It is essential that a person in an influential position make communication skills a priority. Lists some specific ways to become a more effective communicator through nonverbal behavior and speaking, listening, and writing skills. (MLF)

Educational leadership is a management function that provides progress toward new goals in a time of change. Leadership must be shared; the lone leader is increasingly being recognized as ineffective and deadening to the spirit. Effective leaders are visible, communicate honestly, accept others, are open and genuine, face problems confidently, and…

A task force of college department heads and administrators determined that effective administrators possess specific competencies (personal traits, knowledge, management skills, organization theory, communication skills, and vision/future), many of which are best learned through specific courses of study. The article discusses the issue as it…

Examines the principal assessment process in measuring accountability for facilitating academic improvement. The article raises several conceptual and methodological issues on developing principal assessment models, provides data on issues in the development of evaluation models for principal assessment, and presents a basic model for principal…

A two-year study of four effective secondary school principals suggests that a principal's actions can be represented by a value-based model (or Markov chain) in which beliefs and values lead to goals, activities, and outcomes. Findings show that no one value set brings about more effective leadership than another. (27 references) (MLH)

A survey of 1,801 public- and private-school principals in Indiana revealed disparities among rankings of perceived job priorities and actual priorities. Only three items were rated comparably: school climate, curriculum expansion, and improved staff morale. Improving time management is an important factor. (MLH)

Data-based decision making is a process of inquiry, analysis, and decision making that draws inferences from the interplay of school input/process and output variables. A case study involving a Connecticut district's response to falling SATs illustrates the need for fast, sophisticated information technology systems. (MLH)

Although "Jordanesque" checklists cannot describe the full dimension of effective school leadership, the literature has generated some commonly accepted principles categorized according to personal attributes, leader behaviors, and organizational outcomes. Sensitive to others' needs, effective principals are generally warm, caring…

Argues that existing accountability standards for educational leaders are inadequate to accommodate the diverse contextual realities of working life. Raises critical questions concerning the most appropriate philosophical views of contemporary educational leadership and how to assess such leadership. Organizations as open systems are superior to…

Discusses the American Association of Community Colleges' Leadership Summit, which focused on: (1) how U.S. community colleges can identify potential leaders; (2) how institutions can grow their own leaders; (3) how to increase diversity in community college administration; and (4) how to shift to a customer-driven perspective of leadership…

Reviews 1980-95 research exploring the relationship between principal leadership and student achievement. Principals exercise a measurable, but indirect, influence on school effectiveness and student achievement via vision, mission, and goals. Previously described discrepancies may be attributable to researchers' conceptual and methodological…

Compared views of pre-service and in-service elementary school teachers in Cyprus regarding the effectiveness of school leadership. Found that in-service teachers were significantly more positive than pre-service teachers in their assessment of school principals, considering their weaknesses to be mainly the result of educational system…

Asserts that Catholic schools participate fully in the evangelizing mission and "are the privileged environment in which Christian education is carried out." States that the challenge of bringing faith, life, and culture into harmony is a challenge held in the hands of Catholic school administrators. (VWC)

Has the culture of accountability become a culture of fear for school leaders? In this article, the authors share the stories of three successful principals whose careers and reputations were altered by the impact of a set of test scores. The authors suggest that perhaps this culture of educational accountability, created by well-intended policy…

In this article, the author reflects on the ability to have schools that can develop students for the 21st century. He states that despite the constant search for reform solutions, the future of school improvement depends on people, not programs. Schools must hire excellent teachers and strive to make all teachers as good as the best teacher in…