Using the premise of a fictional earbud company, "EarWorm," students in an introductory management course become EarWorm managers who problem-solve and make decisions about the best choices for their company. This article outlines this engaging and participatory exercise in detail. Students are able to directly connect course concepts to…

The purpose of this research was to investigate a formal principal mentoring program and report on perceived learning benefits and the well-being of the participants. The study highlights aspects of the mentoring relationship evidenced in the explicit and intentional development of school leaders. The empirical investigation used…

The author discusses the two basic advisory styles: (1) pumping advice in and (2) drawing information out that helps individuals solve their own problems. He demonstrates the major differences between these styles and indicates the conditions under which each is appropriate. (CH)

This publication reviews five information sources about new designs and recommendations for principal preparation programs. In "The Landscape of Leadership Preparation: Reframing the Education of School Administrators," Joseph Murphy examines the nature of current problems in administrator preparation. He argues that before they can draw sound…

Contending that participation in quality circles enhances effective time management by school administrators and teachers, this guide provides both a theoretical briefing and practical recommendations for better time management. A pre- posttest prefaces a review of basic concepts of quality circles with reference to the work of Abraham Maslow,…

Findings of this study suggest that school administrators view problem solving skills as an important dimension of the administrative function, and that the incorporation of school problem solving techniques in clinical training experiences may be more effective than traditional training. Fifteen references are cited. (MER)

Findings of a study that examined the application of total quality leadership to understand effective leadership practices are presented in this paper, which views total quality leadership as a combination of expert thinking and transformational leadership practices. Data were derived from interviews with 9 secondary school principals (4 female…

Organizational development and planning, two methods currently employed to improve organizations, have a mutual objective -- organization improvement through systematic goal attainment. Organizational development strives to improve administrator behavior to facilitate interpersonal communication between those individuals responsible for the…

This workshop presenter's guide is intended for use by administrators in training one another in the Project Leadership program developed by the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA). The purposes of the guide are: to provide administrators with a framework for deciding when others (particularly subordinates) should participate in…

To address the problem of increasing professional isolation of building administrators, the Principals' Inservice Project helps establish principals' collegial support groups across the nation. The groups are typically composed of 6 to 10 principals who meet at least once each month over a 2-year period. One collegial support group of seven…

Thirty-nine principals, classified according to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, filled out quesionnaires based on Vroom's leadership behavior model and Mintzberg's 10 manageral subroles. Because the findings correlate effectiveness with time allotted to disturbance handling and entrepreneurial roles, three recent decision-science techniques are…

In order to assess some of the major problems and frustrations faced by beginning administrators, a study investigated nine first- and second-year public school administrators in the greater San Francisco Bay Area. Questions asked the principals centered on their recollections of the most challenging problems faced and what was hardest for them as…

Changes in education and technology have substantially altered the kinds of skills required of university administrators, emphasizing the need for managerial and problem-solving abilities. Many of these skills can be acquired with appropriate training, but it will be increasingly necessary for institutions to assure that their managers have them.…

The Netherlands has an effective training system for secondary school administrators, in spite of an outwardly complex and compartmentalized education system. Nearly one-third of the schools are Roman Catholic, one-third Protestant, and one-third run by municipalities and by private boards. There is increasing emphasis on the growing complexity of…

The simulation materials in this booklet are presented in the form of "in" basket items that represent some problems encountered by secondary school principals in actual situations. These exercises are directed toward improving those skills related to the administrative processes of decisionmaking, supervision, planning, and problem…