There is no shared understanding of what school leaders are expected to do. Schools have many external as well as internal stakeholders and each of them has different expectations as to leadership practice. Thus school leadership is a "fluid signifier". This article first outlines external expectations that school leaders are faced with…

In the private sector, it is clear that the chair is in charge of the board and the CEO in charge of the company. But in the author's view the chair's principal role is to act as an adviser or counsellor to the CEO and senior colleagues--hence the wisdom of having a chair who is involved in other organisations and the preference for people of a…

This article reports a study designed to identify the factors that both hiring bodies and applicants believe are most important when making decisions about principal selection, appointment and acceptance. Based on a quantitative study involving the four main groups of players in the principal selection process, we confirmed a four-factor…

This article reports on outcomes from a study funded by the National College for School Leadership designed to explore the factors that assist in the leadership development of teachers at a number of stages of their career development. More specifically, the study sought to identify issues associated with leadership talent identification,…

This study examined factors at the school, district, and provincial level that influenced school administrators' responses to large-scale assessment. To understand administrators' perspectives, 5 secondary and 4 elementary administrators from a suburban school district in southern Ontario, Canada were interviewed. Key factors noted by…

This article explores the responses of school principals of small rural schools in Victoria, Australia to leadership challenges they identify as characteristic of these contexts. The research is an exercise in grounded theory building, with the focus on the principalship as it is enacted in small rural settings. The article also seeks to trace the…

Smooth early childhood transitions are key to ensuring positive outcomes for young children the world over--but in today's fragmented early education systems, it's difficult to ensure continuity among programs and services. Early childhood professionals will help change that with this book, the first to propose a comprehensive, practical framework…

A synthesis of 15 empirical studies shows that homework consistently benefits elementary and secondary students' achievement and attitudes, especially if it is commented upon or graded. (MCG)

The report examines the development and implementation of performance indicators at institutions of higher education, through presentation of position statements on 11 countries: Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and United Kingdom. General conclusions are summarized in an introductory…

The accession of new senior leaders and middle leaders are significant events and may bring a desired continuity of current improvement efforts, or herald a new direction for the school. Although attention has been paid to building leadership capacity in schools, perhaps via the distribution of leadership, little attention has been paid to…

This article suggests that the balance of powder invested in principals at incorporation has shifted to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), which for some is reminiscent of Local Education Authority (LEA) control. The evidence is taken from 28 semi-structured interviews with ten college principals between 2001-2003 as control passed from the…

This guide is for all school leaders, and pastoral care, support and teaching staff who work with young people who are preparing to move on from secondary schooling to the next stage in their lives. It is also for people who work in partnership with the school to support young people who are going into employment or continuing their learning, for…

Science programs provided for primary school have not always been successful. A major reason suggested is that some programs place demands on teachers which many teachers find difficult to meet and which give rise to concerns which restrict their development as teachers of science. Based on the work of the the Learning in Science Project…

This publication on performance indicators and the education of adults in a community and locality context is one in a series of booklets written specially for managers in further and higher education in the United Kingdom. The series is intended to provide up-to-date information on current issues in vocational education and training, summaries of…

The National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) was commissioned by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) to conduct a study of primary, secondary and special maintained schools in England to assess the use of data in teaching and learning. The study sought to identify how data is used to promote learning in primary, middle,…