More than 30 years ago, the concept of teacher efficacy, teachers' confidence and belief in their ability to promote students' learning (Protheroe, 2008), was first discussed as an imperative in educational outcomes. The impact of school leadership on teacher efficacy was soon discovered as a component to overall teacher effectiveness (Gallante,…

Principal preparation programs must work to develop scholar-practitioners. This will help to ensure that school leaders are able to use research methodologies to examine problems of practice, make critical data-based decisions toward positive change, and effectively implement research-based practices to drive school improvement. With this in mind,…

It cannot be overstated the broad skill set managers must have to manage conflict in modern organizations (Lang, 2009; Ramani & Zhimin, 2010). Few studies have explored this topic in smaller organizational settings where leaders often assume a greater number of roles and responsibilities. For this reason, this study analyzed preferred conflict…

When school leaders make calculated decisions to deviate from hierarchical or cultural directives and norms, they may be viewed as mavericks or brigands. This paper details a process of ethical checking to help differentiate ethical decisions from more arbitrary or self-serving decisions. The paper examines conflicts inherent in many professional…

While research on the traits and skills of effective leaders is plentiful, only recently has the phenomenon of toxic leadership begun to be investigated. This research report focuses on toxic leadership in educational organizations--its prevalence, as well as the characteristics and early indicators. Using mixed methods, the study found four…

This study examined how 130 participants enrolled in the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) principalship program completed a standards-based evaluation after reading a book-length case study of a mythical principal. Application of the Iowa Standards for School Leaders (ISSL), which mirror the Interstate School Leadership Licensure Consortium…

Report of a study on the socialization of new principals in one state's school. The goal was to discover how the principals learned about the culture of their schools and their places in them and the experiences that shaped their social and cultural transitions. (Contains 36 references.) (WFA)

Report on a study of principals in rural and urban districts in Texas. Lack of time and resources, and changing demographics appeared as major challenges for the eight study participants. Findings agree with other reports appearing in the literature: the need to restructure the job of principal. (Contains six references.) (WFA)

Report of a study of principals' and teachers' perceptions of implementing multicultural education. The results are presented for four areas: (1) a multicultural education plan; (2) limitations and constraints of implementing multicultural education; (3) expectations of administrators' support; and (4) administrators' plans of support. (Contains…