Instead of avoiding, eliminating, or managing interpersonal conflict, school leaders should explore its transformational uses. A Consensual, no-conflict approach to decision making is impossible. Conflict can serve transformational purposes by helping to organize motives; broadening, strengthening, and clarifying values; and detecting and…

Article reminds us again of the basic principles of communicating not only hard facts but also feelings to various school groups. (Editor)

Colleges and educational administration departments can bridge the gap between professors and practitioners by employing professors with administrative experience, establishing clinically based sabbaticals, developing positions for clinical professors, and initiating publications focused on clinical issues. Also, practitioners should be involved…

The increased responsibilities of administrators provided under Public Law 94-142 for meeting the educational needs of the handicapped are summarized. Common sources of conflict between administrators and parents of handicapped students and potential communication blocks between parents and administrators are noted, followed by suggestions for…

A successful program for innercity parents should incorporate all the components of parent involvement: empowerment, school visits, volunteer services, two-way communication, and at-home socialization and learning activities. Principals are urged to consider the needs and interests of different parent groups, rather than push the school's agenda.…

By preparing illegible, unorganized, incomplete, or just plain sloppy documents, secondary schools often make it unnecessarily difficult for college admissions officers to evaluate the records submitted to them. An admissions director discusses some handicaps to communication and makes suggestions for schools reviewing the suitability of their…

Most principals find their jobs professionally rewarding, yet many do not plan to stay in the principalship because of a sense of isolation. (Author/JM)

Provides a model that explains persistent obstacles to clear communication--notably culture, tradition, conditioning, distractions, and feedback--and suggests means of overcoming them. (JW)

Hiring increasing numbers of paraeducators can provide additional learning support and a linguistic/cultural link to the community. However, such personnel may have frenetic schedules, responsibilities divided among several schools, and inadequate supervision and communication links. Recommendations for principals, teachers, and bilingual…

Summarizes a 1992 Wisconsin study exploring relationships among principals' leadership styles, gender, and personality attributes and principals' and teachers' work satisfaction. None of these variables predicted work satisfaction; teachers and principals had different perceptions of leadership. Schools should hire more female administrators and…