All secondary school assistant principals in Massachusetts were surveyed to assess the relationships between their backgrounds, training, and values and their concepts of, preparedness for, and processes for dealing with conflict situations. Data were collected through questionnaires and through the completion by the 122 survey respondents of the…

Financed with ESEA Title III funds since 1970, the School Information System (SIS) was designed essentially to furnish school administrators with data and information with which to make better decisions. The basic means were to (1) build and improve a data bank, (2) prepare and disseminate computerized reports to the decisionmakers--especially…

Analyzes the assistant principalship in terms of socialization, the enculturation process, and the actual work activity of assistant principals. Training and work of assistant principals should be restructured to avoid a trend toward development of a custodial, non-risk taking, noninstructional leader orientation. (PS)

A study extended research on the Kentucky Principal Intern Program (KPIP), an induction program for new administrators. Study participants (N=97) were public school principals and assistant principals appointed during 1998-99. All were participating as KPIP administrator interns. Survey research was used to collect data about demographic…

Vision is an important dimension in the leadership characteristics of school administrators. This dimension can be expressed in a 2-phased process: the development of both personal and organizational visions. How this vision is developed, however, in school administrators is difficult to answer. This study looks at the development of personal…

Describes long-term effects of the Peer-Assisted Leadership program on participants with regard to their administrative actions, perspectives of their roles as school leaders, and collegial networking and support. (PCB)

An assistant principal describes longterm benefits from her mentoring relationship with the principal of Santa Monica (California) High School. Chagrined at her principal's close, hands-on supervisory style, the assistant principal gradually gained experience and confidence. She learned that leadership is about serving others, compassion, and…

The ability to work collaboratively with others is becoming an essential component of contemporary school reform. This article reviews current trends in school reform that embody collaborative principles and also draws on the literature to provide a theoretical overview of collaboration itself. The article then outlines the findings from a…

This study examines the application and acquisition process of individuals completing a principal licensure program to obtain school administrative positions over a period of five years. While relatively low compensation and high-pressure accountability demands were viewed as deterrents by those deciding not to seek principalships, the majority of…

A demographic time bomb is ticking in many school jurisdictions. Up to 70 per cent of present leaders in the private and public sectors will retire within the next five to ten years as the "baby boomers" move on. While succession planning has become a major initiative in the private sector, leadership succession in education tends to hew…

The accession of new senior leaders and middle leaders are significant events and may bring a desired continuity of current improvement efforts, or herald a new direction for the school. Although attention has been paid to building leadership capacity in schools, perhaps via the distribution of leadership, little attention has been paid to…

Many years ago when the author assumed the role of assistant principal for school climate, discipline, and attendance, he inherited many school policies and guidelines that were outdated, unfair, and without merit in the current school climate. Because the school conduct code had not been revised since the school opened in 1960, many of the…

Robert Kimball made national news in February 2003 when he reported to a television station the irregularities of dropout rates in his district. He was then the assistant principal of Sharpstown Senior High School in Houston. Long-troubled schools that typically reported dropout rates of 30 and 40 percent suddenly reported dramatically lower…

Assistant high school principal Elise Abbott is disturbed by the autocratic decision-making of the interim principal Marla Richardson. She meets with Marla to discuss Marla's approval of the English department chair's removal of master teacher Alice Tremont from gifted/talented courses. The chair reassigned the courses to herself. Although the…

The district-level implementation of a systemic educational change in teacher evaluation mandated at the state level was studied at the elementary and middle school level in a small rural school system. The historical background of teacher evaluation processes from early American schooling to the 1909s was studied. The pilot case study then…