This article reports the findings of a snapshot study of the superintendency conducted by the American Association of School Administrators (AASA). The findings revealed that superintendents were evaluated highly by their boards, but the number of leaders who received the highest ratings have declined during the past six years. The report, which…

When educators work together to create open, accountable, relationship-driven climates, schools achieve measurable improvement in everything from school safety to faculty engagement and student learning. But before schools can honor and protect the paradoxical tendencies for freedom and order, educators must first understand how to create shared…

The author reports on a survey of how 22 positive behaviors of principals toward teachers were ranked by each group. Teachers gave highest marks to principals who respected and valued them as professionals, while principals believed that encouraging teachers to improve was their most valuable contribution. (Contains 3 online resources.)

Many urban schools struggle to retain their best teachers because of challenging work environments, poor salaries, and ineffective school leadership. The additional requirements of the No Child Left Behind legislation for teachers to be highly qualified and the increased academic requirements of raising students to a proficient level in reading…

How do the best administrators find out how to improve their schools? They actively engage the people who work and study there. In "From Questions to Actions: Using Questionnaire Data for Continuous School Improvement," data experts Victoria L. Bernhardt and Bradley J. Geise explain how to collect and analyze data with an eye toward positive…

The principle of lay people taking important strategic decisions and holding lead professionals to account has a long and illustrious pedigree in British public life; it applies to police authorities, primary care trusts, local councils as well as schools. However, influential voices have been raised over recent months about the suitability of…

The leadership roles of pro-vice-chancellors (PVCs) in the United Kingdom and elsewhere have evolved markedly over the last three decades while universities have been encouraged to shift towards more executive styles of leadership and decision-making. The change does not only reflect changing institutional needs, however, but an accommodation of…

The purpose of this study will be to examine the policies and practices of two distinguished superintendents of the Chicago Public Schools: Dr. Joseph P. Hannon and the first African American female Superintendent Dr. Ruth Love. Hannon's four year administration extended from 1975 through 1979. Love's administration encompassed the years 1980…

This study sought to identify differences in the leadership styles of principals in high and low performing West Virginia elementary schools based on teacher perceptions from the Bolman and Deal Leadership Orientation (Other) instrument. The reading/language arts and mathematics index was used to classify high and low performing schools.…

Background: lack of preparation programmes relevant to the job demands of school administrators and a lack of sequence, modern content, and experience in preparation programmes continues to plague educational leadership preparation. Purpose: of this study is to gauge the perspectives of principals on the strengths and weakness in educational…

The purpose of this qualitative, heuristic inquiry was two-fold: First, the study explored the lived experiences of four teacher leaders working in one comprehensive high school in a district where the researcher is superintendent. The second purpose was to learn from the experiences of the teacher leaders to inform district level actions that…

Most administrators of adult learning programs are hired with the expectation that they will be leaders and managers. Leadership and management are two disparate points on a continuum with a fair amount of overlap in the middle. (Author/JOW)

Describes beneficial experience as both an executive coach and a client. (PKP)

A model of large-scale organizational change (LSOC) was tested using survey data and financial and customer service measures in 26 departments. Organizations experiencing LSOC performed better financially than those experiencing incremental, negative, or no change, and they showed greater improvement in managerial competence. (Contains 64…

To get beyond prescriptive supervision, principals should consider physicians' behaviors. Effective principals respect teachers' autonomy, encourage the expression of feelings, educate teachers in self-monitoring skills, value second opinions, use research wisely, gather thorough data, provide follow-up contact, reinforce teachers' efforts and…