Purpose: In times of reform and consequential changes, school superintendents act as mediators between government policies and those who implement them in the field. This article explores the perceptions of school superintendents in Israel concerning their professional development (PD) process, especially during the implementation of Israeli…

In 2010, Illinois passed legislation making significant changes to its principal preparation and licensure policies. With the goal of improving student outcomes and closing achievement gaps, the state updated standards for principal preparation programs with a focus on instructional leadership. Illinois's reforms were ambitious, requiring all…

This paper explores Illinois's shift from a general administrative license, called a "Type 75" license, to a "PK-12 Principal Endorsement." It includes both a history of the reform efforts and a look at how implementation has fared nearly a decade after the legislation was signed into law. It also offers lessons and…

The paper presents the approach to complex training of managers and faculty staff for system modernisation of Russian engineering education. As a methodological basis of design and implementation of the faculty development programme, the CDIO (Conceive-Design-Implement-Operate) Approach was chosen due to compliance of its concept to the purposes…

The continuous poor performance of South Africa's learners is detrimental to its developing economy. The need for education change prompted two universities to initiate a system-wide change strategy in a poorly performing school district. The leverage for change was leadership development, involving school principals and district officials. The…

The Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence (Baldrige categories) are increasingly being used throughout the health, education, and business sectors to drive continuous improvement in quality organizations. In each industry, specific categories are available to assist in identifying quality practices deployed throughout an organization. The…

The purpose of this manual is to outline a case approach to administrator training based on a study (presented in a companion volume) of four Teacher Corps projects and the role of principals in those projects. It begins with a discussion of the usefulness of a "case vignette" approach to training and then presents 21 case vignettes…

While pressures to revise administrator evaluation systems are increasing, the actual process demands great time, energy, and commitment to planned change. This article describes a large urban school district's efforts to redefine evaluation purposes, develop a process and principles, and implement and assess the new system. Includes 23…

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…

The task of improving educational administrator preparation is one of epic proportions. The magnitude of the task is expressed using allusions to the epic style and the myth of Jason and the Golden Fleece. The paper presents a quick "environmental scan" to determine how visionary and revolutionary are some current ideas for improvements…

This document reports on a 5-year project developed by the Department of Education of the U.S. Virgin Islands to create a useful information and technical assistance system for professional personnel to bring about educational change and growth. The project was based on the original Interstate Project in Dissemination model (with the exception…

This paper describes some lessons learned from the first 2 years of Total Quality Management (TQM) implementation at the Coast Guard Academy (New London, Connecticut). Key issues for TQM adoption at the Academy included leadership, training, organization, total involvement, and measurement. It was found that top management must define the…

Based on the author's experiences with the Direct Instruction Follow Through Project at the University of Oregon and with the PLATO Corrections Project at the University of Illinois, this "how to do it" book articulates the conditions and procedures believed critical in implementing educational programs from the planning and theoretical…

This draft document presents an analysis of all major educational reform proposals before the Illinois General Assembly, assessing the costs of implementation and what benefits might be expected for the funding levels contained in the proposals themselves. The 18 areas examined are (1) student testing; (2) student retention/remediation; (3)…

The effectiveness of Phare vocational education and training (VET) reform programs conducted in 13 Eastern and Central European countries in 1993-1998 and lessons learned from the programs were examined through a review of information from the following sources: a cross-country analysis on curricular reform; a review of technical evaluation…