This paper summarizes a project to determine the helpfulness of constructive/developmental theory in studying effective leadership. Grounded in social science research conducted by Piaget, Kohlberg, Perry, and others, the constructive/developmental leadership model has four stages. In the imperial stage, the individual's frames of reference are…

A strategy to reform the educational system based upon collaboration and inclusion, vision building among all participants, the establishment of a new infrastructure, and the replacement of linear, top-down planning is explained. Each of these four goals is examined with suggestions for implementation given. After this strategy is outlined, three…

This is an exploratory study of the administrative culture of an effective school district (as indicated by state and national recognitions). The findings indicate that a rich culture of shared values, perceptions, and beliefs pervades the administrative ranks at both district and school site levels. These findings suggest that symbolic language,…

This study examined three inner-city public elementary school principals whose schools had most significantly improved across a 2-year period as measured by a district-wide index of performance, investigating their perceptions of organizational constraint and their resulting practices. The performance index was obtained using students' SAT-9…

A recently developed instrument was used to evaluate principals to determine if they live up to expected standards. The instrument, Principal Profile, had been developed several years before the study but had only been administered to graduate students and teachers seeking to become administrators. In the spring of 2001, the superintendent of…

This paper explores two questions: "What philosophical views of educational leadership will adequately allow us to meet the demands of a rapidly changing world?" and "How should such leadership be assessed?" The article asserts that evaluation of educational leadership needs to break away from the limitations of restrictive models to become…

The Little Hoover Commission presents its findings on the State of California's school facilities program with a review of the practices of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). This report on the LAUSD reveals that children in Los Angeles are currently doomed to overcrowded, uninspired, and unhealthy schools because of persistent…

The purpose of business schools seems not to be training effective managers but rather socializing them and legitimizing management, leading to silence about the reality of working conditions. Critical management education would expose students to problematic management issues related to gender, ethnicity, power, the environment, and others.…

Argues that courageous, passionate, visionary, ethical leaders (especially school board members and superintendents), who understand the appropriate use of power and are politically astute, are needed to achieve systemic educational improvement in their school districts. (Contains 23 references.) (PKP)

To satisfy a state mandate and a local need, the South Carolina Principal Incentive Program tested and adopted a Management by Results principal evaluation model utilizing information obtained from teachers, parents, and district administrators. This article describes the process and the beneficial results obtained. (MLH)

Good time management means the ability to control one's life and a continuous sense of personal achievement and satisfaction. Some strategies include listing goals and setting priorities, making daily "to-do" lists, learning to say no, thinking positively, exercising self-discipline, developing realistic time estimates, and screening phone calls.…

Professional weaknesses such as failure to gain school board support or respect can cause superintendents to lose their jobs. By combining strong leadership with effective management, a superintendent can shape organizational structures and processes to produce specific results while inspiring and motivating people toward a definite vision. (MLH)

NASSP's Assessment Center Project has identified 12 key skills for successful principals: problem analysis, judgment, organizational ability, decisiveness, leadership, sensitivity, stress tolerance, oral communication, written communication, wide-ranging interests, personal motivation, and educational values. Effective principals succeed by…

Competence as administrators and managers is judged in part by the quality of their writing. Twelve suggestions for improving writing are provided. A bibliography on reference books for the process of writing and a test to assess writing skills are provided. (MLW)

Principals must attend to eight curricular issues in their role as instructional leader: amount of content; extent of academic focus on coursework; focus and sequence of courses; breadth versus depth of content; differential access to knowledge; homework as an extension of content; curricular alignment; and quality of course objectives. Includes…