helps the protege combine theory and practice with experience. This research roundup reviews works that provide support for principal mentoring and share strategies for establishing mentoring…