What are some ways to do classroom observations in short visits of 5-15 minutes? The responsibilities of school site administrators are numerous and varied, yet one of the most important, is for them to support an environment that provides a high quality instructional program for every student. In surveys completed by teachers about what they…

Linking his observations with existing research on teacher and school effectiveness, the author identifies four leadership functions directly related and two functions indirectly related to the achievement of instructional effectiveness. Questions to ask to identify effective principals are provided for each of the six leadership functions.…

The viability of rural communities is threatened by social change, particularly changes in values that have traditionally sustained small towns. For community leaders to successfully manage change and community development, they must communicate effectively, encourage community involvement, and efficiently manage available resources. Provides…

Documents the impact of school-based management on educational leadership in Australia. Locates the emergence of new models of leadership within a corporate managerialist philosophy of a new-liberal state that devalues the pedagogical attributes of school leadership and reinforces a growing divide between teachers and administrators. (Contains 39…

An extended interview with management consultant Peter Senge who proposes that rethinking traditional patterns of leadership and interaction will produce a true learning community, where improvement becomes a lifelong journey. (MLF)

Identifies the competencies that faculty members believe their department chairs need to possess in order to function effectively as academic leaders. Considers whether those competencies are generalizable across different academic departments. Assesses the degree of relationship between perceptions of department chairs' competencies and overall…

Lists skills identified by the Leadership Development Task Force as being critical skills for a leader. Discussion focuses on information managing skills, including problem solving, decision making, setting goals and objectives; project management; and people managing skills, including interpersonal communications, conflict management, motivation,…

Reports on Leadership Effectiveness Assisted by Peers (LEAP), a large-scale school leadership project within a major (Toronto) school district, and its relationship to other district developments and policies. Considers how these developments are supported by district involvement in an ongoing district-university partnership called the Learning…

Describes transformational and transactional leadership constructs. Factor analysis used to examine constructs, as applied to school outcomes following British Columbia school reform efforts. Found transformational leadership influenced all school outcomes except teacher effects; transactional leadership influenced teacher effects favorably and…

The widespread shift to self-management has enhanced the importance of effective leadership within educational institutions and the parallel need for theory and research to establish what constitutes good practice. Rapid and multiple policy changes underscore the need to review the discipline. Opportunities and challenges are discussed. (57…

Case study examines attitudes of principals in selected high-poverty/low-performing Florida schools toward the state's system of school improvement and accountability. Finds that principals oppose the high-stakes nature of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test because of unfair comparisons with more affluent schools. Principals believe that…

Various researchers have recently challenged "contingent" models of managerial and leadership effectiveness, arguing that logic suggesting the universality of manager and supervisory leader behaviors is compelling, although there is sparse empirical evidence to support this view. A comparative study of the findings from three previous…

Three leadership styles are frequently discussed in the literature today: transactional, transformational, and most recently--transcendental. Managers may be able to put transactional, transformational, and transcendental leadership style theories into practice without inventing a new set of processes and procedures to achieve individual follower…

The author argues that current corporate government legislation and practice is weighted too much in the direction of "board compliance." It is, therefore, in danger of reducing the risks taken by boards of directors. In the long term this could slow significantly the growth of capitalism. He proposes a rebalancing of the fundamental board…

This paper presents a comparative case study of diverse approaches to deinstitutionalization of developmental disabilities residential services in two Midwestern states. During the 1970s and 1980s, the convergence of leadership by advocates, legislators, and bureaucrats led to Michigan's rapid transformation from an institutional to a…