The head teachers' role is to promote academic performance. It is therefore important that the performance of a school is appraised against the performance of the person who leads it. The purpose of the study was to investigate the instructional role of the head-teacher in academic achievement in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE)…

This article provides a cross-national perspective on successful school principalship in three countries derived from an analysis of case studies in the International Successful School Principalship Project (ISSPP). The ISSPP aims to investigate the characteristics, processes and effects of successful school leadership across eight countries (i.e.…

Extension's current administrative techniques are based on the assumptions of classical management from the early 20th century. They are fundamentally flawed and inappropriate for the contemporary workplace. (SK)

Excerpts from journal of superintendent of Kenai Peninsula Borough School District in Alaska and reflections on her executive coach, a friend and former superintendent. Describes executive coach's efforts to help superintendent build an effective leadership team. (PKP)

Discusses the need for new college presidents to have skills in: (1) mastering technology choices; (2) producing partnerships; (3) vanquishing adversaries; (4) building a brand; (5) seeking selective excellence; (6) valuing bricks and clicks; (7) leveraging mentoring networks; and (8) ensuring entrepreneurial advantage. (EV)

Offers newly hired principals three recommendations for job survival: Fit in with the superintendent, carefully consider if and when change should be made, and know when it's time to move on. (PKP)

Describes why principals fail based on survey of 95 Tennessee superintendents and district supervisors. Respondents were asked to rate the impact of 23 selected competencies on principals' job performance. Offers several suggestions for principals and their supervisors to reduce failure. (PKP)

Offers suggestions for balancing the serious and not-so-serious side of the principalship. On the serious side, suggests that the principal be a team leader, hire wisely, share your vision, give yourself time to learn, communicate with parents, keep in touch with students, partner with a principal, know your standards, enlist the community, and…

Personal account of her first-year experience as superintendent of the Riverdale Joint Unified School District, a large rural district in San Joaquin Valley of California. (PKP)

Elementary principals can definitely make a difference in children's lives, according to a recent Project Success survey. Interviewees reinforced the characteristics of successful principals identified in NAESP's "Principals for 21st Century Schools." They are modest, visionary, dedicated, hard-working advocates for children who are not…

Networking characteristics and performance information from multiple raters were collected for 140 African-American and 45 white managers. Informal networks of high-performing African-Americans were composed of higher proportions of African-Americans than those of lower-performing counterparts. Leadership training should consider the concepts of…

Explains why only through effective leadership can the full potential of information technology and services be leveraged to support an educational facility's mission. The article explores the most important management skills that information technology directors need to succeed. (GR)

Responses from 4,784 European and 4,492 U.S. managers were used to identify a core group of skills critical for effective leadership across countries. Results suggest that 360-degree feedback should not rely solely on the perceived importance of a skill and that effective leadership qualities are similar across countries. (Contains 20 references.)…

This study investigates the leadership strategies of successful principals. Previous research has indicated that principals who are successful engage in multiple practices to meet the needs of changing educational settings. For example, the "International Successful School Principal Project" (ISSPP) identified a core set of basic…

This article presents a model that instructional leaders can use to engage in a change process that fosters effective instructional change in school districts and individual school buildings, specifically middle schools and alternative middle schools. The authors describe four dimensions of leadership and explain how each dimension informs…