Reviews research findings on the characteristics of effective school principals, and relates these findings to the unique challenges of American Indian education. Suggests personality traits, leadership style, behaviors, and skills needed to be an effective leader in an Indian school. Contains 18 references. (SV)

Both experience and theory suggest that the best teachers do not necessarily make the most effective administrators. The basic motivations, personality traits, and human qualities that enticed these people into education and made them great teachers might not be the qualities needed for success in school administration. (MLH)

Advice for alumni program directors to increase productivity and counter negative images includes developing a long-range plan for budget-building, being flexible enough to seize opportunities, building a base of support within the institution, cultivating support among senior administrators, building on successes and expecting excellence, and…

Envisions the characteristics of effective principals in the year 2000 to include: showing academic as well as political leadership; being comfortable with shared decision making; and encouraging ambiguity, alternatives, and the dialectic process. (SR)

A case study of a primary school principal in New South Wales (Australia) was conducted using a physiological device, the Stephens Tissue Perfusion Monitor, to measure the levels of stress associated with various situations encountered by the principal. Study identified 14 categories of "uplifts" that assist principals in lowering stress…

An interview with the University of Wisconsin at Madison's chancellor, Donna Shalala, covers such topics as her experiences at Hunter College, the woman administrator, the leadership role, minority group issues, institutional planning, and the politics of higher education. (MSE)

Examines the perceptions of 3,067 teachers of the effectiveness of successors to 73 prior principals. Effective successors inspired teacher confidence early. Results further indicate that teachers assess succession in terms of its effect on organizational factors that allow teachers to maintain predictability and control over their work. (SLD)

Develops a model linking organizational growth and decline to competitive strategy, the strategy-making process, and the chief executive officer's personal characteristics. The model was empirically tested for private liberal arts colleges. Enrollment growth is associated with focused strategy, the CEO's innovative style, differentiation, and…

Today's administrator must realize that being a leader, not a manager, is the norm for successful organizations. Leadership at all organizational levels is imperative to achieving organizational objectives. Managers exercise leadership by establishing a vision, accepting responsibility, taking initiative, and empowering others. Empowerment is the…

Researchers surveyed secondary teachers to measure satisfaction with their principals' communication, feedback, and adequacy of instructions. Data analysis indicated satisfaction with communication and instructions varied with teachers' age and gender. Older faculty were more satisfied than younger faculty with communicative interactions. Total…

Delineates the characteristics, roles, training, experience, and responsibilities of early childhood program supervisors. Discusses implications for policy and practice. Suggests that a profile is difficult to create because of problems with existing studies. (GLR)

Administrative women generally possess more expert information than men because they have had more classroom experience. In an age focused on the teaching process, women in leadership will prove a valuable asset. Through networking and struggling to overcome persistent stereotypes (the pink earring syndrome), women will advance in education and…

Ineffective schools are typically led by ineffective principals. This paper examines the ways that administrators can be problematic, how teachers can detect principal ineffectiveness, teacher-response strategies, how teachers can keep the school running, the importance of teachers exhibiting model behavior, and how teachers should return the…

Five black women presiding over college campuses with over 20,000 students are profiled: Del M. Anderson (City College of San Francisco, CA); Constance M. Carroll (San Diego Mesa College, CA); Ruth Burgos-Sasscer (Houston Community College System, TX); Jerry Sue Thornton (Cuyahoga Community College, OH); and Belle S. Wheelan (Northern Virginia…

A content analysis of over 35 American motion pictures and television sitcoms since the 1950s showed principals most often portrayed as autocrats, bureaucrats, or buffoons. Sometimes, as in the TV movie "Kidz in the Woods," a single show depicts all three characteristics. Promoting instructional leadership and an ethic of caring among…