School leaders are increasingly being asked, whether by rhetoric or policy, to measurably improve student achievement. The resultant need to assist school leaders in their ability to improve teaching and learning for all students in their schools led to the establishment of the National Institute of School Leadership's (NISL's) Executive…

The article describes an in-house executive development programme run by the authors in a leading banking group in the CEE region. The programme attempts to follow a systemic approach to learning and contains a mix of elements including action learning, classroom teaching, study, peer support and feedback and "learning visits" to…

A descriptive study using questionnaires was conducted in 2004 to assess the effectiveness of instructional leadership displayed by primary school management teams following the implementation of the Primary School Management Project in Botswana. Leadership skills, Coordination of instructional activities, management of curriculum and quality of…

The National Professional Qualification in Integrated Centre Leadership (NPQICL) is a programme that supports children's centre leaders to develop their own leadership capability. This research highlights the effect the particular constructivist teaching and learning methodology has had on individual tutors' and mentors' professional development.…

Discusses an approach to planning that is necessary if management development is to be successful. (JOW)

Details a training program designed by the Zale Corporation to develop professional store management staff. Includes the specific goals, methodology, description, and results of the program, which has become an integral part of the Zale Corporation and a contributor to the success of the company. (JOW)

School districts are grappling with the problem of an alarming number of certified principals who are choosing not to enter the principalship. In many cases those who do enter are exiting only after a few years of service. Principals cite the long hours, low pay, and the stress of accountability as major reasons they are leaving the profession.…

Engagement of the online learner is one approach to reduce attrition rates. Attrition rates for classes taught through distance education are 10-20% higher than classes taught in a face-to-face setting. This paper introduces a Model for Engagement and provides strategies to engage the online learner. The Model depicts various opportunities where…

Purpose: This paper aims to discuss the teaching and assessment strategies for an organisation-centred curriculum. Design/methodology/approach: The paper is based on a case study. Data were collected from interviews and a focus group with worker-learners enrolled in a Graduate Certificate in Education (Educational Leadership) course. Findings: The…

In the Operations Management field, sustainable procurement has emerged as a way to green the purchasing and supply process. This paper explores issues in sustainable procurement training. The authors formed an interdisciplinary team to design, deliver and evaluate a training programme to promote and develop sustainable procurement in the United…

This study explores the predictive validity of GMAT[R] scores for predicting performance in graduate management programs outside the United States. Results suggest that the validity estimates based on the combination of GMAT[R] scores were about a third of a standard deviation higher for non-U.S. programs compared with existing data on U.S.…

Examines the effectiveness of wilderness labs as a medium for developing management skills. Wilderness labs involve taking managers out of the corporate comfort zone into the outdoors to confront physical challenges. (JOW)

The author believes that the position inventory type of description of management requirements does a disservice to a proper evaluation of management development as it judges the subject as a personality rather than as a manager. (EK)

The training manager can be successful in a period of economic difficulty by shifting the focus of the training program from activities to results. Benefits of this approach are wider options, flexible programs, budget justification, and support of senior management. (SK)

Effective outdoor management development programs have certain features: emotional intensity, psychological safety, consequences, enhancement of self-confidence, use of metaphors, unpredictability, peak performance experiences, multiple skill/knowledge types, development of the whole person, and focus on transfer. They succeed because they sustain…