Judge Arthur Recht's ruling in "Pauley vs. Bailey" challenged the quality of public education in West Virginia and mandated a wide range of specific quality standards that have given rise to controversy among legislators, educators, and the public. (PGD)

Using short-term pilot programs to evaluate textbooks can lead to unreliable results and interfere with effective education. Alternative methods for evaluating textbook-based programs include obtaining documented analyses of competitors' products from sales agents, visiting districts using programs being considered, and examining publishers' own…

Discusses the difficulties inherent in trying to communicate such abstract concepts as those associated with leadership through the audiovisual medium of videotape. (PGD)

A fundamental distinction is drawn between competence and excellence in schooling. Competence refers to meeting predetermined objective standards; excellence is multidimensional, holistic, and readily perceived, though not easily defined. Accordingly, five "forces" of educational leadership are presented as preconditions for educational…

A review of recent research on personal characteristics of effective principals and on common leadership prerequisites concludes that effective instructional leadership depends on the interrelation between personal style and organizational context. Essential leadership functions identified by these studies include communicating school purpose,…

Correlates two research projects and one review to provide a descriptive model for three styles of principal behavior in their role as change facilitator: responder, manager, and initiator. Implications are derived concerning the relationship between change facilitator style and implementation success, school climate, and potential for…

A study of 42 successful principals with diverse approaches reveals that success depends on connecting routine activities to an overarching vision of school aims. A heuristic model facilitates visualizing the principal's role, operational context, and goals. (TE)

Quotations about excellence in business, selected from the book "In Search of Excellence" and applicable to education, are grouped into seven categories: respect and meaning, innovation, fun and excitement, bigness vs. smallness, communication, the role of management, listening to consumers, and the importance of values. (TE)

Identifies common characteristics among high-performing principals in their organizational context. These include a combination of personal vision, information sensing and analytic skills, and interpersonal skills, which collectively generate a schoolwide commitment to a common set of values. (TE)

Thirty-nine principals, classified according to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, filled out quesionnaires based on Vroom's leadership behavior model and Mintzberg's 10 manageral subroles. Because the findings correlate effectiveness with time allotted to disturbance handling and entrepreneurial roles, three recent decision-science techniques are…

In 20 schools, surveys of teacher perceptions about management styles and student perceptions of teachers reveals a correlation between effective teaching and "consultative-centralized" management. Consequently, 10 "commandments" for good consultative management are provided. (TE)

Because secondary school faculties are more diverse and specialized than elementary, a team approach to instructional leadership at the secondary level is recommended, and a four-step process is presented for incorporating such an approach: diagnosis, allocation, implementation, and evaluation. (TE)

In Anchorage, Alaska, aspiring principals are getting on-the-job experience through a two-year intern program that facilitates long range planning by enabling the district to test and mold its future administrators. Interns serve as administrative assistants, troubleshooters, and participates in instructional supervision and policy decision. (TE)

Herman Epstein's theory correlating children's learning capacity with periodic spurts and plateaus in brain growth is predicated on inadequate data and questionable interpretations thereof, and it is discredited by highly respected scholars, including those he cites. Applying this theory to classroom practice is therefore irresponsible and…

Current research correlating brain growth and changes in electroencephalograph patterns with Piagetian periods of development does not warrant conclusions about educational planning, for cognitive development studies show no correlation between spurts and plateaus in brain growth and children's ability to learn new skills. (TE)