Effective leadership by school principals requires the ability to plan, organize, motivate, control, anticipate, orient, coordinate, implement, staff, make decisions, and program, all effectively. These abilities can be exercised in different ways, however, and several different directions, purposes, and attitudes can be emphasized by the leader.…

The lead article of this issue, "Taking the Lead: The Role of the Principal in School Reform" (Kathleen Trial), discusses the various roles of the principal: psychologist, teacher, facilities manager, philosopher, police officer, diplomat, social worker, mentor, PR director, coach, and cheerleader. A second article discusses making shared…

The definition of the role of school principal is currently undergoing transformation in light of modern school issues and a shortage of qualified candidates. In "A Century's Quest to Understand School Leadership," Kenneth Leithwood and Daniel Duke conclude that recent thinking has focused on six forms of leadership: instructional,…

Twelve basic tenets can be used to guide administrators who want to become effective curriculum leaders. The following tenets are not formulas for success, but represent different ways of looking at curriculum leadership: (1) curriculum leaders' actions are guided by a curriculum model; (2) leaders use curriculum governance documents to identify…

Effective schools research has verified that schools are rarely effective unless the principal is a proficient instructional leader. This article summarizes five recent studies examining the practices and qualities comprising good instructional leadership. A Seattle study by Richard L. Andrews disclosed a statistical correlation between student…

Data from seven California elementary schools suggest that effective instructional leadership is both multidimensional and sensitive to school socioeconomic status (SES); in low SES schools, it involves direct supervisory activity and attention paid to school climate. Twenty-six reference notes are appended. (MLF)

Approaches that schools can use to create a high-quality, professional, working community are provided in this journal issue. The report uses a case study to illustrate the process. A review of research reveals at least five major dimensions of the professional learning community: supportive and shared leadership, collective learning and…

Effective leadership is more than the ability to demonstrate specific skills. The validity of early effective principal and leadership trait research has been questioned by recent studies. School improvement formulas that are narrowly focused on basic skills could easily lead to more demanding treatment of students. Recent studies show that…

Principals today are expected to maximize their schools' performances with limited resources while also adopting educational innovations. This synopsis reviews five recent publications that offer some important insights about the nature of principals' leadership strategies: (1) "Leadership Styles and Strategies" (Larry Lashway); (2) "Facilitative…

This issue focuses on preparing department chairs for their leadership roles. It presents qualities that experienced chairs cite as being crucial to success, and asserts the need to develop formal training programs for people newly appointed to these positions. Articles include: (1) "Midlevel Management in the Community College: A Rose Garden?"…

Although female teachers have dominated education, relatively few women have pursued administrative positions. In 1988, women in Ohio held only 4.5 percent of all superintendencies. The state generally lags behind the lackluster national average, according to a 1985 Project on Equal Education report. Because of changing U.S. demographics, future…

Volume 9.1.1 [v9 n1 Winter 2002, Commemorative Anniversary issue] of "Academic Leadership" includes the following articles: (1) "Growing our Own Leaders" by Gary Filan; (2) "Facilitating Change: Leadership's Major Challenge" by Paul Elsner and Larry Christiansen; (3) "Servant Leadership: Robert K. Greenleaf's Legacy and the Community College" by…

This document consists of the six issues of the "CSDC Newsletter" issued in 1990-1991. This publication offers professional information, articles, and research findings on questions relating to the work and role of academic department chairs. The first issue contains an article on chairs as faculty developers and their unique role in helping…

This paper describes the results of a study that investigated the nature and consequences of a unique set of university-sponsored school leadership preparation programs. Begun in 1987, the Danforth Foundation Program for the Preparation of School Principals (DPPSP) was part of a two-pronged effort to more fully develop the potential of school…

This book offers suggestions for the broad integration of leadership training and opportunities into school programs. It is hoped that such an approach will allow educators to tap into the networks of peer influence that exist among adolescents and to realize the goal of citizenship education. The chapters are: chapter 1, "Introduction: The…