With the growing teacher shortage, leaders need to know how to support new teachers and keep them in the profession. In "Building a Strong Foundation", experienced principal Michelle Hope lays out specific strategies and solutions that school leaders can use to help teachers build critical skills and confidence during their first five…

The George W. Bush Institute's School Leadership Initiative (SLI) District Cohort Research Project is a five-year effort with four school districts to test two frameworks--Principal Talent Management (PTM) and Effective Implementation. This collaboration is designed to improve how districts prepare, recruit, support, and retain principals. This…

In "Navigating the Principalship," James P. Spillane and Rebecca Lowenhaupt look at the major challenges of the principal position, examining how new principals adapt to the role, set an instructional agenda, and build cooperation and collaboration. They focus in particular on the dilemmas that mark the principalship--the inevitable,…

Presents time management techniques that child care directors can use in learning to control "time bandits," those external (circumstances and expectations of others) and internal (personal work attitudes and behaviors) factors that take away focused attention from planned priorities and personal productivity. (BB)

Successful administrators practice time management by delegating effectively and scheduling blocks of time to work without interruption. In addition, they set clear goals for meetings, avoid unnecessary meetings, and use weekly and monthly calendars. (MLF)

Explains techniques for reducing stress: diaphragmatic breathing, relaxation, progressive muscle relaxation, and meditation. Two sidebars define the fight-or-flight response and the camp administration's role in helping to lower stress through staff training and reduction of camp-wide stressors. (SAS)

Like the three previous editions, this book is organized into three parts: "Organizational Realities and Societal Impingements,""Leadership and Management Tasks and Functions," and "Leadership Processes." However, the book's composition and substance reflect the new demands on principals. Part 1 has four chapters…

Offers strategies, based on six value systems, to reduce employee turnover. Maintains that understanding the value systems of people as they relate to jobs is the key to improving the selection process, and that employees should be chosen in accordance with how well their value systems match their work and work environments.

Like other organizations, camps need creativity, which breeds originality, improvement, inspiration, and renewal. Explains three broad types of creativity, describes characteristics of organizations that encourage creativity, lists barriers to creativity, and discusses ways that administrators can foster creativity in staff. A sidebar lists…

Camp directors are role models for staff, and their behavior sets the tone for staff behavior. Treat staff like adults. Treat them with respect; be demanding and fair. Clearly tell them what is expected. Encourage initiative, and don't punish the mistakes that come with learning to make decisions. Anecdotes illustrate how inappropriate management…

Explains how work environments for child care employees can evolve to be professionally satisfying. (HOD)

This book contains practical information on creating a positive work climate within an organization. Twenty separate characteristics of successful "climate creators" are discussed. Information is also included on: (1) climate; (2) climate creators; (3) dynamic characteristics of climate creators; (4) the challenge of creating a positive climate;…

Offers practical solutions to three problems faced by administrators of early childhood education programs: motivating staff with different levels of commitment, dealing with staff communications and conflicts, and minimizing the impact of teacher turnover. (JPB)

The superintendency is often described as an unpleasant, even impossible, job. This book examines the changing conditions that affect the superintendency, presents strategies for easing the burden, and offers guidance from practitioners. The first part defines the superintendency and places it within its contemporary context. In the six chapters…

When properly managed, stress can serve as a key to successful job performance. This book explores the link between pressure and performance in schools. It shows how to recognize stress as both a facilitator and debilitator of effective performance. Chapter 1 serves as a personal stress checkup. Chapter 2 explores the myths of administrative…