The purpose of this study was to examine factors impacting program quality in leadership development programs as a means to inform the Shelby County School System of effective practices in leadership development. The qualitative research design method was used to explore two school systems identified through a comprehensive review of research as…

State reforms and philanthropic investments seeking to improve public education in California have made substantial changes in recent years--from what students learn and how they learn it to how schools are funded and evaluated. Most efforts have focused on one level at a time, either K-12 schools, community colleges, or four-year postsecondary…

This research examines how public school principals in Kentucky perceive their new teacher evaluation system and the proficiency exam they must take and pass in order to evaluate their staff. An online survey was developed and 308 out of an estimated 1,100 working school principals across Kentucky responded, yielding a response rate of 28%.…

The community college system is beginning to see waves of retirements at all levels of the administrative structure. These retirements, in conjunction with expected growth in administrative positions, will result in system-wide administrative vacancies. Community colleges not already seeking new leaders are likely to find themselves in the midst…

Succession planning has become increasingly important because of the shortage of headship applicants in England, and in many other countries. Leadership development is a central part of any succession planning strategy. This article compares the findings from two longitudinal studies, in England and South Africa, where the governments are seeking…

High-quality care in the earliest years of life has been shown to relate to positive developmental outcomes for children, including improved early academic skills, social-emotional competencies, and cognitive functioning. Unfortunately, the early care experiences of many children are not always high quality; rather, research suggests that…

Most companies have an opportunity to improve their succession management programs. The number one challenge for succession management (as identified by both HR leaders and executives) is developing a succession planning strategy. This comprehensive industry study sets out to determine how succession management (when done well) helps improve…

This article reports on outcomes from a study funded by the National College for School Leadership designed to explore the factors that assist in the leadership development of teachers at a number of stages of their career development. More specifically, the study sought to identify issues associated with leadership talent identification,…

Reforms such as technology-enhanced instruction require principal leadership. Yet, many principals report that they need help to guide implementation of science and technology reforms. We identify strategies for helping principals provide this leadership. A two-phase design is employed. In the first phase we elicit principals' varied ideas about…

Describes the means used and problems faced during an effort to implement, maintain, and improve a national program for disseminating training in educational administration to secondary school administrators in New Zealand's Central Region, an administrative area containing 80 secondary schools, by depending on the first trainees to train others.…

Earlier research by the Concerns-Based Adoption Model Project at the Austin campus of the University of Texas has identified seven "Stages of Concern" that teachers and other front line users of classroom innovations could have. This study examines, first, whether principals have the same or similar stages of concern about their change…

This report describes Scottish research on ways in which headteachers in small primary schools managed mandated changes. The research focused on implementation of four recent major initiatives: 5-14 Curriculum Guidelines, School Development Planning, Staff Development and Appraisal, and Devolved School Management. Research methods included a…

To provide an opportunity to evaluate and interpret change, explore new approaches to change and realize educational renewal within the reality of effective management, the Whitman Corporation, in cooperation with Saint Xavier College (Illinois), held a conference consisting of panel presentations by and for principals. Five panels addressed a…

Transforming leadership, which develops shared goals and values, and transactional leadership, which seeks compromise and consensus, are both necessary for organizational change. If administrators are to become leaders, improved training programs must be aimed at both practicing and prospective administrators. (Author/CM)

This document contains the following papers: "University Continuing Educators: Entrepreneurs or Social Activists" (Phyllis Cunningham); "Ambivalent Activists, Uneasy Enterprisers--and the Search for Truth" (Milton Stern); "Our Role as Change Agents" (Timothy Pyrch, Albert A. Einsiedel); "Entrepreneurial…