"A cage-buster can't settle for ambiguity, banalities, or imprecision," writes well-known educator and author Rick Hess. "These things provide dark corners where all manners of ineptitude and excuse-making can hide." Hess suggests that leaders need to clearly define the problems they're trying to solve and open…

The US public school superintendents and principals wish to see some major reforms in the educational systems though they have put in tremendous efforts. The five areas in which school leaders would like to see changes found by public agenda are briefly discussed.

Real leadership means learning and growing from experiences. Different ways in which leadership crisis influences professional and personal development of a leader are discussed with reference to crises faced by high school principals.

Argues that the center of the educational leader's role should be maintaining, justifying, and articulating sound, comprehensive programs of instruction, rather than concentrating on administrative tasks such as collective bargaining, budgeting, and public relations. (JG)

The sharing of all decisions with school staff helps by getting collective wisdom of staff members making the system more effective. Teachers should be trusted to make decisions about organization, which affect their lives and the lives of students by involving them in committees like safety committee, parent advisory board and budget committee.

Maryland's Staff Development Institute was a catalyst for the development of another principal skill development program. The program was founded by a group of principals who participated in the institute's program and felt the state needed more suppport for statewide networks and professional seminars to promote school development. (MD)

To succeed, educational leaders must be able to forge working relationships with many people and be mediators and mentors, negotiators and networkers. Administrators must be self-confident, be able to modulate emotions, be unusually persuasive, cultivate positive relationships, and continually develop their emotional intelligence. The right kind…