Educational leadership is a management function that provides progress toward new goals in a time of change. Leadership must be shared; the lone leader is increasingly being recognized as ineffective and deadening to the spirit. Effective leaders are visible, communicate honestly, accept others, are open and genuine, face problems confidently, and…

A two-year study of four effective secondary school principals suggests that a principal's actions can be represented by a value-based model (or Markov chain) in which beliefs and values lead to goals, activities, and outcomes. Findings show that no one value set brings about more effective leadership than another. (27 references) (MLH)

The phenomenon of social skills is explored in the context of school superintendency, and findings of a study designed to assess social communications skills of 236 practicing superintendents are reported. Reasons for the discrepancy between the high skills expected and the low to average skills actually found are discussed. (SLD)

Introduces a model presented at the Linkage Leadership Conference in which 10 senior executive teams developed strategies to effectively implement organizational change. Demonstrates how style influences the ability to lead and relates, through the example of the U.S. Army's gender integration, how leader communication style can be used to…

Although "Jordanesque" checklists cannot describe the full dimension of effective school leadership, the literature has generated some commonly accepted principles categorized according to personal attributes, leader behaviors, and organizational outcomes. Sensitive to others' needs, effective principals are generally warm, caring…

Outlines findings from study funded by the National College for School Leadership that explored effective leadership in a group of secondary schools in challenging circumstances. Highlights the key characteristics and features of leadership approaches adopted, and argues that the heads in the study operated a shared or distributed model of…

Compared views of pre-service and in-service elementary school teachers in Cyprus regarding the effectiveness of school leadership. Found that in-service teachers were significantly more positive than pre-service teachers in their assessment of school principals, considering their weaknesses to be mainly the result of educational system…

Technology is a tool that has the potential to empower educational leaders at all levels--whether they are superintendents, principals, teachers, board members or state officials--as well as to redefine what education means in the 21st century. Technology provides more accurate information and advanced communication capabilities. Technology can be…

Complexity science may be described as a feminine science because it demands holistic thinking, something that women are generally better at than men. A total of 50 women leaders in the USA, Canada, Australia, and the UK were interviewed, women who displayed what is called "third possibility leadership", that is they were able to hold…

The employment of administrative tools for effective management is evaluated in this article. Using an administrative tool like a Palm[R] handheld computer and appropriate software can make the difference. For anyone running a single school or an entire district, managing data is the key to maintaining an efficient organization. Many…

Several theorists have tried to explain the concern of short superintendency tenure. The interests of the researchers involved studying conflict management in relationship to superintendent turnover and congruency with the school board. One research study included all public school superintendents in the United States. Quantitative and qualitative…

In this article, the author discusses the benefits of assigning proteges to first-year principals. This practice allows aspiring principals to experience what it is like to be a first-year principal. Having a first-year principal serve in a mentorship role can benefit both the principal and the protege--as well as students, teachers, and the…

This paper will address the challenge of how strategic leadership can be defined and articulated to provide a framework for developing a strategically focused school drawing on a NCSL research project. The paper is structured into three main parts. Part one outlines the elements that comprise a strategically focused school, develops an…

This report evaluates the services which schools and education authorities provide for learners with literacy and language difficulties. The aim of this report is to help schools, colleges and universities to take forward improvements by describing good and improving practice in addressing the needs of learners with dyslexia. Research suggests…

Differences in values and socio-economics, issues of diversity and equity, and changing educational expectations and structures challenge leadership preparation programs, particularly those in urban environments. This article focuses on discerning major urban education issues, defining constructs of leadership for urban schools, and identifying a…