This qualitative case study looks at school improvement through the on-the-ground experiences of principal supervisors. Beginning with a review of literature on how systems are organized for success, the role of district central offices, and the impact of leadership on improvement, I investigate the work of principal supervisors as they develop…

The Systems Supervisory Model is presented to help principals improve their supervisory skills and instructional staff. (MD)

This study is the third in a series of national studies of high school principals dating back to the early 1960s. The major purpose of this study was to analyze and describe high school leaders and their schools in 1987. Chapter 1 discusses characteristics and opinions of school leaders. Chapter 2 is devoted to the tasks and problems of school…

This paper reports on a study that investigated the frequency with which principals practice behaviors believed to positively or negatively affect the supervisory climate that exists in a school. The secondary purpose of the research was to look at demographic factors, such as gender and grade level, that might influence a principal's supervisory…

Findings from a longitudinal case study that explored the relationship between principals' supervisory practices and school success in meeting long-range planning goals are presented in this paper. Methodology involved a questionnaire, interviews, and observations of five elementary school principals in Riverside County, California. Findings…

The purpose of this 2-year-long qualitative and quantitative field study was to investigate the behaviors of effective secondary school principals in their respective school districts, to find commonalities in the behavior of principals who were deemed by their peers to preside over effective schools, and to report the interim results. The…

Public schools, like other organizations, are only as effective as the leadership provided. This study was undertaken to gather data that might be useful for long term planning in the recruitment and training of Montana's public school administrators. A survey of 630 principals resulted in 361 responses. The survey results are reported in two…

As educators continue to restructure schools to better meet the needs of society, the principal's effective leadership practices become paramount. This report of a descriptive study of principals in a large urban school district examines the differences in middle-school and high-school teachers' perceptions of the leadership practices of…

Intended for the beginning principal and the principal's mentor, this book explores the duties in the principal's first year on the job from the viewpoint of both the principal and the mentor. It emphasizes organization during the first-year principalship; tasks to be accomplished each month; leading versus managing and how both can benefit the…

This book is intended to enable educators to more fully implement the concept of leadership capacity in schools and districts. It begins by outlining the five major prerequisites for high leadership capacity: (1) skillful participation in the work of leadership; (2) inquiry-based use of data to inform decisions and practices; (3) broad involvement…