Purpose: A crucial aspect of a school's capacity to promote and sustain change and improvement in student learning is the depth, breadth and endurance of both its formal and informal leadership. Shortages of willing leaders, however, have forced governments around the world to expend a considerable amount of time, effort, and money to fill up the…

Purpose: This article aims to discuss the conceptualisation process of developing a new one-year taught-master's programme in educational leadership at an Aotearoa/New Zealand university. Design/methodology/approach: The perspective taken is a highly personalised one from the two lead "drivers" of the programme and outlines the two-year…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to review strategies to build capacity for school improvement in Australia. The focus is on public schools and strategies adopted for the system as a whole. Design/methodology/approach: This paper traces developments from a national perspective and makes a case for the key contemporary policy shift that has…

Purpose: This study attempts to describe mentors' perceptions of their ethical dilemmas, the derived mentor roles, and the ethical guidelines suggested by mentors, with reference to previous studies exploring the mentors' multifaceted roles. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 60 mentors participated in a two-phase study: the mentors were…

Purpose: Reformers, policymakers, and researchers have given considerable attention to organizational capacity in schools, especially in those schools that perpetuate or exacerbate achievement gaps among diverse student groups and reproduce social inequalities. There is an emerging consensus about key dimensions of school capacity and how they can…

Suggests that the best organizational model to expedite university planning would make provision for a 5-stage process: localized planning, planning by committee, planning by an outside agency, institutional research, and the establishment of a specific planning department. (Author)

Discusses mentorship as a policy mechanism for women educators in (Australian) government school systems. Describes mentorship as a powerful strategy that greatly assists professionals' career development and mobility. Compares three different mentoring types (traditional, professional, and institutionalized) and argues for nonelitist professional…

Reviews the literature treating the role and status of research in educational administrator preparation programs and discusses alternative ways to incorporate research into these programs. Uses a framework based on three categories: a historical perspective, the knowledge base, and faculty orientations. (58 references) (MLH)

Defines educational planning from differing perspectives and describes four bodies of knowledge bearing on the concept. Current uses of research by professors are depicted and future research and training needs bearing on planning are recommended. (Author/WM)

Principals need professional development to cope with their new responsibilities for school review and planning, staff selection, staff development, performance appraisal, financial management, and the establishment of school councils. This article reviews the immediate administrative training needs of (Australian) school leaders, examines…

Presents some observations from both mentors and proteges involved in a formal mentoring program at the National Institute of Education in Singapore. Data showed that the mentor/protege relationship is best initiated in an informal environment, thrives on clearly communicated expectations, moves through developmental and interpersonal stages, and…

Develops and proposes a paradigm or conceptual framework for preservice program development in educational administration in Rwanda. The framework components include four dimensions and related systematic conceptual levels and procedural stages. Educational improvement requires goal definition, upgrading of instruction for practitioners, and an…

Examines complexities involved in developing a school-administrator preparation program in the Republic of Georgia. Discusses eight conditions influencing differences in countries' educational practices. Presents 10 major issues to be resolved, including vision and goals, degree of centralization, leadership and education models, past/present…

Spanish principals are more isolated from colleagues than principals in other countries, because the school is the basic educational unit and because Spanish school directors have no structural links within the local system. This article describes the design and development of an inservice training program for Spanish administrators, highlighting…