An emerging body of research has shown that mindfulness practices for school administrators can result in significant benefits, including a reduction in stress and sense of burnout. Concurrently, nearly 20% of school principals exit their position each year--and cite high levels of stress as a primary motivating factor. In this conceptual paper,…

U.S. schools face increasing pressure to ensure that all students succeed, yet the dropout rate for English learners is alarmingly high, especially for those with limited or interrupted formal schooling (SLIFE). Serving SLIFE can be challenging because they not only need to master language and content but also need to develop literacy skills and…

Standardized testing is an external control mechanism for K-12 public schools. Principals, nested between internal and external influences, must manage the tension created by testing's roles as both an internal improvement tool and as an external control mechanism. Five competing narratives, each shaped by author academic background, significantly…

This study is designed to understand how principals perceive the common stressors associated with leading an educational enterprise and propose strategies for relief from job-related stressors. As such, the same survey results from principals in 2009 and 2012 are analyzed. The results indicated increases in the perceived state of stress with…

The increasing number of special education-related lawsuits has become costly, time-consuming, and a strain on school-community relations--in short, an issue of growing concern to U. S. school systems. To identify factors associated with this type of litigation, this study analyzed data from one state's 10-year experience with due process special…

In this technological age, the definition of private, public, and protected speech and expression for today's school employees is largely misunderstood and unclear. This article addresses the current legal standards as well as some recent case law involving teacher speech and expression and its major implications for addressing teacher online…

Effective schools research gave birth to a new role for principals: instructional leader. Recent studies have suggested the relationship between strong school instructional leadership and higher student achievement. Skeptics question whether the principal's job is realistic and reasonable, with its emphasis on instructional leadership, multiple…

The conflict management process outlined here calls for strength development, trust building, accurate message sending and receiving, reality testing, goal setting, alternatives generation and selection, and planning for implementation. It may be used by administrators, teachers, and students. (DS)

Examines the dynamics of conflict and anger expressed by irate parents and offers principals a simple, effective method to resolve conflict and reduce anger in an integrative way. Well-managed conflict helps improve interpersonal relationships, promote healthy interaction, and develop creative, synergistic solutions to undesirable situations. (MLH)

Instead of avoiding, eliminating, or managing interpersonal conflict, school leaders should explore its transformational uses. A Consensual, no-conflict approach to decision making is impossible. Conflict can serve transformational purposes by helping to organize motives; broadening, strengthening, and clarifying values; and detecting and…

Highlights what the literature says about conflict and its resolution. (IRT)

Defines courage in educational settings and explores the development of conditions that allow courageous actions. (MD)

Defines vandalism, explains several types of vandalism, and examines the monetary and social impact of vandalism. (JM)

This article deals with creating options for schools with staff problems. It suggests a practical methodology for helping schools fight the effects of bureaupathology. (Editor)

The role of the principal has been emasculated by the organizational structure of most school systems. Drastic reform is necessary to restore the potential of the principal's role - leadership. (AN)