School and district leadership has been the focus of intense scrutiny in recent years as researchers try to define not only the qualities of effective leadership but the impact of leadership on the operation of schools, and even on student achievement. A recently published literature review entitled "How Leadership Influences Student Learning" …

Change itself often threatens efficiency. This is ironic, given that organizational changes are frequently made because of a need for increased efficiency. Academic departments within a wide variety of institutions are wrestling with this irony on a daily basis. Expanding systems and staffing, and adoption of new computer systems, all intended to…

Finds significant differences in only 4 categories of behaviors and competencies among the 26 assessed: high-performance leaders received higher scores on obtaining outside support and tolerating uncertainty, whereas average leaders scored higher in exhibiting personal and/or professional qualities and confronting inadequate performance. Explores…

Reviews leadership research in terms of definition, traits, situations, and culture. Presents techniques for developing leadership effectiveness. (SK)

Leadership theories formed the basis of a course assignment with four objectives: understanding complex factors affecting leadership dynamics, developing abilities to assess organizational factors influencing leadership, practicing model and theory building, and viewing leadership from a multicultural perspective. The assignment was to develop a…

If a president hopes to make a long-term difference at a college or university, he or she must discard the safety net of conventional wisdom, says the president of the University of Southern California. He urges colleagues to risk being a contrarian leader--one who sees situations from a unique point of view and develops new solutions. (EV)

In this article, the author points out that it is no secret that school leaders fail not because they lack brains, determination, knowledge and technical skills, but because of what is characterized as "style" or "people skills." Daniel Goleman, author of several books on the subject, cites his own research and the work of others in arguing that…

A study was conducted in 2002 to evaluate the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in 21 secondary schools in one region of New Zealand. As part of the study, the role of the ICT coordinator was investigated. All the ICT coordinators were surveyed and 14 of them were interviewed in-depth. It is found that they were all…

Rapid change is making confusion a defining feature of management in the 21st century. Paradoxically, in this article, the authors argue, leaders who accept their confusion can turn a perceived weakness into a resource for learning and effective action. Sections include: (1) The Lost Leader Syndrome; (2) The Tale of the Tape; (3) The "Oh, No!"…

Drawing from the theory of transformational leadership and community-college literature, the purpose of this study was to determine the leadership patterns and behaviors of female chief executive officers (CEOs) in the community-college system in rural, suburban, urban, and inner-city settings. This study further investigated whether there was a…

"How Is Your Day Going?" We get asked this question many times a day and our response can determine not only how others view us, but can even impact the frame of mind of the person who asked it. If you say, "Things are great! How about you?" you have sent a positive message. But if you respond, "Not so great. That Jimmy Wallace is getting on my…

Three months after Darcy Cahill was promoted to head the Randallstown branch of the Baltimore County Public Library (BCPL), at 6 a.m. on a Saturday morning, the branch suffered a devastating fire. When firefighters finally contained the blaze, she was shocked to see the building drenched and in disarray. This article gives a detailed description…

This article features the 13 guidelines to leadership taken from the experience of a professor. As a professor in the administrative services credential program at California State University, Stanislaus, the author helped scores of teachers become principals. He also was a teacher, principal, director of research and superintendent (Hillsborough…

This article describes a qualitative upward evaluation of the leadership performance of library managers. Follow-up studies were conducted, focusing on the advantages and disadvantages of the qualitative approach to upward appraisal. The authors discuss pros and cons to guide others who might use this methodology for upward appraisals in the…

Board meetings are the time and place where school boards act. In fact, only when coming together as a body in a legal meeting do school board members become a board. Effective board meetings are the first prerequisite for an effective board. Furthermore, what parents and voters see at board meetings determines largely what they think about their…