Principals are the leverage point for education reforms and the primary drivers of school improvement. A critical part of maintaining a corps of effective principals is rewarding and retaining the best school leaders. Unfortunately, few systems systematically identify principals that make important contributions to student learning or celebrate…

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…

Principals are critical to the success of any school improvement effort--from increasing academic rigor toward college- and career-ready standards to teacher evaluation and support. They ensure this success by building a strong, shared vision and leading effective implementation for staff, students, and families. The federal government has an…

Educational leadership needs to change. Principals have been trained to be managers first and leaders second. Current educational needs demand that principal-training priorities be reversed. (MD)

Describes the New York City Community Improvement Project, which trains community school board members in board governance and policy development. Components include publications describing the organization and functions of the boards, and training sessions providing an overview of the educational structure, school law, and ethics. (FMW)

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…

The Project Leadership in Educational Administration Development (LEAD) consists of the emerging leaders program, administrative internships, seminars for effective school leadership, and peer-assisted learning programs. Project LEAD's essence is rooted in the need to understand school environment functions and operations, local impacts of…

Montgomery County, Maryland, Public Schools has created an extensive staff development program for current and potential administrators. The program includes (1) leadership training to help participants make career decisions and acquaint them with various issues in administration, (2) an internship program, (3) an assessment center, and (4)…

School superintendents hold many leadership responsibilities, and much of schools' effectiveness rests on the abilities of the superintendents to meet their responsibilities. Criticisms of superintendents' training and educational background usually stem from a professor's lack of attention to a broader range of leadership theories. What…

The professional preparation received by school administrators in developed countries is not necessarily appropriate for administrators in developing areas. There is little disagreement over the need for specialized training for these administrators, but decisions remain to be made concerning the types of training to be selected and the delivery…

This anthology is a collection of 17 articles by arts supervisors and administrators. The authors discuss both specific and general aspects of art education program supervision. Topics include staff development, evaluation of art learning, integrating community cultural resources, establishing elementary art specialists, coordinating multiple arts…

The National Policy Board for Educational Administration (NPBEA) recommends a nine-item agenda for reform of the preparation of educational administrators. The agenda addresses reform issues in the areas of people, programs, and assessment. In addition to describing the agenda, this document: (1) depicts the problems to which the agenda is…

This paper reports on (1) the results of a 1984-85 national survey of the status of school administrator preparation, (2) recent literature in the field, and (3) where the field appears to (and should) be going. Participants in the survey included state certification officials, large public school district officials, and directors of doctoral…

The National Conference of State Legislatures convened a task force in 2001 to examine the role of state legislatures in addressing the shortage of qualified and interested candidates for positions in school leadership. This report contains the work of the task force over an 18-month period. The task force sorted data, research, and information…

This sourcebook presents results of a recent case study of how principals are selected in American public school districts. Part 1 (chapters 1-3) describes and evaluates conventional selection practices in 10 randomly supplied school districts according to a five-step process: vacancy announcememts, selection criteria, applicant pools, screening,…