When I was a beginning principal, I never was under the illusion that I knew everything. However, I did feel the heavy burden of responsibility to make decisions for matters that were constantly being brought to my desk. You know the ones: "How can we avoid several classrooms needing to use the water fountain at the same time?"; "Should the…

In the summer of 1998, this author was appointed Principal at Cooper Elementary, one of 21 elementary schools in the Livonia Public Schools' district, the 5th largest district in the state of Michigan. Like many first-year principals, she was full of fresh ideas, lofty goals and endless enthusiasm to inspire students, staff and parents. Her…

Careful planning can help principals manage two schools without eroding their sanity. Two-school principals should use color-coding to keep meetings straight, devise a work schedule that accommodates both schools, develop a workable off-campus communication system, eat lunch with students, and create a card-and-candy student-recognition system.…

This paper proceeds from the basis that leadership can only be understood in context and by viewing it from the inside. In particular, it argues that the contextual complexity of small school leadership warrants attention from researchers, policy makers and system administrators and describes the nature of this complexity as depicted in the…

It is generally accepted that effective principals make for effective schools. In the United Kingdom, the key player providing needed intelligence, vision, energy, and thinking is called the headteacher. The issue considered broadly in this paper is educational leadership in the UK. It addresses the critical role of the headteacher and how to…

In this article, the authors, two experienced principals from two separate districts and mentors for new principals, explain that being a great principal is much the same as being the host of a great dinner party. The following are a few insights and tips-for new principals that can help any host (or principal) find rewards that go far beyond the…

A new principal remembers her humiliation when a kindergarten teacher chastised her for tying a shoe with her teeth (as taught by her handicapped mother). As a teacher, she refrained from prejudging "problem" children's actions and often violated classroom rules to accommodate students' varied needs. (MLH)

This article uses the analogy of mastering the game of golf to illuminate education-leadership preparation and practice. A response attempts a connection between the golf analogy as an argument for the implementation of leadership-practice fields in education-administration preparation programs, highlighting the importance of practice in the…

This paper addresses the issue of educational leadership through a critique of the Misneach programme for first-time principals. This programme entails preparation for the leadership of professional staff, namely of teachers as professional educators. The demands that this places on the leadership curriculum are onerous. The Misneach programme, as…

A principal intern enrolled at UNC-Charlotte describes "life in the trenches" at a small-town middle school. Schools should integrate interns into school operations, develop a program vision, gradually increase the intern's responsibilities, provide time for continuous evaluation, and rely on university supervisors when problems arise.…

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…

This book addresses the concepts, values, principles, and practices of the principalship. Its five major themes are as follows: (1) toward a new theory; (2) providing leadership; (3) building community; (4) the development of human resources; and (5) the moral dimension. Chapter titles reflect its contents: (1) "Views of the Principal's…

The 26 essays in the volume compose the 10th annual yearbook of the National Council of Professors of Educational Administration. The essays examine the pressing issues facing educational leaders from a variety of philosophical perspectives. The essays are as follows: "President's Message: Professors and Practitioners: Building Bridges…