A school is the only place with a formal and legitimate mandate of duty of care for the learner. Schools are expected to be nurturing environments free of abuse, exploitation, violence, bullying, humiliation, discrimination, harassment, negligence, cultural stereotypes, emotional distress, socio-economic marginalisation and moral prejudices. Some…

When school leaders make calculated decisions to deviate from hierarchical or cultural directives and norms, they may be viewed as mavericks or brigands. This paper details a process of ethical checking to help differentiate ethical decisions from more arbitrary or self-serving decisions. The paper examines conflicts inherent in many professional…

This case, which was inspired by actual events, describes the efforts of a district to create a culture of accountability for professional employee practice and behavior. In the midst of new district leaders and a shift in district priorities, numerous situations test the fortitude, organizational knowledge, ethical commitments, and political…

Prior GAO (US Government Accountability Office) testimonies have described cases of physical abuse of children at youth residential treatment programs and public and private schools. However, children are also vulnerable to sexual abuse. A 2004 Department of Education report estimated that millions of students are subjected to sexual misconduct by…

A recent study surveyed the extent and sources of educators' relevant legal knowledge, their consultation patterns, and everyday legal problems confronting them. Areas of greatest concern were school safety, teacher liability, child protection, and custody and access issues. Training and professional- development implications are discussed.…

This study aims to contribute to a better understanding of the antecedents and effects of educational leadership, and of the influence of the principal's leadership on intervening and outcome variables. A path analysis was conducted to test and validate a causal model. The results show no direct or indirect effects of educational leadership on…

Nonverbal immediacy behaviors are nonlinguistic actions that send four simultaneous and complementary messages conveying a person's approachability, availability, closeness and warmth, and "multi-channeling" qualities. For principals, such behaviors help even potentially hostile interactions proceed more smoothly. Principals should consciously…

Examines 94 Israeli elementary school principals's work behavior, using a structured observation technique. Principals exhibited certain work characteristics (brevity, variety, fragmentation) supported in other research. They differed from conventional job descriptions in demonstrating internally oriented social (but not political) inclinations,…

Although "Jordanesque" checklists cannot describe the full dimension of effective school leadership, the literature has generated some commonly accepted principles categorized according to personal attributes, leader behaviors, and organizational outcomes. Sensitive to others' needs, effective principals are generally warm, caring…

If administrators fail to seek faculty support for block scheduling, teachers may feel undervalued, angry, and adversarial. When principals allow teacher committees to take leadership roles, teachers can assume ownership of the new model. Adminstrators must establish teacher confidence in transitions, maintain effective communication, monitor…

Analyzes 240 First Amendment cases involving school administrator dismissals, focusing on each administrator's (alleged) behavior or situation leading to the court's decision. These cases disclose a substantial volume of behavior that is inexcusable, outrageous, self-destructive, and embarrassing. Many accounts illustrate the stress, ambiguities,…

The purpose of this article is to evaluate the effectiveness of principals who have undergone administrative training compared to those who have not. The article begins with a discussion of the status of principalship in various contexts. It then reviews the potential impact of the new policy on principal training in Turkey and the literature…

The responsibility for the academic success of our nation's children historically has been shouldered by the school principal. In many school communities today, that accountability has been mandated by state law. The Indiana equivalent of the accountability movement sweeping the nation is Public Law 221 (P.L. 221), which makes the principal solely…