A study examined natural dialogue between high school disciplinarians (principals, deans, assistant principals) and students in disciplinary situations. Four disciplinarians (two men and two women--two assistant principals, one principal, and one dean) representing three schools in central Illinois audiotaped as few or as many complete dialogues…

A synthesis of literature on administrator assessment and staff development and a directory of resources are presented in this document. Section 1 discusses several aspects of administrator evaluation--the purposes of performance assessment; the components of evaluation; and the issues, processes, and recommendations for an effective evaluation…

To investigate unsuccessful principals, those individuals who have been fired, transferred, or "counseled out" of a principalship by the superintendent, nine Washington school superintendents were interviewed. Based on the conclusions from these initial interviews, a self-response questionnaire was developed and administered to 30…

Early in their professional careers, school principals are found to have unique needs. This document provides a description of the ways in which these needs have been addressed as a result of the recent enactment of the Entry Year Standard program in the state of Ohio. First, the nature of the new Entry Year Standard is described, with particular…

Various organizations in Oklahoma that had an interest in administrator preparation, certification, and professional development pooled their efforts and worked collegially to apply for and use the state Leadership in Educational Administration Development (LEAD) grant for the professional improvement of state school administrators. The LEAD…

In successful schools, a significantly larger percentage of students graduate with knowledge, skills, and a positive attitude toward citizenship and work than students in other schools of comparable socioeconomic status. Using data from the "Tennessee Looks at Its Schools" project, which was based on fourth-grade Stanford Achievement…

An argument is presented that "leadership metanoia," (i.e., a fundamental shift of mind in relation to leadership) has recently taken hold in many parts of the country, with implications for leadership development at Lorain Community College (LCC) in Ohio. The first section of the paper reviews the work of the six behavioral scientists who exerted…

Improving educational quality at the primary level is a major goal of Thailand's sixth 5-year Education Development Plan (1987-91). There is a special commitment to improve quality in rural areas and among economically disadvantaged groups, handicapped children, and linguistic minorities. Inservice education is one vehicle for training teachers to…

Louisiana has witnessed rapid change in the role and direction of educational administration programs and certification during the last 2 years. The state's LEAD program, begun in 1986-87 by the Louisiana State University in conjunction with other state universities, consists of a technical assistance network to help those principals with less…

Principals must have a clear sense of the mission of the school and a vision of what it can accomplish. They can be effective leaders by setting personal goals and regularly assessing personal achievements and by nuturing creativity in themselves and others. Personal qualities of effective leaders include the following: (1) self-management; (2)…

Administrative evaluation improves leadership and promotes professional growth. Each school district should examine state statutes to determine if its evaluation forms and procedures are in compliance. In addition, each district should carefully examine its board policies. The evaluation plan should be designed to encourage productive dialogue…

This report is the first of a series on cultivating excellence in education for the purpose of training and retraining school leaders of the 1990s. The common role of educational leaders is discussed. Their central areas of responsibility and administrative and leadership skills are reviewed, not as discrete concepts, but as complex and dynamic…

This bulletin provides principals with tips concerning how to increase their assistant principals' effectiveness. It explains a four-part process to accomplish this task. First, principals must select the right person based on qualifications that meet the school's profile. Second, they must furnish needed training in self-assessment, goal setting,…

This paper is a study of the organizational changes that were implemented at Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) (Canada) over a 3-year period beginning in 1998. NSCC consists of 13 campuses enrolling 7,000 students in a range of postsecondary certificate and diploma programs, as well as about 500 students in adult learning programs. The…

Principals should support school libraries because it is in both their students' and their own best interest to do so. Quality library media programs can enhance student achievement, and informed, committed librarians can help principals enhance their own administrative practice. This ERIC Digest discusses improving student achievement, including…