During the past four years, the University of Northern Colorado's educational leadership program has undergone major revision and restructuring. The new program provides a coherent, integrated program designed to assist individual learners' personal and professional development. This article describes the change process, showing how changes were…

Two trends have become issues for school management in recent years. One is that educational leadership is becoming increasingly a more complex and difficult job to carry out and the other is that an increasing number of people with little administrative experience are moving into educational roles. The implementation of local, school…

This paper reports on the current status of the practicum as an element in programs for training educational administrators. The paper notes first that the value of individuals learning their craft by spending time in the field is generally accepted. A review of the literature found relatively little material describing the nature of the…

Mentoring has become an accepted and desirable part of the preservice preparation of educational administrators. This paper focuses on the responsibilities of those who are being mentored, often referred to as "mentees" or "proteges." It is argued that mentoring is a teaching-learning process to which participants bring…

This article describes a study of the characteristics and educational background of 15 professors who have recently accepted positions in university educational administration program faculties. Findings are presented, and implications for the field of administrative preparation are discussed. (Author/MT)

Although field-based learning is alleged to be a vital part of educational administration training programs, this research review shows that high quality investigation is scarce. Most work lacks a theoretical base, so generalizability is severely restricted. Future research should concentrate on candidates' professional development and on issues…

This book provides an overview of the internship as a central ingredient of effective preservice programs. Intended for those who are involved in the preparation of school administrators, the text emphasizes that preservice programs must ensure that interns will learn the skills that will make them effective leaders. The book is designed to…

Findings of a study that identified the kinds of problems faced by new principals who had participated in innovative principal-preparation programs are presented in this paper. Data were collected through a series of interviews conducted with eight individuals who had assumed their first principalships during the 1991-92 school year. All had…

Mentoring is a continuing process wherein individuals within an organization provide support and guidance to others (mentees or proteges) to help them become effective contributors to organizational goals. Although mentoring can enhance both teacher and administrator effectiveness, this paper focuses on developing mentoring programs for aspiring,…

The benefits perceived by mentors themselves from serving as mentors in preservice preparation of educational administrators were studied for practicing school administrators assisting in the Danforth Foundation Program for the Preparation of School Principals. Mentors enjoyed participating and learning from program participants, as well as the…

Findings of a study that examined the potential problems faced by beginning school principals are examined in this paper, with a focus on the obstacles that hinder the practice of interagency collaboration. The study was based on the belief that principals who act as instructional leaders place the needs of learners at the center of all school…

John Daresh's "Beginning the Assistant Principalship" provides you with excellent tools to navigate your way as a new administrator. Full of ideas for you to use in your work, this valuable new resource helps you ask yourself the important questions, find answers, and develop strong plans of action. Some significant topics to help you in your new…

Describes the search for a relevant knowledge base for the field of educational leadership and identifies some traditional and emergent sources. Presents a newly developed program in educational leadership to illustrate how elements of the knowledge base have been incorporated into an innovative, holistic approach to preparing school…

This paper explores three models of professional development--from medicine, law, and the Catholic priesthood--to assess the extent to which these approaches may improve the ways in which aspiring school administrators are prepared for their new positions. The review is based on an examination of research and literature in three areas: the needs…

Findings of a study that explored aspiring administrators' perceptions of the superintendency as a viable career choice are presented in this paper. Methodology involved the administration of a questionnaire to 197 graduate students enrolled in administrator education courses. Findings indicate that the most powerful motivator was the ability to…