There are dozens of books and hundreds of resources that address the issue of character development in students: how to raise them to be good people, how to teach them to be good citizens, how to help them to make good decisions. Little is written, however, about the character development of principals and school leaders, whose behavior is a model…

This study describes and assesses factors contributing to the support and satisfaction of seven graduates of an alternate route program during their preparation and first two years of teaching. Participating in a cohort, completing a full year internship prior to assuming teaching responsibilities, and receiving mentor support during a full year…

This paper argues the importance of examining the collective dimension of masculinities in the early school years through a description of a study into children's (young males') peer group relations. Specifically, the paper attends to the significance of the peer group in shaping behaviour, and in particular exaggerated "masculine"…

One hundred seventy-six teachers employed in prekindergarten programs in Nebraska's public schools were surveyed regarding their perceptions of the administrative supports and challenges associated with their programs. Both early childhood and early childhood special education teachers participated. Overall findings suggest that most…

This manuscript describes how two school administrators, now educational leadership professors, successfully reframed leadership to create change. Bolman and Deal's (1984; 2003) reframing of pedagogy provided the theory for understanding this complex change process and the school administrator's role. As a conceptual framework, reframing theory…

Education improves an individual's and a community's standard of living. In a time when education funding is insufficient for schools to meet high quality standards, principals are in a unique position to influence their community to fully support state and local school budgets. By using data to show education's positive influence on human capital…

This volume presents the 2007 Yearbook of the National Council of Professors of Educational Administration (NCPEA). This year's theme is "At the Tipping Point: Navigating the Course for the Preparation of Educational Administrators." This yearbook contains six parts. Part 1, Invited Chapters, includes the following: (1) President's…

In today's political and global world, it's not enough to remain a solid educational leader; leaders must become advocates for education--on Capitol Hill, in state legislatures, and within communities. In this book, Sandra Whitaker examines key issues facing education, demonstrates methods for unpacking the issues, and discusses strategies to…

This policy brief shows that, while New Jersey has made a substantial investment in state-supported preschool programs, the link between preschool and elementary education needs to be strengthened. By adopting a broader view of early learning that aligns quality preschool with the early elementary years, policy leaders will reap a better return on…

In this article, the authors present Edwin Diaz, superintendent of California's Gilroy Unified School District and discuss the common challenges and strategies among those education leaders who take on--and succeed at--the role of change agent and reformer. When Edwin Diaz became superintendent of California's Gilroy Unified School District in…

Professionals with responsibilities for student affairs can play a major role in the increasing emphasis on academic achievement, student learning, and retention. The outlines of future perspectives on professionalism and personal development can be found in examples from the recent past. The new developments will combine historical perspectives…

There is little empirical evidence describing how school principals respond to the changing socioeconomic position and ethnic identities of the urban population. In this paper such empirical evidence is presented in respect of three primary school leaders in the Dutch cities of Amsterdam and Rotterdam. The schools selected were identified as…

This policy brief explores kindergarten readiness observation and its benefits to local and state level stakeholders; highlights efforts by California counties and other states to measure school readiness; and makes recommendations for moving toward statewide use of kindergarten readiness observation tools. Key points include: (1) Early efforts to…

The National Charter School Research Project (NCSRP) at the University of Washington's Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE) has embarked on an ambitious research agenda to study the people and work of charter schools. The initiative is called "Inside Charter Schools." This initiative has two main parts. The first part, entitled "Studying…

This report was undertaken to assess the state of civic capacity for education reform in Philadelphia. It challenges community and civic sectors of the city to put aside individual interests and work together to mobilize resources to pursue the collective good of public school improvement. The report demonstrates that many of the elements…