This report describes Scottish research on ways in which headteachers in small primary schools managed mandated changes. The research focused on implementation of four recent major initiatives: 5-14 Curriculum Guidelines, School Development Planning, Staff Development and Appraisal, and Devolved School Management. Research methods included a…

A study was conducted to identify the expectations that faculty have of chairpersons. Previously, a study using a modified Delphi technique had revealed that the 50 participants believed that the chair should be responsible for a multitude of duties. However, the participants had a marked preference for shared or participatory leadership.…

This collection of guidelines and worksheets provides information on the development of good communications skills, aspects of interpersonal communication, and elements of administrator effectiveness in the field of education. Specifically mentioned are a public relations project; coping with rumors and grapevine information; social networking;…

The rate of turnover among community college chief executive officers (CEO's) is high, but the effects of administrator succession on organizational effectiveness has received little scholarly attention. To address this, a theory of community college CEO succession was derived from an analysis of case study data gathered at four locally governed…

Guidelines for improving educators' leadership styles in interacting and communicating with difficult people are described in this paper. Part 1, an introduction, discusses general conflict management techniques for teachers and administrators, some of which include problem prevention, listening, and understanding verbal/nonverbal messages.…

This document examines the orientations or "frames" that leaders use to guide their understanding of their work. Four distinct frames that characterize ways leaders think about and respond to everyday issues and problems are examined: (1) the structural frame; (2) the human resource frame; (3) the political frame; and (4) the symbolic…

Leadership may be defined as both a process and a property. Research shows that some attributes common to successful leaders (characteristics, knowledge, and skills) can be significantly influenced by planned education or training. In the process of developing a leadership assessment instrument, a study specified four broad tasks that leaders are…

This study describes four middle schools which educate poor and minority students more effectively than most middle schools in the New York City public school system. These schools were studied in order to define the characteristics associated with academic effectiveness. Chapter 1 provides the demographics and the test score results for each…

The organizational and human productivity knowledge-base expansion of the past 5 years indicates that educational leaders and support staff must assume responsibility for schooling together to change student achievement patterns. The sociological management challenge is one of empowering groups to address educational productivity. The…

Eleven graduate students from the geographic area near and around Southern New Mexico and West Texas, all seasoned professionals in education, all in leadership roles, have presented their approach to leadership. Three commonalities characterize their approaches as revealed by the 10 chapters of this document: (1) leaders must be empowered in…

Suggestions from the National Distinguished Principals of 1989 are presented in this newsletter. This issue includes a description of techniques related to staff involvement and morale, school safety, public relations, time management, student interest, and vandalism. (LMI)

Chapter 1 of a revised volume on school leadership, this chapter examines several kinds of leader characteristics: inherited traits and those springing from early childhood experience; attitudes toward relationships with other people; and qualities differentiating effective from ineffective leaders. Modern researchers tend to stress nurture over…

This paper argues that existing methods of analyzing school efficiency are not useful in assessing efficiency and that alternative models are needed. Traditional analyses are discussed on the premise that schools function like private firms, where either the classroom or the school is the producing unit and the teacher or the principal is the…

This digest discusses the issue of performance standards for school superintendents. School districts are discovering that developing performance standards for administrators can be cost effective, reduce crisis management, set and maintain direction, and give the community a standard for measuring school success. Several aspects of the issue on…

Beginning principals are often overwhelmed by their job. Traditionally, they have been left to fend for themselves. For this reason, schools and districts have been implementing formal induction programs to help the principals during their first year on the job. This digest examines the challenges faced by new administrators and the steps that…