These 61 essays are a compilation of bimonthly articles published over a 17-year period. They address various aspects of leadership, such as risk-taking, executive motivation, decision-making, and corporate taboos. They also cover numerous other issues, including general concerns such as father-son relationships, the perils of travel, intelligence…

Discusses questions a superintendent should review with the school board and school attorney to define the attorney's role and ensure maximum understanding. Superintendents should consider whether they are comfortable asking for timely assistance, which school leaders are authorized to contact the school attorney, and how legal advice is…

Offers research-based guidelines for making staff meetings more successful and productive. Principals should determine whether the meeting is necessary, define tasks and objectives, make necessary arrangements, decide who will chair the meeting, set an appropriate tone, and close the meeting after reaching consensus. A sidebar suggests…

Investigates the nature of administrative "implicit knowledge" and expertise through the stories and experiences of five outstanding Canadian secondary school principals. Presents vignettes exemplifying the nature of this knowledge and highlights thematic findings related to its structure, function, context, enhancement, meaning, and…

Describes the practical benefits for principals of formal and informal networks. Also describes two extant networks in central Missouri--one among 12 school districts, the other at a university. (PKP)

Counters the following myths: competence has been defined; managerial effectiveness can be identified; management is generic; effectiveness can be measured; management is composed of skills, behaviors, or traits; and only maximum performance counts. (SK)

Examines the characteristics (essential skills and knowledge) of middle-level leadership from the perspectives of the principals themselves based on data collected from middle-school principals in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, using surveys and semistructured interviews. Discusses seven themes that emerge from an analysis of the data, for example,…

Personal account of her first-year experience as superintendent of Washington County Public Schools in Hagerstown, Maryland. (PKP)

Personal account of his first-year experience as superintendent of the South Hamilton School District, a small rural district in Jewell, Iowa. (PKP)

Outlines 15 time-saving strategies for busy school administrators, such as goal and priority setting, bunching (clustering similar activities), chunking (breaking down complex tasks into more manageable parts), pursuing brevity, setting deadlines, delegating, eliminating time wasters, preparing strategic plans, saying no, hiding out, and…

Sweetwater High School's adoption of a year-round schedule was not related to overcrowding, but was designed to serve the needs of Chula Vista (California) schools' highly transient, bilingual population. Despite some problems with scheduling meetings and student teacher visits, the program seemed to deliver instruction effectively. (MLH)

This Exchange Evaluation Instrument is designed for the staff of a day care center to use in evaluating the center director. (DR)

Offers some practical advice for central office administrators desiring greater campus visibility, such as informing teachers before visiting classrooms. Central office "ivory tower" people cannot monitor schools and give them appropriate feedback without knowing what specific support is needed. (MLH)

To become effective communicators, school leaders must acquire numerous skills, including understanding and practicing communication as a two-way process, aligning the three communication codes (language, paralanguage, and nonverbal messages) to ensure clarity of meaning, and selecting appropriate communication channels to enhance message impact.…

Offers school administrators tips for sharpening their public relations skills. Educators interviewed by the press should do research beforehand, answer practice questions, listen before speaking, admit ignorance, make every statement count, be circumspect, ask for a review copy, attend to follow-up, keep a clipping file, and maintain open…