The National Association of Secondary School Principals periodically studies practices and characteristics of secondary schools to help inform educators and shape policy. Such studies of middle-level education were conducted in 1966 and 1981. As middle-level education moved into the 1990s, many new questions about education and leadership needed…

The "National Survey of Salaries and Wages in Public Schools," produced annually since 1973, is an authoritative source of salary and wage data in education. The current survey collected data from more than 1,000 responding school districts for 32 selected positions in which personnel are employed in public school districts. This report contains…

This paper identifies four models of educational administration--the rational, mechanistic, organic, and bargaining models--and argues that a fifth model of leadership--a caring model--is needed. The ethic of caring (Nodding, 1986) is reciprocal, natural, and ethical and emphasizes connection, responsibilities, and relationships. Creating a model…

Little research exists on the roles and career intentions of deputy headships in English cities. This paper explores how deputy heads in Sheffield, England, perceive their roles in relation to preparation for the headship. The text describes the national context of primary education in England and Wales and explores the understanding of theories…

Novice school administrators find that demands for excellence have grown while budgets have shrunk. This paper reports on a study that examined the stress levels of beginning administrators. Two of the key questions for the study--Is the stress experienced by new school administrators manageable or out of control? and Does the job put beginning…

Since the advent of effective-schools research findings, educational administration experts have advocated a democratic and collegial leadership style for school administrators. This paper provides the findings of a study that examined 43 beginning administrators (25 females, 32 Caucasians, 9 African-Americans, 2 Hispanics) to determine what…

This paper describes a practicum that was designed to increase the efficacy of assistant principals as members of an administrative team in a learning organization. The 1-year practicum took place at a grades 8 to 12 public school facility in a rural community. The problems facing the school principal, who designed the practicum were that the two…

Included in this annotated bibliography of 11 publications are reports asserting that principals primarily are instructional leaders whose training must include a strong mentor relationship and expanded experiential education. Subsequent reports suggest that educational programs should prepare students for the socialization aspects of their future…

The role of an elementary school principal is diverse, challenging, and highly specialized in both technical and interpersonal skills. The principal either makes the school an exciting, vibrant learning center, or a stagnant, regimented building; he or she is the measure of achievement or the cause of failure. The selection of this leader should…

The relationship between assistant principals' orientation process and career mobility is examined in this qualitative study, based on the assumption that the assistant principalship is a testing and an opportunity position for both the candidate and the organization. Methodology involved formal and informal interviews with 20 secondary school…

Twenty-three Black assistant principals responded to a questionnaire about their status within their county school district. Analysis of the data showed the following: (1) one-third of the respondents had been assistant principals for more than 10 years and none had been assistant principals for less than 4 years; (2) 35 to 52 percent of Black…

The Director of Evaluation Services of a mid-sized urban school district describes her job exchange experiences as an assistant principal in a junior high school. The background of the writer and description of the district, evaluation training in the district and returning to the field, and how evaluation fits are discussed. The purposes of the…

Partial results are reported from a longitudinal study that investigated role learning among teachers seeking and obtaining principalships or assistant principalships. Data were obtained from indepth interviews with 14 administrative candidates. A brief theoretical discussion classifies new administrators' job behavior according to three responses…

Given the increasing number and the complexity of the problems facing a school principal today, it is imperative that he be given all the help possible to aid him in making wise decisions. The application of the renewal process, as described in this document, provides the principal with shared problem solving and decision making machinery. This…

John Daresh's "Beginning the Assistant Principalship" provides you with excellent tools to navigate your way as a new administrator. Full of ideas for you to use in your work, this valuable new resource helps you ask yourself the important questions, find answers, and develop strong plans of action. Some significant topics to help you in your new…