For much of the past half-century, scholars from various parts of the world have studied the early stages of school principals' careers. This article presents the results of a review of research on novice principals (NPs) regarding its current status, intellectual structure and conceptual structure. The review conducted bibliometric and content…

The literature shows that leadership is the second most important factor influencing school and learner outcomes, including levels of literacy and numeracy, school leaving examination results, and progression to secondary and higher education. This article focuses on school leadership in West Africa, drawing on a systematic review of the academic…

Many of the policy documents and much of the recent literature talk about "leadership" when discussing the role of headteachers and principals of schools. The word is also used when writing about other senior and middle managers. It is a way of showing the difference between what used to be expected of headteachers and what is expected…

The link among the quality of principals, caliber of teaching, and levels of student achievement is a tight one. School leadership is a key factor in the recruitment and retention of quality teachers; teaching quality, in turn, profoundly influences improvements in student learning and achievement. Yet despite their central role in this equation,…

Two trends have become issues for school management in recent years. One is that educational leadership is becoming increasingly a more complex and difficult job to carry out and the other is that an increasing number of people with little administrative experience are moving into educational roles. The implementation of local, school…

Reviews managerial and leadership research. Concludes trainers and managers ought to pay more attention to integrating both kinds of research as well as organizational theory. Suggests scholars in both research areas should devote themselves to the managerial role and the meaning of change. Suggests other fields of inquiry. (BRR)

A review of several well-known studies of schooling suggests that schools--and their principals--can indeed make a difference. The authors suggest four keys to improving the training and practice of the building principal. (Author)

A literature review and six case studies examined the roles and responsibilities of the chief executive officers and board chairs, the capabilities required for success, and related executive development activity. Findings include the importance of focusing executive development on capability enhancement to ensure that it supports organizational…

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…

Summarizes research findings on the effectiveness of principals' behaviors in the areas of knowledge and skills, goal-setting activities, and management behavior. Recommends ways to reduce barriers to effective behavior. Available from the American Association of School Administrators, 1801 North Moore Street, Arlington, VA 22209. (MLF)

This four-part document provides an overview of the knowledge, perspectives, and skills of administration. The chapters are extracted mostly from issues of "Educational Administration Quarterly." Part 1, "The Society in Which Leaders Lead," contains five chapters: (1) "Do Political Ideologies Influence Education in the United States?" (Ralph B.…

The changing role of the local school district superintendent is examined in this paper, which focuses on the link between the local education executive officers and school effectiveness. It is argued that the concept of the superintendency has changed from that of a manager to that of the leader of school district quality and effectiveness. Four…

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 purpose of this document is to call attention to the principalship, to preservice and inservice needs, and to possible solutions to complex problems. A number of groups were organized to address the recommendations made in a report to the legislature reviewing the adequacy of preservice training, evaluation, and continuing professional…

This workshop presenter's guide is intended for use by administrators in training one another in the Project Leadership program developed by the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA). The purpose of this guide is to help school administrators to develop time strategies and to use them successfully. The guide, written to be read…