Assistant principals are jacks-of-all-trades who must be ready for anything. Successful vice-principals build positive relationships, know their role, are good listeners, discover where to get help, maintain their composure, respect parents' feelings, commit to excellence, and learn how to handle stress. (MLH)

Describes 10 habits school business officials need to succeed: organization, time management, delegation, planning, collaboration, personal development, creativity, empathy, ethos, and leadership. Based on book "The School Business Official: Ten Habits You'll Need To Succeed," published by the Pennsylvania Association of School Business…

The problem-solving processes and strategies of ten school principals with reputations for high effectiveness were studied. Verbal protocols were gathered through unstructured interviews while principals were working on a set of five cases. Analysis of the data was guided, but not constrained, by a set of processes and strategies for problem…

This paper explores the claim that appropriately trained heads can motivate teachers and students to achieve challenging targets and transform the prospects of future generations. Theory derived from the leadership literature is tested against the experience of three headteachers in the field. Case study evidence is used to examine how Hillside…

Effective school leaders are effective communicators, although their methods and styles of communication vary. Some are eloquent speakers, others effective writers, and some communicate through modeling. However, virtually all effective leaders are consistent, authentic communicators and attentive, respectful listeners, yet communicating within…

While exceptional leaders share certain qualities like a strong personal ethic and a compelling vision of the future, research has failed to provide conclusive "proof" of the link between a leader's effectiveness and his/ her emotional intelligence (defined from a cognitive perspective, as a set of abilities). Given the increased…

The central goals of federal education policy are to achieve equity of educational opportunity and proficiency in educational outcomes for all students--regardless of gender, ethnicity, income, language of origin, disability, or geography. The means to achieve these goals rely in part on the ability of states and districts to provide every student…

A critical component for successful schools is effective leadership. In the 1980's the concept of leadership emerged and the rules changed for school principals (Lashway, 2002). Previously, administrators were primarily evaluated based upon their abilities in managing school facilities and operations efficiently. Academics became the new focus.…

This paper measures effective leadership preparation and assesses its relationship to what principals learn about leadership, their leadership practices, and school improvement progress and improved school climate (particularly for academic press and continuous improvement). This paper draws on survey research conducted in 2005 with 125 principals…

Rural communities that envision a bright future for themselves and their children have become innovative out of necessity--they learn, and adapt, in order to flourish and to provide opportunities for their children. As the formal centers of learning, and often as the largest employer in the community, rural schools become the heart and symbol of…

This book contains the views of a school principal and educator on leadership and the principal's role, and tries to answer the question: What does a principal do? Using time studies, journals, and conversations with staff, this book explores these questions drawing from the experience of the author as principal at an 800-student public high…

The principal's administrative style strongly influences teachers' satisfaction. This paper provides an overview of literature on administrative styles and presents findings of a study that explored the relationship between principals' leadership styles and school climate. A principal-evaluation survey was distributed to 30 graduate students in…

Project Success was initiated to identify the good things that happen in American public education. One thousand administrators nationwide, identified by their peers as successful were asked to describe their leadership characteristics and beliefs about education. Responses were received from 491 administrators. Chapter 1 presents sample…

This guidebook presents practical, everyday applications of effective school leadership principles. Chapter 1 describes the roles and responsibilities of school leaders today. Chapter 2 presents a litmus test of school leadership, which is described in terms of vertical and hierarchical models. Problem-solving techniques are presented. The role of…

Findings of a study that investigated teachers' perceptions of the most desirable characteristics of principal behavior are presented in this paper. An instrument used to measure employees' perceptions of business manager characteristics (Kouzes and Posner 1987) was adapted to the educational setting and completed by 1,225 teachers in 4 states.…