Purpose: The purpose was to highlight aspects of principals' work that are problematic and the degree to which they feel prepared to address those aspects. It profiles principals' pre-appointment learning. Research Methods: The study was conducted in Alberta with principals in the first three years of their appointments. A questionnaire…

This research note reports the views of members of a branch of a professional association about their career paths and the appropriateness of preparatory and succession strategies for leaders in New Zealand schools. This sample of 12 "seniors" was unusual for its relative professional seniority, span of responsibilities and postgraduate…

This article describes a two-year longitudinal study of how potential principals recorded shifting challenges during their internship process. Interns were trained to use a thinking process called Habits of Mind and an online journaling process called Journey Mapping. The study recorded 6,491 electronic reflections, which were coded qualitatively…

This paper presents the teaching and learning experiences of a Chinese literacy teacher in narrative form. The participant's story is presented in his own voice, as constructed from interview transcripts. Challenges and struggles faced by the participant include limited professional autonomy in a hierarchal school system, awareness of conflict…

The voluminous literature on teacher professional development presents varied components of what constitutes meaningful professional development experiences for elementary teachers. The research reported here first identifies these components through an analysis of the literature, and then describes a research project in which those components…

Since its election in 1997 the Labour government's policy has sought to promote a "new professionalism" amongst teachers. First mooted at the time when new performance management arrangements were introduced, the discourse of new professionalism has now become closely associated with the "workforce remodeling" agenda in which teachers' work is…

In the United Kingdom, teachers' professional associations and labor organizations, notably in the form of trade unions have historically been involved in education and training in the workplace. Recently, in the United Kingdom this activity has gained greater credence and importance due to the emergence of trade union learning representatives who…

This article reports observations of teachers' collaboration within an inner city elementary school located in western Canada. The study traces the school's development as a learning organization, focusing on the interplay between individual--the level at which learning and action actually occur--and social learning--a conceptual tool for…

This article considers the question of how current understandings of leadership might be situated, characterized, and expressed through study and practice in organizations. The perspective presented in the article asserts a broad base for the possibility of leadership action--it is not restricted ground. My assumption is that although the…

In this article, we explore the challenges--and benefits--of conducting collaborative research on an international scale. The authors--from Australia, Canada, and New Zealand--draw upon their experiences in designing and conducting a three-country study. The growing pressures on scholars to work in collaborative research teams are described, and…

Independent reviewer evaluations of the Ministry of Education (MoE) funded Principal Professional Learning Community (PPLC) programme for experienced principals in New Zealand (NZ) suggest a highly valued and strongly supportive programme. My own critique of the programme, against criteria for "strong" professional learning communities (PLCs),…

One-third of all U.S. school children attend school in rural settings. Rural schools are much poorer than urban America, with most of the poorest counties in the United States located in rural areas. Equity is a concern not only in terms of race, class, gender, disability, and sexual orientation, but also in terms of being geographically located…

Accountability has become synonymous with standardized testing in many Western countries such as Canada, the United States, Great Britain and New Zealand. Schools and districts are increasingly ranked based on their students' performance on standardized tests. Unfortunately, standardized testing measures possess a number of limitations that…

The main aim of this article is to examine the application of the concept of continuous development to the Cyprus Educational System. First, the concept of continuous development, the necessary conditions for its existence, the policies of the organization, and the responsibilities of those involved are discussed. Afterwards, the identification of…

One of the most crucial roles of the school leader is to develop and maintain the professional level of the staff which he/she supervises. It is generally agreed upon that the desired school culture is one in which the focus is on the development of a community of learners. Consequently, intellectual growth can never happen for children unless it…