While the 2011-2012 school year offered educators a sketch of the Common Core State Standards and how they would impact teaching and learning, this year that painting takes shape. Many states and districts are well on the way to implementing the standards--but the process is complex, especially for the school leaders who shoulder the task of…

The minimal procedures for implementing a management team are determining who will be on it, determining long- and short-range goals for the organization, identifying task areas as a basis for designing job descriptions and setting individual goals, holding formal meetings, and planning for periodic reassessment of progress. (Author/IRT)

After 10 years of operating early childhood programs, an education professor became an elementary school principal while designing a school to serve socially disadvantaged children. Herself disadvantaged by lack of certification and training, Caldwell discovered the fallacy of top-down reform efforts, the chasm between theory development and…

Although computer-assisted instruction is usually not cost-effective or educationally effective enough to be worthwhile in secondary schools, courses that actually teach computing and programing, although also expensive, pay off in increased job opportunities for graduates. The author explains how to plan them. (Author/JM)

For beginning principals, delegation is an important skill and an effective way to learn about staff members. After defining the school's strengths and weaknesses, a principal can set concise, realistic goals and communicate them to the school community. A general blueprint for action (including communication, assessment, planning, and…

A British headteacher ponders a tumultuous decade in school management. The national curriculum was one major problem. There have also been radical, deleterious changes in the ways schools are funded, governed, managed, planned, and inspected; how teachers are educated; and the terms and conditions of teacher employment. Competition for pupils has…

Interviews two principals of middle schools using integrated curriculum: Molly Maloy of Carver Academy, Waco, Texas, and Camille Barr of Brown Barge Middle School, Pensacola, Florida. Considers issues of transforming theory into daily practice, reforming and developing curriculum, and building teacher leadership. Provides backgrounds on the…

Interview with Chris Rhines, who oversees the Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration (CSRD) program in Oregon, discusses the process used to select schools for CSRD, the critical role of principals as leaders of change, the importance of a school's ability to do a needs assessment and apply the findings, and common implementation problems. (CDS)

Discusses evaluation of the teacher-librarian and includes checklists for nine areas of competence deemed necessary by the Canadian School Library Association (CSLA). Use of the checklists to facilitate communication between the teacher-librarian and the school principal is suggested, including a discussion of priorities and degree of…

The role of the principal in implementing school choice policy is examined in this paper. Choice policy is viewed as a triad composed of three points--policy, consumer information, and diversity of the learning environment. Guidelines are offered for principals to help parents make school choice decisions, and several helpful booklets are…

Change strategies must include informal school networks and norms. Implementation plans must involve teachers and principals prior to training. (Author/JM)

The author explains the particular relevance of participatory decision making for the Catholic school administrator, with reference to such organizational theories as McGregor's Theory Y and Maslow's hierarchy of human needs. (Author/SJL)

This Bulletin investigates the role of the principal in fostering a school climate conducive to collegial supervision--teachers observing teachers and working together for instructional improvement. Chapter 1 attempts to put into perspective the traditional responsibilities of the principal as instructional leader and teacher evaluator. Collegial…

Outlines ways to restructure programs in Catholic schools, discussing the seven "P's" that must be considered: pastors, principals, professionals, programs, parents, pupils, and parishes. Offers case study of a school in Texas that combined grade levels when enrollments dropped. Reports that achievement scores went up across the board as…

An attempt to identify methods of human resource management that emerge as schools and classrooms become more effective, this literature review emphasizes the importance of administrator "support functions," which include feedback to teachers, monitoring of teacher and student performance, incentives for teachers, and visible commitment…