This study examines current approaches to professional development (PD) for school leaders in Brazil, Chile, and Colombia. While PD programs indicate significant progress, school leadership remains in an early stage of development. The findings highlight the need for national policy commitments to ensure long-term sustainability. The challenge is…

Perhaps one of the most scathing critiques on school leadership and management literature in Africa is its reliance on western models that do not quite fit the context, hence a lack of relevance. In this article I present a postcolonial reading of the representation of school leadership and management literature in Africa. The analysis suggests…

Principals are the leverage point for education reforms and the primary drivers of school improvement. A critical part of maintaining a corps of effective principals is rewarding and retaining the best school leaders. Unfortunately, few systems systematically identify principals that make important contributions to student learning or celebrate…

Principals are critical to the success of any school improvement effort--from increasing academic rigor toward college- and career-ready standards to teacher evaluation and support. They ensure this success by building a strong, shared vision and leading effective implementation for staff, students, and families. The federal government has an…

An effective school requires an effective leader, but great principals rarely just happen. They are cultivated. This Wallace Perspective draws on a decade of foundation research and work in school leadership to show how urban school districts can play a major role in ensuring they have principals who can boost teaching and learning in troubled…

Examines current debates on management competencies and reports that a growing number of schools are using competence-based approaches to management development. Evaluates standards-based approaches, particularly those associated with England's Management Charter Initiative and its school-management variant produced by School Management South.…

Current research points to five essential categories defining principals' responsibilities: defining and communicating a mission, managing curriculum and instruction, supervising teaching, monitoring student progress, and promoting an effective instructional climate. The Illinois Administrators' Academy offers a statewide leadership development…

Many principals recognize the assistant principal's role as either a career commitment or a step on the administrative career ladder. A strong mentoring relationship enables the principal to facilitate the assistant principal's maturation and professional development through initiation, collaboration, inclusiveness, coaching, reciprocation,…

Discusses mentoring as a feasible approach to enhancing the quality of leadership in schools. Mentoring is an evolutionary relationship that transcends guidance and support and demands commitment, trust, and reciprocity. Time must be provided for individuals to converse, observe, experience, and reflect on each other's practice. (17 references)…

"Range of interest" has been defined as the competence to discuss a variety of subjects and the desire to participate actively in events. This little-discussed skill is extremely important to administrators' mental and emotional well-being. Talented administrators have an interest in many areas and take part in civic and cultural activities that…

Begun in 1994, the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium operates under the aegis of the Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Policy Board for Educational Administration. ISLLC builds on research about skillful administrative leadership and emerging societal and educational perspectives. Standards will strengthen school…

Describes a project to help teachers and administrators identify challenging goals for professional development. Activities that help to heighten awareness include breaking routine, changing perspective, examining assumptions, and reading challenging material. Two important ingredients for the professional development process are time and…

Faced with upcoming administrator retirements, school districts must quickly induct novice administrators. This article compares the benefits of mentoring (pairing the novice with a respected, experienced administrator and moving the novice toward higher productivity and effectiveness) and shadow consulting (placing an expert with the novice to…

The Arizona Principals' Academy was first held in 1984 to enable principals to share practices promoting school effectiveness and to personalize their roles as instructional leaders. The goals of the program included informing the principals of current thinking, practices, and strategies; providing practical training to meet identified needs;…

Two hundred and sixty-eight school administrators attended the 1985 Arizona Principals' Academy to share practices promoting school effectiveness and to personalize their roles as educational leaders. The academy's five major goals were (1) to inform principals about current thinking and practices, (2) to provide ways to implement successful…