Describes three approaches to performance-based preparation programs for school administrators: administrative internships, practicums involving a school management or leadership project, and practical assignments. Lists competencies a school administrator should have and advantages of performance-based education. (DMM)

Describes New Jersey's Academy for the Advancement of Teaching and Management, a central, state-funded training center designed to improve students' education by sharpening teachers' and administrators' professional skills. The program's success depends on three critical qualities--relevance, consistency, and continuity. (MLH)

Developed at Texas A and M University, the Management Profile is a strategy for management skills building for school administrators. To show how it has been utilized, a particular experiment with a group of principals is examined. Plans for further development of skills building strategies are mentioned. (SI)

Critically reviews mentoring for new British principals, focusing on program characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages. Mentoring facilitates peer support, helps newcomers make necessary role identity changes, and encourages reflective practice. There are problems with pairing practitioners and mentors, passing on outmoded advice, and…

Summarizes selected findings of a major national research project on mentoring and teacher education in England and Wales. Considers mentoring's nature and purpose and examines mentor/new headteacher matches. Discusses mentoring's benefits, limitations, and conceptual models. Mentoring provides invaluable support for new principals but lacks rigor…

Results of interviews with 15 women executives were compared to a 1978 study. Socialization and skill development remain important management training needs, but there is less concern now for training about stereotyping. The importance of communication, networking, power, and politics increased substantially, indicating areas where significant…

Interviews with managers caught between traditional organizational culture and a shift to "learning organizations" show that individual development is important to organizational change; efforts to change managers to fit a culture defined by top management may not succeed if the vision is not shared; and spiritual and moral dimensions of…

Inservice workshops employing simulation exercises can effectively provide school board training. Such training encourages board members to view problems from numerous perspectives, develop confidence, and build camaraderie. Problem-solving simulation steps are outlined, and six sample scenarios are offered for consideration. (MLH)

The assistant principalship holds a critical position in education organizations because it is an entry-level position for administrative careers. Assistant principals maintain the norms and rules of school culture and handle the conflicts arising among teachers, students, and the community. Principals who work as administrative teams with their…

The Competency Domain Model has five domains of management competencies: conceptual/creative, leadership, interpersonal, administrative, and technical. Specific competencies and training plans can be identified in each domain for different levels--first line supervisor, field office manager, assistant manager, area manager, director of operations.…

All local education authorities (school districts) should have a policy for management development. All staff who manage the work of other adults in school should receive the appropriate training as an entitlement; for many of the teachers involved the training should be school-based. Evaluation of training is also important and deserves greater…

Draws on other articles in this journal issue to identify emergent themes concerning the principal's evolving role in several countries. Explains the context for change, including reform pressures and political response, and examines principals' changing work environment, their transformed roles, and preparation and professional development…

Evaluation of 80 outdoor-based training programs showed (1) improvement in overall work group functioning; (2) no significant changes in individual behavior; (3) different effects for intact versus nonintact work groups, voluntary participation, gender composition, and supervisor presence; and (4) impact of facilitator training on group…

Explores former Soviet management consultants' increased use of social psychological game methods. Identifies such games as means of involving segments of client organizations in accomplishing shared tasks. Proposes a "practical" business game, designed to shape the process of formulating new management decisions at a radical level.…

"Autobiographical Awareness as a Catalyst" (Torbert, Fisher); "Biography in Management and Organisational Development [OD]" (Jones); "Careers" (Davies); "Biography Work and Women's Development" (Farrell); "Biography as a Research Method for Investigating OD" (Salama); "Biographical Approach to Business Strategy" (Leary); "Biographical Research"…