This study examines the meaning of the concept of "principal support" from the point of view of seven teacher-librarians in two Alberta (Canada) school districts. It also explores the different ways in which these teacher-librarians went about increasing principal support for the school library program and for their role as…

The mentoring of new principals by experienced principals is generally accepted as an important aspect of the transition to the position. Different countries may stress different aspects of mentoring and conduct training at different stages of the preparation process. In the United States and Singapore, mentoring occurs as part of the…

The literature on first-year teachers identifies the difficulties of this transition period and supports the need for first-year teacher-induction programs. Little attention, however, has been paid to the principal's role in the induction of beginning teachers. This paper presents findings of a study that examined the perceptions of principals and…

This paper identifies four common dilemmas that educators face across the globe: (1) meeting political demands for increased effectiveness and productivity; (2) providing education in ways that are consistent with the realities of diversity; (3) maintaining a focus on moral and ethical practice; and (4) determining the proper balance between…

This book for principals or aspiring principals contains a collection of essays about the "human side" of school leadership as experienced by 30 principals during their first year on the job. Two themes emerge from the essays. The first is that leadership requires a whole new set of skills which principals are continuously learning, and…

Community college administrators have the unenviable role of attempting to stimulate change in an organizational structure that focuses on control and the acquisition of power to maintain control. The theme of control runs through management theory, suggesting that the ability to exercise control over situations and events enables one to fulfill…

This paper presents findings of a study that investigated elementary school principals' perceptions of parent-involvement practices in their schools. A survey was mailed to 75 principals of high-achieving elementary schools and to 75 principals of low-achieving elementary schools. The perceptions of 39 principals of high-achieving schools were…

All National Home Study Council (NHSC) schools need public relations (PR) programs that are focused on the success of the school's graduates and the educational rigor and quality of its instruction rather than on the school owner's personal success or the success/size of the school. PR can be handled by schools' marketing departments. PR programs…

Although Total Quality Management (TQM) has been adopted at a number of community colleges in the areas of financial aid, admissions and registration, and staff performance, its use is almost non-existent in the evaluation of classroom teaching. Barriers to its application to the classroom include faculty resistance to the idea of students as…

Department chairmanship responsibilities are becoming heavier in the face of the demands associated with issues that challenge academic communities at the close of the 20th century. A director of forensics is occupied with decisions about the forensics program's philosophy, to provide understanding and impetus for team and individual goals, and…

In shared decision making (SDM), principals collaborate with teachers and sometimes parents to take actions aimed at improving instruction and school climate. While research on SDM outcomes is still inconclusive, the literature shows that SDM brings both benefits and problems, and that the principal is a key figure. This brief offers a sampling of…

In New Zealand the rhetoric of educational administration reform has claimed that local school management will lead to improvement in the areas of efficiency, effectiveness, and equity. In addition, the role of the school principal has been a significant site of contest and struggle. This paper presents findings of a ongoing ethnographic study…

Literature on educational policies of the "New Right" suggests that within a neoliberal context, school principals become institutional managers rather than educational leaders. The practice of feminist educational leadership, which works for improved social justice and equity for staff and students, is committed to empowering coworkers,…

Based on studies comparing leadership in two rural community colleges undergoing change and examining the management of change at Maryland's Allegany College, this paper presents a conceptual framework and model for managing organizational change. First, a framework for understanding the community college chair's role in organizational change is…

This book is designed to inform the debate on administrator preparation and to provide information for shaping new designs for administrator education. Chapter 1 discusses the changing educational environment and the need for improving administrator training. Chapters 2 and 3 review phases in the evolution of training programs over the last…