This paper describes how administrator preparation programs can help future education leaders to value, understand, and use the democratic strategy of deliberative dialogue and action. The purpose of the strategy is to engage in a new way with teachers, parents, and other stakeholders about problems in their local public schools. Follow-up…

A clinical simulation technique was used to investigate how future school principals view the roles of professional school counselors, particularly as those responsibilities are represented in the ASCA National Model[R]. The 244 respondents were principals-in-training (i.e., graduate students) officially enrolled in educational administration…

Preparation programs for principals should have excellent academic and performance based components. In examining the nature of performance based principal preparation this report finds that school administration programs must bridge the gap between conceptual learning in the classroom and the requirements of professional practice. A number of…

This instructor's packet on collaborative leadership development in special education presents the Principal's Training Simulator in Special Education (PTSSE), designed to provide an orientation to typical situations facing local school district administrators, consideration of major issues in programming for exceptional children, practice in…

A South Carolina high school band director describes his experience with the Springfield Simulation, a role-playing seminar/workshop where individuals are assigned roles and situations that will aid them in developing administrative skills. (TE)

A migrant education resource teacher from California describes the personal and professional benefits she obtained from her participation in the Springfield project, a role-playing seminar/workshop for administrators. (TE)

The present success and future potential of the Springfield Simulation depend on six interrelated research findings about adult learning.These findings, enumerated and discussed, provide the theoretical framework for Springfield. (TE)

At George Mason University (Virginia), a consulting firm designed a program to train university administrators to deal with the media effectively. On-camera simulations, followed up with practice sessions in the university's telecommunications department, were an effective method of preparing for difficult media questions. (MSE)

"Springfield," a simulation-based development program for those who have completed the NASSP assessment center, works well for 10 reasons: motivation, talent, self-assessment, feedback, specific goals, realistic simulation, behavior modeling, developmental mentors, on-the-job development, and a follow-up seminar. (TE)

Oregon was selected as one of four pilot states to field test the Springfield Simulation. Logistical problems are described, followed by a procedural account of the process: personnel, initial briefing, research packets, the three-day simulation, feedback from mentors, and a follow-up at the end of three months. (TE)

An assistant principal from Alabama describes her application of one of the skill dimensions derived from the Springfield Simulation--problem analysis--to a low-achievement problem among her fifth graders. Before she was through, she had exercised all the other skill dimensions as well: judgment, sensitivity, leadership, decisiveness, and…