Kentucky's Institute for Beginning Principals was designed and implemented by a study group sponsored jointly by the Kentucky Association of School Administrators (KASA) and the Appalachia Educational Laboratory (AEL). AEL's study group concept calls for an association to select a topic for study--one of high priority in the state related to…

This is a report of a study of the lack of qualified applicants for administrator positions in public schools. Objectives of the study were as follows: to respond to calls for more empirical studies about administrator recruitment and applicant decisions before an employment interview; to experimentally manipulate the way the position of assistant…

It is generally accepted that effective principals make for effective schools. In the United Kingdom, the key player providing needed intelligence, vision, energy, and thinking is called the headteacher. The issue considered broadly in this paper is educational leadership in the UK. It addresses the critical role of the headteacher and how to…

This qualitative study looks at the impact on the participants of 2 grant-supported initiatives over a 4-year period. The initiatives aimed at ways to improve the recruiting and mentoring of new school administrators, and ways to support experienced administrators throughout their careers. The School Leadership Initiative, a 3-year pilot mentor…

This research summary examines the results of three initiatives that changed leadership training for principalship. They are: (1) the School Leadership Initiative program, a three-year pilot mentor program designed for the assistant principal; (2) the Richardson Mentor Principal program, a program designed for seasoned administrators recognized…

This paper examines a program that was developed at the University of Texas at Arlington to equip future educational leaders to guide schools through important educational reforms. The program offers a balance of seminars and internship experiences, departing from the traditional university-based delivery of instruction. The evaluation of the…

Expectations from the standards movement, reform, and technological advances pose challenges for administrators. This article advocates principal preparation and cultivation through mentoring and coaching. It clarifies differences between mentoring and coaching; uses in succession planning, new principalships, and job changes; and benefits to both…

Rochester (New York) Public Schools Superintendent Clifford Janey enlisted St. John Fisher College's cooperation in training top teachers to evade a looming principal shortage. Students are supported financially while learning through case studies, on weekends, and in courses evolving from effective practitioners' work experience. (MLH)

In this article, the author discusses the benefits of assigning proteges to first-year principals. This practice allows aspiring principals to experience what it is like to be a first-year principal. Having a first-year principal serve in a mentorship role can benefit both the principal and the protege--as well as students, teachers, and the…

This article reports the results for the first cycle of an action research study about a district-university partnership. Two district facilitators and two university facilitators co-constructed a principal preparation program for an inner-city school district to help prepare the next generation of building leaders. Twenty-two students…

This paper presents an analysis of the ecological and psychological transitions women undergo as they consider leaving the classroom for an administrative position. The report focuses on the perceptions and aspirations of women teachers who have decided to pursue positional leadership and who anticipate a career move within 2 years. For the study,…

This qualitative study asked three elementary principals what they did to learn about their school's culture, what informative sources were available, and what hindered their progress. The two principals having a successful year were aware of and responded to school culture; employed various strategies for gathering information from numerous…

In 1985 the Kentucky General Assembly passed a comprehensive educational reform package including provisions for the Kentucky Beginning Principal's Intern Program (KBPIP). Evaluating the KBPIP involved three phases: identification of research goals, objectives, and data collection instruments; collection of data from participants; and…

Purpose: The paper aims to provide insights into the work of beginning principals in their first year through the experiences of one beginning principal during his first year in post. Design/methodology/approach: In order to illuminate the problems of beginning principals the paper sets out to answer the personal question: "What can I say…

Findings of a study that identified critical skills for the novice principal are presented in this paper. Two theoretical frameworks are used to view the issue of principal effectiveness--a taxonomy of necessary skills and socialization. Surveys of 1,125 novice principals and 435 superintendents in California produced 450 and 208 responses,…