From time to time critics of the middle level publish works that suggest that our philosophy is too much "feeling good" and not enough academic substance. Confusing this debate is the current trend of districts (especially large urban ones) to reconfigure their schools to K-8 neighborhood schools. In this article the author takes a long look at…

Probably no effort has been more successful than the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) in capturing the current complexity of the principal's role and in providing direction for the professional development and selection of principals. As more states require universities to restructure training programs to align with the ISLLC…

In view of the increasingly global nature of the societies in which we live, it is important that we understand the ways in which national culture can impact the role of educational leaders. The exploratory study reported in this article was designed to contribute to our understanding of the relationship between culture and leadership behavior by…

The position of the principal has evolved into a complex role burdened with responsibilities. Rising principal resignations and retirement rates, combined with reports of school districts beginning the school year with temporary principals, support the belief of a principal shortage. The underlying assumption in the literature is that performing…

After all of the theories, strategies, discussions, and classes are completed, new principals often still feel isolated and think they have to reinvent the wheel to learn the basic lessons of leadership--how to improve school climate, how to provide leadership for change, how to communicate effectively, and how to manage time. However, they do not…

In the interview process, every aspiring principal naively speaks of assuming the role of instructional leader. The candidate has read the right books, taken the right courses, and attended every possible workshop to prepare for the day when he or she would become captain of his or her own ship. However, it does not take long for principals to…

This study investigated the relationship between professionally and personally inviting behaviors of high school principals in the state of Mississippi and: (a) Teacher Job Satisfaction, (b) Principal Effectiveness, (c) Principal as an Agent of School Improvement, and (d) Principal's Invitational Quotient, and (e) The Computed Accreditation…

This paper provides an overview of U.S. Department of Education programs authorized and funded under federal law. It includes information as well on the laboratories, centers, and other facilities funded by the Department that provide important resources for education. Each entry, which gives a brief overview of a program or resource, is listed…

Public school principals encounter a sizable gap between the autonomy they believe they need to be effective and the autonomy that they actually have in practice, especially when it comes to hiring, firing, and transferring teachers. That is a key finding of this report from the Fordham Institute and the American Institutes for Research, which is…

There are some who argue that the existing theoretical paradigm used in leadership training programs should be modified to include the feminist perspective. This paper presents findings of a study that investigated male and female perceptions of effective leadership skills. Indepth interviews were conducted with 120 executives--60 men and 60…

This paper describes the results of a study that investigated the nature and consequences of a unique set of university-sponsored school leadership preparation programs. Begun in 1987, the Danforth Foundation Program for the Preparation of School Principals (DPPSP) was part of a two-pronged effort to more fully develop the potential of school…

Public schools, like other organizations, are only as effective as the leadership provided. This study was undertaken to gather data that might be useful for long term planning in the recruitment and training of Montana's public school administrators. A survey of 630 principals resulted in 361 responses. The survey results are reported in two…

Since the vast majority of conflict situations arise from a breakdown in the communication process, where one individual misunderstands something generated by another, the crucial challenge for leaders lies in avoiding misunderstandings. Leaders must remember, when formulating all sorts of correspondence, that when a "sender" forms a message and…

Although there are about 15,000 school districts in the United States, each headed by a superintendent, research on the superintendency has not been systematic and dynamic. This book presents a synthesis of research on the superintendency. Chapters include the following: (1) "Smoke, Mirrors, or Reality: Another Instructional Leader" (Shirley M.…

The school district superintendent plays a critical role in the education of America's students. This guidebook asserts that districts are not being well served by their present systems for evaluating superintendents. It outlines some of the problems and deficiencies in current evaluation practice and offers professionally based leads for…