"Learning-Focused Supervision: Developing Professional Expertise in Standards-Driven Systems" is a practical guide for instructional supervisors at any level. With real-world examples, QR-linked videos, and actionable strategies, this updated second edition aligns supervision with today's educational trends, elevating teacher…

Conflict management is one of the most stressful and frustrating aspects of a school leader's job. An inability to overcome conflicting viewpoints, ever more palpable in today's polarized climate, stymies innumerable school reform efforts. Yet, the subject is rarely examined in graduate-level leadership preparation programs or in-service…

As Action Learning has evolved, it has been adapted to promote learning in various contexts. In this account of practice, we share our perspectives as facilitators of the application of action learning principles within Reflective Practice Forums for Mentoring and Coaching Programme Managers. The ethos of action learning was adopted with the…

This paper shares findings from case study research into how school principals respond to ethical dilemmas. Preliminary research instigated a criteriological inquiry into the nature of schools as systems and findings of that inquiry conclude that schools are complex adaptive social systems rather than the open complicated systems they are…

American schools have been dealt a blow that included a pandemic, economic crisis, as well as racial unrest, initiating an energized charge for social justice advocacy. Our superintendents are currently facing an unprecedented challenge in ensuring that the campus community lives in a fair, inclusive, and opportunity-rich society. However, school…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the knowledge base on the ways in which assistant principals view their roles, and on the potential challenges involved in a distributed leadership model. Design/methodology/approach: The study employed a narrative capture method, in which assistant principals from two large urban school…

The role of the district superintendent as an instructional leader in systemic change is paramount to the degree and sustainability of change. Through the use of an electronic survey incorporating closed- and open-ended questions, the study examined the characteristics, habits of mind or dispositions, and leadership skills or styles used by an…

"Creating a Successful Leadership Style" gives practical applications supported by real experiences. It presents the actual situations a principal or assistant principal faces on a day-to-day basis and provides strategies to address them. These strategies derive from a leadership style that is people oriented and designed to elicit positive…

Various schools of thought on conflict management in academic institutions are explored in the article. A significant change from the traditional administrative attitude toward conflict is to view conflict as a means to healthy change and growth. Specific conflict-management techniques are discussed. (DF)

Briefly reviews Dewey's theory of moral inquiry and his thoughts on the deliberative process, and then explores the importance of communal deliberation in overcoming complex problems. The negotiation of various perspectives in communal deliberations is applied to the leader's role--especially to administrative work in schools. (Contains 50…

Case studies of four principals and their "problem-finding" behavior (identifying and solving strategic organizational problems) are presented to illustrate their roles and effectiveness in providing instructional leadership. (CB)

The role of the public school principal as it has evolved within the formal school organization is examined and compared with the needs and expectations held of him by himself and others. In addition, a theory of leadership is expounded and some concepts of leaders, leadership styles, and particular role expectations are discussed. A bibliography…

Existing in schools means actively doing and critically pursuing possibilities for teacher growth and achievement. Two vignettes focus on principals who fully exist in their schools. One principal created a circle of caring and cooperation by stressing positive language. The other shared his contagious school vision and sparked teacher thinking…

A fact-finding exercise used in a study of principals' problem-solving behaviors is analyzed in this paper. Forty-two subjects with varying degrees of administrative experience participated in fact-finding and thinking-aloud exercises prior to responding to a case study. Problem definition, a key component of the problem-solving process, was a…

Findings from a study investigating and comparing differences in problem-solving approaches between novice and expert elementary school principals are reported in this paper, which focuses on the interview phase of the data collection process. Interview questions were designed to explore and compare the ways in which principals perceived…