The term "derailment" refers to situations in which individuals fall short of their career goals or groups fail to meet their organizational objectives. This book sets forth strategies to prevent derailment, both at the individual and organizational level. Following the prologue in the form of a cautionary tale, chapter 1 provides self-assessment…

A decade ago, principals were asked to become instructional leaders who exercised firm control by setting goals, maintaining discipline, and evaluating results. Today they are encouraged to act as facilitative leaders by building teams, creating networks, and "governing from the center." Rapid shifts in administrative philosophy can be…

This study investigated what university and college department chairpersons believe are the most important duties of their position, how they view their roles, and the relationship of perceived roles and duties. Possible role definitions included seeing department chair work as leader, scholar, faculty developer, or manager. The study surveyed 800…

Reassessment of the role of the superintendent largely has been excluded from the educational reform movement of the 1980s. This paper contends that superintendents must utilize a new "leaderly" model of active instructional leadership in superintending to improve the education of students. The paper is a tool for those working to…

Findings from a study of Kentucky elementary school principals are presented in this paper, with attention to their demographic characteristics and roles in educational reform. Questionnaires mailed to all 1,122 elementary principles (including both public and private schools) in Kentucky yielded 570 returns, an approximate 51 percent response…

This paper presents findings of a study that examined the ways in which principals' succession practices change as they gain greater experience with entry into different school settings. "Succession" refers to principal transfers to new schools. Data were collected from interviews conducted with five secondary school principals and some of their…

This paper offers a commentary on the problems of implementing innovation in language education, with particular reference to English language teaching. Various factors that influence adoption and implementation are considered: properties of the innovation, the transmission process, and the management of change. The overall aim of the paper is to…

This book examines issues and questions surrounding student achievement, combining research with practice to present an overview of current efforts to foster student learning in the United States at local, state, and national levels. Following the preface and introduction, which stress the importance of focusing on students, chapter 1 examines the…

Five papers examine issues regarding the role of the assistant principal, with a focus on accountability in school reform and restructuring. The first paper, by George J. Michel, analyzes the leadership areas of the assistant principal and suggests methods to make the assistant principal accountable. The next four papers describe new models of…

An ethnographic study examined the practice of rituals as the pervasive form of communication at St. Mary's (a pseudonym) Catholic elementary school. Four specific rituals illustrate this communication process: morning assembly, "Pass the Pen,""Sparkles," and "Yes please/No thank-you." Morning assembly begins each…

The decentralization policy of Tomorrow's Schools entrusted individual schools with their own operational funds, and responsibility for property and personnel decisions and for staff development. As a result, the role of the primary principal became wider, calling on new knowledge and skills. Principals were also given a greater workload and a…

The Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC), under the auspices of the Council of Chief State School Officers, and in cooperation with the National Policy Board for Educational Administration, developed a framework for redefining school leadership through standards for educational leaders. This paper describes the central elements…

Factors and perceptions of stress in educational administration are examined in this report. A survey of 86 administrators in Richland County, Ohio, in which the Administrative Stress Index was used to explore causes of stress and to rate the severity of each stressor, yielded a 97 percent response rate. Results were statistically analyzed for…

Hiring qualified reading professionals is a complex process involving a variety of considerations. Organizing a language arts advisory committee, determining the faculty's perceptions, interviewing and observing the best candidates, and working toward retaining the new appointees are feasible considerations of the selection process. Probably, the…

The premise of this book about the new role of the principalship is that the educational system fosters principals' dependency. Effective school administration is based on empowerment and collaboration. This book examines the problem of dependency and how to overcome it. Section 1 describes the nonrational world of the principal, challenges to the…