A growing body of research has emphasised the importance of school leadership for quality improvement in schools, which reinforces the importance of school leaders' continuous professional development in working life. However, less is known about the professional development of experienced principals. Against this background, the purpose of this…

Regional professional learning networks support school change by linking principals to others engaged in similar change work. While increasingly prevalent, little is known about the factors that contribute to the formation of ties between network members, or how knowledge moves across the network. Using social network analysis, this study examined…

Numerous authors have suggested that the working relationship between coach and coachee constitutes an essential condition to the success of executive coaching. This study empirically investigated the links between the coach-coachee relationship and the success of a coaching intervention in an organizational setting. Data were collected from two…

Findings of a study that examined the effects of a statewide mentoring program for Illinois principals are presented in this paper, with a focus on the reasons for principals' behavior changes. Methodology involved interviews with six pairs of mentors and proteges, site observations, and artifact collection. Conclusions are that: (1) principals…

Vision has been identified as a critical factor in effective leadership. Communicating the leader's vision to the staff is essential to realizing the vision. This paper reports data regarding seven elementary principals who developed a vision for their schools during attendance at a Principals' Academy. Data were also obtained from follow-up…

Findings of a study that determined the benefits of mentoring as part of an administrator preparation program are discussed in this paper. In-depth interviews were conducted with nine practicing administrators, who worked directly with aspiring administrators who served as candidates in one cycle of the Danforth Foundation Program for the…

The Administrator Development Academy (ADA) is a 6-week preparation program for aspiring school administrators, developed by the Department of Educational Administration at a large state university in a midwestern city. Since 1983, the program's approach has shifted from one based on traditional discussions and lectures to one centered on the…

This paper presents findings of case studies that applied social exchange theory to examine the instructional leadership roles of four exemplary high school department chairs. Data were gathered at four suburban high schools in a large metropolitan area of the midwestern United States using the methods of observation and interviews with the…

Executives with a track record of success are sometimes fired, demoted, or plateaued. This publication presents findings of a study conducted by the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL), which compared contemporary derailed and successful executives in the United States and Europe. Results are compared to those of earlier CCL findings. Data were…

Administrators from local school districts in the southwest were consulted on three issues regarding the operational aspects of staff development. First, an effort was made to ascertain the conditions determining whether staff development programs are mandatory or voluntary. While staff development for administrative personnel is normally…

The ways in which principals have influenced or been influenced by four Teacher Corps projects are described and explained in case studies based on field interviews, observations, and a review of the documents produced in the course of the projects. The studies also provide the background both for an analysis of factors affecting the role of the…

A four-phase study was conducted in Great Britain to determine what executive coaching is, why organizations use it, what issues are involved, and where executive coaching fits in terms of management learning theory. Data were gathered through a literature review, in-depth interviews with management development specialists and others in…

The nature and extent of conditions or barriers that inhibit women administrators in their professional responsibilities and careers were studied. A questionnaire mailed to 241 women was completed by 168 women with executive, administrative, and managerial responsibilities in nine universities of the State University System of Florida. The…