This book advances discussion and disseminates knowledge and global perspectives on what school leadership looks like, how it is enacted and under what circumstances, and when or where lessons might be portable. This book has wide appeal for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners considering school leadership and how to support it…

This policy profile on education in Denmark is part of the new Education Policy Outlook series, which will present comparative analysis of education policies and reforms across OECD countries. Building on the substantial comparative and sectorial policy knowledge base available within the OECD, the series will result in a biennial publication…

This book is written by two successful school principals that have provided practical lessons and activities that will build the leadership capacity of anyone who reads it. Included in this book are ways to increase collaboration with reciprocal benefits for leaders and followers and ways to develop and sustain top performance in leadership.…

"Research and Educational Leadership" is the first book to directly address the implications of the National Research Council's (NRC's) "Scientific Research in Education" (2002) in the fields of educational leadership and school administration. This text points out the strengths and weaknesses of the NRC's recommendations and…

This book was written for results-oriented administrators who daily face the pressures of accountability. The introduction sets forth the differences between leadership and instructional leadership, and defines the critical attributes of effective instructional leadership. The following seven chapters describe each of the seven steps to effective…

Learning to see reality at multiple levels provides instructional leaders with several advantages (e.g., being adaptive and solving problems before they occur, being creative by choosing a different future, and being generative by bringing forth something new). Four distinct levels of reality in systems thinking are: events encountered on a daily…

The position of principal is due for a fundamental reevaluation. Several aspects of the position are discussed: (1) history of the position; (2) impact and self-perceptions of the principal; (3) current challenges of the principal; and (4) role and style of the principal. Central to the utilization of the principal in the district is the choice of…

This book presents seven steps for principals to improve their leadership skills. These seven steps have been tested by practitioners and validated by research. Chapter 1 sets forth the differences between leadership and instructional leadership and defines the critical attributes of the latter. Chapters 2 through 8 describe the seven steps in…

Principals who understand the formative, planning, implementation, and evaluation dimensions of instructional leadership can affect the educational quality of a school. Required is transformational leadership: the ability to understand a changing environment and energize the institution to achieve new goals and to utilize new procedures. (SI)

Examines the assumption that "experience is the best teacher" for preparing vice principals for the principalship, drawing on the results of four studies. Findings suggest that role orientations emphasizing managerial or maintenance functions over instructional leadership or school improvement functions provide a dysfunctional socialization…

Drawing on the autobiographies of school principals, proposes guidelines that can help educators combat the occupational hazard of excessive stress. Each guideline is illustrated by vignettes from educational leaders who have learned how to avoid some thinking fallacies that could erode self-esteem and leadership effectiveness. (RJM)

This book for principals or aspiring principals contains a collection of essays about the "human side" of school leadership as experienced by 30 principals during their first year on the job. Two themes emerge from the essays. The first is that leadership requires a whole new set of skills which principals are continuously learning, and…

Beginning with the premise that all pupils can learn if given sufficient time and proper assistance, this paper discusses the efforts of East Orange Public School District (New Jersey) to develop a comprehensive system for improving school administrators' instructional leadership capabilities. The presentation's objectives are threefold: (1)…

Inspired by Franz Kafka's predatory leopard anecdote, this speech explores the plight of Canadian secondary school principals trying to meet students' educational needs within the constraints imposed by politics and finance. A cross-country survey of 60 principals disclosed some typical problems. Principals must be reponsive to public opinion…

Supervision is a method of teaching staff to act in more conscious ways--of providing them with deeper insights into the events surrounding them. To demonstrate this process, a guide for teachers and administrators who want to create good school climates and foster professional growth among staff members is presented here. The text uses a…