This paper describes how administrator preparation programs can help future education leaders to value, understand, and use the democratic strategy of deliberative dialogue and action. The purpose of the strategy is to engage in a new way with teachers, parents, and other stakeholders about problems in their local public schools. Follow-up…

The Framework for School Leaders, an architecture derived from the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) Standards, is utilized in the design of the Principal Internship Mentor's Assessment (PIMA). PIMA outcomes are reported for average scores for each standard and investigated as a measure of ISLLC Standards achievement and for…

Over the past twenty years there has been a decline in the number of minority teachers entering and remaining in the teaching profession. While the overall teacher shortage is worrisome for educators and administrators, the shortage of minority teachers is one of grave concern. A lack of minority educators inside our buildings is just one…

This manuscript provides a model and an assignment based on the model that allows emerging leaders to examine the purity of their heart, the accuracy of their thoughts, whether they operate from reasoned emotions, effective dispositions, words seasoned with grace, appropriate actions, and habits that engender honorable leadership character…

Perhaps for valid reasons, the nation's educational leadership preparation programs are under scrutiny. The Wallace Foundation has written several reports, as has the Southern Regional Education Board, which make specific recommendations to reinvent traditional educational leadership programs. In response, the state of Georgia discontinued all…

We investigated for all of the charter school districts (n = 192) in the State of Texas for the 2008-2009 school year the relationship between the 65% instructional expenditures ratio mandate and college-readiness rates in reading, math, and in both subjects for all high school students and then separately for African American, Hispanic, and White…

This descriptive study investigates the development of a district leadership coaching program. Specifically, the study examines the creation of a coaching program for elementary principals, the first six months of monthly meetings between the coaches and district leaders, and the perceived utility of the meetings by the district coaches.…

The federal government, through the Department of Education, distributed millions of dollars to state education departments as part of the American Recovery and Restoration Act (ARRA). Many districts applied for and received thousands of dollars in order to make improvements to schools and impact student achievement. Several districts purchased…

Educational leaders have faced the challenges of trying to align schoolwide reforms priorities with accountability demands under the No Child Left Behind law. This article examines the barriers that complicate meaningful alignment among federal, state and local levels. This article also offers the following recommendations: Schools and districts…

This study focuses on the depth of implementation of a professional development initiative. In one group, the school based leadership team was provided specialized coaching to support and monitor the implementation of the initiative. In the other group, no assistance was provided. Results indicate that the coaching of a school-based leadership…

This study sought to investigate the perceptions of teachers' first-year teaching experiences with a focus on mentoring. Findings of the study provide insight into best practices associated with the development and support of new teachers. The data were collected through the use of a survey consisting of Likert scale and open-ended response items…

In this study, we examined the extent to which differences were present in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) baccalaureate attainment of Black students and of Hispanic students at 82 Texas 4-year colleges from 2008 to 2009. A custom download of data files was conducted on the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System in…

Teacher behavior research has shown that teacher behaviors, as well as specific teaching strategies, make a difference with regard to student achievement. Ten durable instructional strategies are discussed: set induction, stimulus variation, reinforcement, questioning, recognizing attending behavior, lecturing or direct instruction, planned…

In 2006 the legislators of one mid-western state passed into law a "Merit Curriculum" that requires a common set of sixteen credits for high school graduation. The policy represents a sharp break from the past, where only one credit (in Civics) was required for graduation, and where the traditional organization of the curriculum (college…

Although researchers have succeeded in identifying knowledge and skills and personal traits and characteristics of effective leaders, they have not been nearly as successful in identifying or defining those elusive leadership qualities that fall into the affective domain--what the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE)…