Principals who are strong, effective, responsive leaders help to inspire and enhance the abilities of their teachers and other school staff to do excellent work. Such principals also tend to retain great teachers and create opportunities for them to take on new leadership roles. This leads to the following key question: What can state policymakers…

Teachers have the greatest school-based effect on the achievement of any child in their classrooms, but highly effective principals can positively affect the achievement of every student in their schools. The difference between a highly effective principal and an average one is equal to two-to-seven months of extra learning per year for each child…

This report is the executive summary of a research study that identifies the actions that great principals take to ensure and amplify great teaching. The findings are based on an in-depth analysis of the leadership practices in more than 200 district (134) and charter (77) schools that saw substantial gains in student achievement in seven urban…

An effective school requires an effective leader, but great principals rarely just happen. They are cultivated. This Wallace Perspective draws on a decade of foundation research and work in school leadership to show how urban school districts can play a major role in ensuring they have principals who can boost teaching and learning in troubled…

Describes an action research project studying a process to improve communication about managerial performance in a (Scottish) college of further education. The project comprised training, implementation, and evaluation phases. Responses during evaluation and training phases suggest that the most appropriate role for the observer-appraiser is…

A case study outlines a structured approach to executive-level development that works from the individual's own experience. The process involves analyzing the job, identifying the competencies required to do the job effectively, establishing development needs and priorities, and creating an achievable plan and a system for monitoring progress.…

This paper presents an overview of literature and research on the effective preparation of school leaders. Recent research has called for greater collaboration among stakeholders and effective internships. Another way to deliver performance-based preparation is through the use of assessment centers, a validated process for measuring an aspiring…

An analysis is conducted of the extent to which the stated goals and required academic and clinical experiences of the Oregon administrator preparation program were aligned with identified leader variables and the recommendations of recent educational administration reform reports. Variable categories were selection and admissions, content and…

This is a "how to" book for school-leader selection, appraisal, and development. It focuses on ways in which to measure components of leadership so that leadership evaluation can move beyond impressionistic opinions. The text is divided into five chapters. The rationale for leadership assessment, along with the dangers to be avoided in such…

Leadership is about transformation. It is the opportunity to transform people, places, and possibilities. The purpose of the study reported in this article was to identify means to assess leadership development and performance. Although leadership development and performance can be assessed, school systems often lack consistent methods,…

Although the initial focus of the reform movement was on teachers, considerable attention has been devoted to administrators--especially principals--since it has been recognized that the quality of a principal's leadership has a significant impact on the effectiveness of the educational programs in our schools. The purpose of this guide is to…

The complete process of initiating and monitoring an evaluation program is presented, noting that the ability to assess the performance of administrators and implement programs to enhance their skills and abilities is essential to the effective management of higher learning institutions. Such field tested resources as evaluation forms, performance…

Although there are about 15,000 school districts in the United States, each headed by a superintendent, research on the superintendency has not been systematic and dynamic. This book presents a synthesis of research on the superintendency. Chapters include the following: (1) "Smoke, Mirrors, or Reality: Another Instructional Leader" (Shirley M.…

The Management Profile is an appraisal measure that examines the actual job performance of a manager to ascertain relative strength in six management functions and three leadership roles. The management functions examined are administration, technical competence, influence/control, persuasion, training/development, and forecasting/planning. The…

This paper summarizes research regarding the changing role of the principal and methods for assessing school-communication skills within a competency-based educational administration program. It examines the leadership-competency areas of the principalship and describes how expanding school-communication skills may enhance the principal's…