School administrators are instructional leaders responsible for ensuring high quality inclusive education for all students including those with disabilities. In this article, the authors review legal mandates, discuss inclusion of students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) in practice, and obstacles to effectiveness. Recommendations…

The roles and responsibilities of principals are increasingly focused on instructional leadership. In many states, changes in the preparation and credentialing of future principals have been based on recognized leadership standards. Requirements for practicing principals to complete professional development aligned with such standards have also…

This article introduces the reader to the Essential Leadership Model (ELM). The ELM provides a vocabulary and framework for clarifying and prioritizing the many complex and competing demands of the principalship. The ELM supports principals in identifying the critical needs of a school and the leadership knowledge, skills, and dispositions to meet…

A retired principal advises readers to plan for their retirement from the principalship as much as they planned to enter it. (Author/MLF)

Describes a six-step process for conducting a needs assessment in the schools. The approach is feasible and inexpensive as it allows each school to develop its own instrument. (Author/IRT)

Seven steps to revitalizing counseling programs are presented. Principals must assume responsibility for leadership of counseling programs; enhancement of such programs is central to rejuvenating schools. (MD)

Approaching orientation from a problem-solving perspective includes identifying student needs, establishing broad goals, analyzing resources, and creating procedures that address common problems and serve student needs. (Author/MLF)

Describes the process, and the hazards, involved in conducting a needs assessment for a counseling program. (IRT)

Stresses the importance of making the schools accessible to single parents and of avoiding the mistake of stereotyping. (LD)

To eliminate duplication and underutilization of student services, a South Carolina high school formed a student services committee composed of all service providers (principal, assistant principals, guidance counselors, psychologists, at-risk coordinator, computer specialist, and nurse). The group focused on needs assessment and team-building,…

A principal/counselor partnership in a small Colorado high school uses a microcomputer to enhance their roles and effectively provide services for the school and students. They have developed a unique needs assessment process, a word processing program for senior letters of recommendation, and a database on gifted and talented programs. (MD)

In discussing how to ascertain whether new technologies are achieving their goal in curriculum development, the author provides a detailed discussion of procedures for evaluating their effectiveness. Provides two checklists for assessing technological applications. (MD)

Physical education contributes to the physical, mental, and emotional health of young people. Administrators must recognize these contributions and ensure an effective program by evaluating and retraining teachers to keep abreast of the recent knowledge explosion in physical education. (CJH)