To succeed, educational leaders must be able to forge working relationships with many people and be mediators and mentors, negotiators and networkers. Administrators must be self-confident, be able to modulate emotions, be unusually persuasive, cultivate positive relationships, and continually develop their emotional intelligence. The right kind…

Creating a theory of school leadership involves adopting an all-encompassing perspective that includes the entire school landscape. One sidebar quotes Thomas Sergiovanni on forging covenants on a school's shared values; a second summarizes standards for school leaders called for by the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium; and a third…

Two eastern superintendents explain how to develop sportsmanship in interscholastic athletics. A summit meeting in Superintendent Ritacco's district produced a policy governing sportsmanlike behavior in district athletics programs and community youth leagues. Superintendent Kerr's board embedded sportsmanship in a larger athletic philosophy that…

A principal must identify a school's existing culture before attempting to change it. Expectation diagnosis is an interactive, four-step process for diagnosing and reshaping school culture and climate. Superintendents who ignore individual schools' climate and culture may be overlooking early indicators of declining achievement. (MLH)

Calling computers tools or "add-ons" overlooks their expanding capabilities and interactive possibilities. School computer systems should be viewed as structured learning environments with complex, comprehensive capabilities to access and manipulate information. Computer environments can support changes in educational structures,…

In 1997, former Edmonton (Alberta) school superintendent Michael Strembitsky instituted school-based management in seven schools. Although the district retained policymaking responsibility, schools could decide matters such as class organization, number of teachers, and budgeting for learning resources and equipment. Giving schools control over…

Inspired by Deming's work, the superintendent of West Babylon (New York) Schools convened his administrative team to build a consensus about the schools' mission. The vision statement outlines four primary functions: protective care, civic training, personality development, and teaching of knowledge. The district's goal-driven process surmounted…

Assistant Superintendent Steve Kramer explains that the primary objective of privatization in Madeira (Ohio) schools was to create more time for administrators to spend on educational issues. Transportation, food service, and custodial services are run by private companies. (MLF)

A study of 262 randomly selected American Association of School Administrators members shows insufficient awareness of the association's code of ethics. As in Dexheimer's 1968 study, the majority of responses to a borderline ethical dilemma were unethical. Ethics scores were higher for superintendents with larger districts, larger salaries, and…

To buffer education's instructional core, superintendents increasingly have been diverted from teaching and learning and pressured to become operations managers and political beings fostering confidence in schools and communities. Today's superintendents should become responsible for helping their communities develop a common language about…

New superintendents of three urban school districts turned to a group of "critical friends" from other school districts and education agencies to conduct formal evaluations of their school systems. Leaders in private industry have long relied on outside perspectives. The process can dispel professional isolation. (MLH)

Provides a personal account of experiences of discrimination against an Asian American female educator as she attempted to obtain a county superintendency position. Uses the concept of faultlines to address issues of social similarity and differences and explores policy implications and practices intended to bring about change. (SLD)

Surveyed all Virginia school board chairmen and superintendents on local governance issues. Discusses both groups' perceptions of board members' orientation to their role as elected representatives, their personal attitude toward the electoral process, their assessment of interest-group involvement in district decision making, their feelings…

A suburban New York high school implemented the nationally recognized World of Difference program, involving a council of student volunteers committed to reducing on campus prejudice. After learning about perpetuation of prejudice and stereotypes in society, students work with faculty advisors to create presentations to enlighten other students.…

Effective superintendents recognize three key management precepts and their hidden rules. Administrators should avoid mixing emotion and logic, attending to detractors' emotional needs before presenting a differing viewpoint. They should be graceful under pressure, expect the unexpected, and build coalitions gradually, mindful of all community…