As a way to achieve better alignment of the ongoing teaching-research activity gap in business schools, David Balkin and Jeff Mello suggest that schools need to hire academic administrators with significantly developed management skills. The author responds to this recommendation with two concerns. First, many of the causes of the…

The philosophy of social inclusion is embedded in current legislation of the convention of child rights and the requirement of equal opportunities for those with disability (Salamanca Statement, 1994). Inclusive education entails taking care of all students including those with special needs like physical, mental or developmental. This paper…

The aim of the study is to determine the effectiveness level of the coaching skills of school administrators on the school becoming a learning organization. The population of the study consists of teachers who are working at public and private secondary schools affiliated to Ministry of National Education, Kutahya Province National Education…

The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to analyze and identify the leadership styles that directly influence student achievement that were used by the school leaders sustaining the schools. A basic qualitative research study was appropriate to acknowledge the leadership style of the principal in demonstrating effective practices that link…

Education policymakers at the national level have initiated reforms in K-12 education for that past several years that have focused on teacher quality and teacher evaluation. More recently, reforms have included legislation that focuses on administrator quality as well. Included in far-reaching recent legislation in Arizona is a requirement that…

Les Ebdon, the new Director of the Office for Fair Access, faced a campaign of vilification from the press. Ebdon, a prize-winning chemist who was, until recently, Vice Chancellor of the University of Bedfordshire and Chair of the new universities group Million+, was called, among other things, a "social engineer," a "friend of the…

The purpose of this study was to compare how elected and appointed board trustees provide oversight for the community colleges they serve. The rationale for this study was that little examination of board governance processes at community colleges had occurred and, as a result, board members may lack the understanding necessary for effectively…

Common sense and recent research make it clear that successful schools need strong principals. Strong principals help drive school performance in many ways, from shaping a school's mission and culture to hiring, developing, and retaining good teachers. Even so, principals often get short shrift in today's debates about human capital in public…

A presidential code of conduct is needed more today than ever before. College and university presidents are being required to do more without the proper training to succeed. Presidents from outside the academy enter academia with normative patterns and codes of conduct that served them well in their previous occupations but now have the potential…

Starting one's first job as a school superintendent can be daunting. The job has become even tougher now because new superintendents don't have the luxury of expanding successful programs or reducing class sizes given the struggling economy. A new superintendent coming on board has to be incredibly savvy and a communicator to survive long enough…

A collaborative superintendent/board relationship is essential to the successful and efficient oversight of a school district. The relationship between the superintendent and the school board lies at the heart of school governance (Callan & Levinson, 2011; Eadie, 2003; McCurdy & Hymes, 1992). To illustrate the importance of a collaborative…

"Great teachers and school leaders hold the key to America's children getting a first-rate education, but we do a spotty job of preparing them." Citing these words of U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Vivien Stewart plunges into a fascinating account of how top-performing countries are developing strong school leaders. While…

Principals serve as both instructional and administrative leaders in their schools. Their roles and responsibilities vary from managing school compliance issues to facilitating and assisting teachers with their instructional duties. In order to support principals in public schools, district leaders and others are working to build the kinds of…

April 27, 2011, will be remembered by many as a catastrophic day and event in Alabama, and specifically by K-12 educational leaders. Natural disasters like tornadoes have a significant impact on leaders, on their decision making and, obviously, on the survival of many of their victims. The possibility and threat of a major crisis caused by natural…

Across the country, states and districts are designing principal evaluation systems as a means of improving leadership, learning, and school performance. Principal evaluation systems hold potential for supporting leaders' learning and sense of accountability for instructional excellence and student performance. Principal evaluation also is an…