Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to propose a new theory promoting long-term learning among mid-level leaders in schools via simulation training. Design/methodology/approach: The proposed model is derived from the socioecological model, a model that takes into account the multifaceted effects of different disciplines. The proposed…

This article shares the insights the author has gained in coaching higher education leaders--department chairs, deans, vice presidents, and faculty--and their teams. It focuses on the attributes of higher education leadership and how the coaching process impacts these attributes; examines common areas of concern that surface during coaching, such…

Many principal supervisors in the United States work in relative isolation and experience no professional development designed to support them. Over the past four years, the role of principal supervisor in Long Beach Unified School District in California has shifted from compliance and at-a-distance supervision practices to a deeply rooted…

The changing meaning of work calls for care and concern for the spiritual dimension of the workplace. Toward this end, a more liberal form of workforce education and human resource development in response to workplace preparation for managers is needed.

Leading a school can be a lonely, challenging job, Elena Aguilar has found in her years coaching principals. Aguilar describes how coaching approach she's developed--transformational coaching--helps principals get three things most of them need: a neutral person they can talk with confidentially, job-embedded professional development, and a safe…

The role of the public school principal has expanded dramatically in recent decades. The expanded role means they are now significant multipliers of effective teaching and have a real opportunity to affect student achievement. Most states have spent recent years working to improve teacher effectiveness, recognizing its importance in improving…

As pressure mounts to increase completion rates at the nation's community colleges, presidents and CEOs know the myriad reforms required to create substantive change won't happen overnight. In most cases, it will take months, even years, for these efforts to have their desired impact. That's why it's important for community colleges to train…

This article describes a novel effort in New York City, the Learning Partners Program, which matches veteran principals with two or more newer ones. In 2014-15, the first full year of the effort, the city's Department of Education put 73 of the city's more than 1,800 schools into 23 groups of threes and one group of four. Every group comprised one…

How can managers prepare for extreme but exceptional events and for the challenge of managing complexity and uncertainty in their daily business? Confronted with the challenge of achieving high and reliable performance in risk-prone, fast-paced, and unpredictable environments, managers and management scholars can learn a lot from the organizing…

Any organization with a comprehensive training program has a leadership development curriculum. These programs include everything from conventional classroom learning with guest speakers to high-tech simulations and lavish retreats. There also may be mentorship thrown in, as well as multiple job rotations. Despite the well-rounded curricula, many…

Most people do not think of schools as centers of revolution. Rather, they consider schools to be stable organizations that have not changed dramatically in how they operate. Indeed, some argue that school operations have changed remarkably little in the past 100 years. However, a change "has" been taking place in England that is…

This article describes a model in special education personnel preparation designed to respond to needs in rural areas for fully licensed Director of Special Education and Pupil Services administrators. The program utilizes a fully online course format and also requires participants to complete a supervised practicum in their school districts.…

The significance of effective leadership and management for successful school and student outcomes is increasingly being recognised. This has led to consideration of the nature of preparation and development required to promote good leadership. There is now widespread acknowledgement of the need for specialised training for school principals. This…

In this article, "Training" editors recognize innovative and successful learning and development programs and practices submitted in the 2012 Training Top 125 application. Best practices: (1) Edward Jones: Practice Makes Perfect (sales training); (2) Grant Thornton LLP: Senior Manager Development Program (SMDP); (3) MetLife, Inc.: Top Advisor…

Innovation has been part of The Economical Insurance Group (TEIG) throughout its 140-year history--its first insurance policy was written on a barn in Berlin, Ontario. Today, the company continues to pursue innovation through its leaders, utilizing a variety of programs to develop the talent needed to guide the 2,500-employee organization through…