Contemporary models of school reform acknowledge the principal as the passport to school success and the manager of an increasingly complex organization. This digest asserts that principals benefit from professional development that examines best practices, provides coaching support, encourages risk taking designed to improve student learning,…

Ways in which teachers and principals respond to changing leadership roles and some practical steps that principals can take to support leadership are discussed in this article review. It focuses on five papers that explore educators' roles, offering advice on how to respond to changing expectations. "When is New: A Plan of Action" (A. W. Hart)…

Principals have two reasons to wonder about the whole concept of leadership. First, they are responsible for identifying leadership in others; and second, they must be analytical and reflective about their own capabilities. Consequently, there is always demand for valid and reliable measurement of leadership qualities. This issue reviews recent…

This newsletter reviews five reports that address the implications of standards for administrators. These texts include "Designing and Implementing Standards-Based Accountability System" (Education Commission of the States), which describes some of the policy implications of standards-driven accountability; "Why Principals Fail: Are National…

Five recent studies included in this annotated bibliography highlight the diverse facets of an effective principal evaluation system. A technical report by Jerry W. Valentine and Michael L. Bowman includes a clinical instrument for assessing teachers' perception of principals' effectiveness. In a second report, Daniel L. Duke and Richard J.…

Although instructional leadership is acknowledged to be a critical skill in educational administration, few principals and superintendents have had in-depth training for that role, especially in a standards-based environment. Current definitions of instructional leadership include much deeper involvement in the "core technology" of…

In the current climate of accountability, the responsibilities of principals have increased. The new role of principals requires new forms of training, and standards-based reform is generating major changes in principal-preparation programs. This digest examines some of those changes. First, it looks at the effectiveness of principal-preparation…

Many educational professionals have some knowledge of assessment practices, ranging from principles of test development and use to the practices associated with the use and interpretation of standardized and teacher-made tests. The skill levels associated with many important student assessment principles are, however, not consistent with the…

This annotated bibliography reviews 12 publications on preparation of principals. Of these, three (entries 1, 7, and 11) concern internships: essential elements thereof, a proposed "critical incident" technique for internships, and a practicum program in South Carolina. Three of the articles (2, 5, and 9) focus on models or approaches to…

This monograph highlights important findings and guidelines that have emerged from over a decade of research at the University of Oregon's Center for Educational Policy and Management (CEPM) concerning the continued professional development of school personnel. After a brief introduction, the booklet is divided into three sections. The first,…

A review of relevant available literature divides the functions of rural principals into six categories (instruction/curriculum leadership, personnel guidance, school/community relations, administrative responsibilities, evaluation, professional improvement) and provides suggestions on helpful material for each. Recent research on principals and…