The school principalship is one of the most demanding and misunderstood jobs in American education. This book offers practical advice on how to perform that job successfully. The first chapter provides an introduction to the principalship from a historical perspective. Chapter 2 analyzes the traits of an effective principal and chapter 3 describes…

This document presents a basic model of the relationship between leadership, situation, and outcomes. Following a discussion of questions on the nature, origin, and future significance of good school leadership, the conceptual, empirical, and practical tasks of a systematic approach to school leadership are explored. Multiple constituents, school…

This report disseminates the results of a two-year pilot study in three small rural Ohio school districts of an achievement formula that applies the correlates of effective schools research and recommendations of the "excellence" reports to predict, monitor, and enhance student achievement. Using regression formulas, the researchers…

School leaders deal with pressures, pitfalls, and opportunities every day. The authors maintain that creative leaders can keep schools moving in the right direction by reflecting on their natural talents and maximizing the strengths of their staff. This completely updated guide helps you assess your role as an administrator, shows how you might…

There is growing consensus among educators and policy makers that the gap in academic outcomes that exists along socio-economic and racial lines is the most pressing educational challenge of the day. Given their daily work teaching in public schools in the nation's lowest-income urban and rural communities, Teach For America teachers--or "corps…

This guide is designed to offer strategies for building leadership capacity in schools and to assist school administrators in finding new ways to encourage and support teachers and students in their efforts to succeed. The guide answers four questions: (1) What do leaders do to create curriculum and instruction that push all students to higher…

This book is intended as a practical guide for university administrators, especially those department chairpersons who are new on the job. Chapter topics include: (1) "Advice to the New Department Chairperson"; (2) "Seven Habits of Successful Chairpersons"; (3) "Duties and Responsibilities of Department Chairpersons"; (4) "Providing Leadership";…

This report documents a study that examined what school leaders actually do to effectively lead schools. It then presents what this implies for policy and leadership development. Data for the study were collected from interviews with principals, vice principals, and teachers from 21 public, private, charter, contract, and magnet schools in 4…

Argues for the importance of high school principals taking charge of their schools. Examines the following obstacles to effective leadership: historical developments in education in the last decades, union influence, legal problems, paperwork burdens, and lack of community and parent support. Also discusses the symbolic role of principals. (JB)

Managing and shaping the ascent of one's own career comes through understanding that what goes up must come down and that satisfaction in the experience is determined by recognizing the moment of balance.

Work is a key part of an individual's identity. As such, an important part of effective and caring leadership is to care for the worker's mind, body, and spirit. An administrator has responsibility for making child caregivers feel valued, respected, and understood. The workplace should be an environment which fosters professionally and personally…

Recognizing the importance of leadership in effective school administration, this document begins by discussing leadership as defined by Etzioni (1975), including ideas such as personal influence; positional power; the difference between instrumental and expressive leadership; and organizational type as defined by the dominant means of control in…

This descriptive study surveyed deans (N=142), department chairs (N=392), and faculty (N=1173) to examine their perceptions of the relationship between resource adequacy within institutions of higher education and administrators' management styles. The clusters of variables examined were: (1) management style (use of communication and…

Written for trustees and college/university presidents, this book examines and discusses the relationship between the governing board and college presidents in higher education. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the college presidency. Chapter 2 presents a review of the research on leadership which demonstrates that the policies and practices of…

A literature review and discussion the effect of school administrators on staff morale is presented in this paper. Four factors for improving staff morale include: a supportive workplace; meaningful incentives; a good working environment; and personal display of high morale by the administrator. Ten recommendations for improving staff relations…