A recent ethnographic study that interviewed 11 elementary principals provides examples of how principals with limited resources can build relationships with low-income parents. Effective principals set goals, expand services to children and families, provide parenting education, negotiate and celebrate cultural differences, build strong…

A study of 434 Maine principals explored determinants of principals' perceived success. Role clarity was a better predictor of success than time spent involved in 41 activities. Elementary principals felt more successful than secondary principals. Participants were busy managers, but lacked a sense of agency as school leaders. (16 references) (MLH)

Excerpts from an interview with William H. Gray, head of the United Negro College Fund, examines the growing breadth and influence of the College Fund, his relationships with other higher education leaders, and issues facing historically black colleges and universities. (DB)

Describes the contributions cognitive perspectives can make to the study and practice of school leadership. These include redefining the meaning of effective leadership, changing the understanding of the knowledge base for effective leadership, and reforming the means for developing effective school leadership. Efforts to progress with each are…

Recent research on wildland fire fighting supports educational administrators' use of the fire-fighting metaphor to describe the nature of their work. Fire-fighting nuances illuminate subtle conditions in educational organizations that increase their vulnerability to failure. These parallels suggest five management conditions that determine…

Traces origins of competence-based approaches to management training in England, as a followup to implementing the Teacher Training Agency's National Standards for Headteachers, which inspired the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) and the Headteachers' Leadership and Management Programme (HEADLAMP). (Contains 81 references.)…

Describes characteristics of effective superintendents based on interviews with 18 men and women with an average of 13 years' experience in their current positions. Superintendents offer insights on decision-making, stress management, avoiding surprises, and responding to political pressure. (PKP)

This paper endeavors to explore effective and influential behavior for leaders in Catholic Colleges and Universities and, as well, considers whether there is a distinctive style of management necessary for executives in Catholic institutions. An attempt is made to discuss the unique environment in which Catholic academic leaders operate.…

When the Clark County, Nevada, school board pledged to avoid micromanaging the district and focus on the big picture of improving student achievement, the move was a radical shift. For board members accustomed to dealing with what one described as "convoluted" policies that filled several 6-inch-thick books, the streamlined approach to…

The authors investigated trends over a 13-year period in the predictive validity of assessment center data for objective career advancement for a sample of 456 academic graduates. Using year of entry and tenure as controls, findings from research into managerial effectiveness and development were confirmed with respect to the importance of…

This paper reports on a qualitative case study concerned with how the use of part-time faculty influences and embodies organizational culture at one southwestern community college. It examines how four differing cultural perspectives interact from a functional perspective to allow the college to fulfill its mission, and how those four perspectives…

Academic researchers are increasingly recognizing the potential of graduates to influence management decisions in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This paper focuses on a detailed qualitative study which looked at graduates who had obtained employment in SMEs in the East Anglia region of England. It examines the skills, competences and…

The chair of a department of psychiatry has a complex role, balancing leadership of the department with the broader role as an institutional leader. The competencies and training opportunities for this role are ill-defined. Mentorship, strong administrative supports, and champions for psychiatry within the academic health center are key resources…

Accountability is a high priority in the U.S. education system, and principals play an important role in student achievement. The author examined the means by which superintendents focus on characteristics identified in the literature on effective principals and student achievement when hiring building administrators. The author questioned whether…

This study examined the beliefs and practices of three principals during whose tenure their high-poverty urban elementary schools experienced improved student achievement. A two-stage, multiple case-study methodology was employed. First, New York State Education Department (NYSED) school report card data were analyzed to identify case-study sites.…