Since 1975, the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) has attempted to improve the selection process for all levels of principals through the establishment of regional assessment centers. Presently, 37 centers operated by districts, consortia, universities, and state departments of education are producing data being used by…

Examines criteria and procedures for selecting new (Ohio) elementary school principals during 1992-93. A survey of 50 superintendents indicates that selection criteria comprised academic criteria, personal characteristics, and professional competencies. Respondents rated attitude toward others and strong human relations skills as most important…

The significant effort made to clarify and measure educational leadership essentials has spawned the assessment center concept. This article examines leadership, describes the development of assessment centers in general, and focuses on the National Association of Secondary School Principals' Principal Assessment Center Project to identify and…

Concludes most organizations have administrator promotion and selection problems. Suggests good selection procedures produce valid, reliable, job-related information; exhibit fairness/are perceived as "fair"; and fit "political" realities. Examines Hamilton and Dufferin-Peel selection procedure models, which also incorporate…

According to one study, hiring officials wishing to know administrator candidates' job skills cannot learn about them from administering the Myers Briggs Type Indicator and cannot learn much about personality preferences from NASSP Assessment Center data. Hiring officials should use multiple information sources, select appropriate measurement…

Administrator selection is of increasing importance due to the critical relationship between administration and school success. To determine the extent of incorporation of the assessment center method--a source of skill information used for administrator selection and development--into administrator preparation programs, sets of data-gathering…

Research shows that most school districts lack established policies for selecting teachers or administrators. This article, based on a study of concurrent validity between performance on the Administrator Perceiver Interview and in the NASSP Assessment Center, shows that the two approaches provide different information concerning prospective…

To help Florida schools select principals most likely to contribute to school improvement, Development Dimensions International conducts three-day workshops featuring the Targeted Selection Interview process. Using past behavior to predict future performance, interviewers systematize selection elements, identify job dimensions, employ effective…

Describes the use of an assessment center in evaluating candidates during a search for a new superintendent. Includes a brief article that points out the problems in using assessment centers for hiring evaluations. (MD)

Describes one midwestern city's plan to encourage teachers with leadership potential to consider an administration career. Interested teachers participate in an Initial Skills Audit, a 2-day assessment center designed to provide individual feedback on each person's skill level. A self-assessment instrument provides performance rating estimates on…

This publication is a comprehensive bibliography on the assessment center method and education administration. The bibliography reveals sources for research concerning the potential of assessment center methods for screening administrative candidates, as well as for prescribing individual pre- and in-service development programs. Resources are…

This paper evaluates four selection procedures for hiring school principals. These procedures (interviews, assessment center, selected assessment center exercises, and paper and pencil inventories) were compared in terms of validity, processing costs, and dollar gain expected from implementation. The selected assessment center exercises were found…

Describes a New York school district's experience with using an assessment center to help select the superintendent. The key was designing in-basket and role-playing exercises to test candidates' competencies and training board members to evaluate results properly. (MLH)

Higher demands on administrators have rendered traditional selection methods less adequate. Many schools have responded by adopting assessment centers to identify administrator qualifications. Previous research and contact with assessment centers through letters, phone calls, and a survey furnished the information for this study. Twenty-five of…

In 1988, the Department of Educational Leadership at Western Kentucky University (WKU) established the Western Kentucky Assessment Center, sponsored by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP). This document provides an overview of the history and methods of NASSP assessment centers, followed by a discussion of costs to…