The Louisiana Leadership in Educational Administration Development (LEAD) program is a technical assistance network designed to help newly appointed administrators improve their instructional leadership skills. LEAD began in 1987 as a 3-year federal grant and was adopted by the Louisiana State Board of Education in 1989 as a certification…

In this paper critical skills needed by beginning principals are identified in order to guide mentors as they support and assist novice principals by indicating effective ways of dealing with critical responsibilities. A review of related literature and research-based information is presented followed by a description of the study. Findings were…

This research reports the personal characteristics of middle-level principals, their professional and academic preparation, the nature of their jobs, their future plans, and their recommendations for the development of future middle-level principals. Implications for current middle-level principals are noted as are recommendations for the…

To understand the realities and complexities faced by beginning primary school principals, a group of researchers from Belgium, Canada, England, the Netherlands, and the United States launched a collaborative study in 2000. This report describes the Belgium arm of the study. The study set out to answer the following: What are similarities and…

This report defines six strategies that state and district leaders can employ to secure an ample supply of highly qualified school principals. The six strategies were drawn from research and direct experience in helping schools, universities, and state agencies rethink and redesign educational leadership programs. The six strategies are as…

This document is a practical guide for designing principal-development programs. The target audience includes individuals involved in the design and implementation of principal-preparation and development programs, particularly at the school-district level. Chapter 1, "The Call for New School Leaders and Leadership Development," expresses the need…

This report describes a study of the factors that contributed to decisions by women to abandon their careers as school leaders. The purpose of the study was to extend analysis of socialization factors, particularly when they persuade school leaders to reconsider their careers in education. The study followed 25 women who completed the masters of…

While considerable attention is paid to training and development for teachers, not enough is paid to the training of educational leaders, this paper contends. The aim of this paper is to provide an analytical groundwork and comprehensive direction for reform of educational leadership training to help policymakers design specific solutions to…