Given the increased attention on school-based programs to decrease obesity and emphasize fitness among children, there is an alarming lack of attention on health and wellness of school administrators. This study investigated the work-life balance, health, and nutrition status of secondary administrators in one Midwest state using an online survey.…

Principal standards and license requirements in each of the 50 states are analyzed in this qualitative study in light of federal Race to the Top incentives for states to strengthen school leadership preparation and practice. Nineteen states have adopted the 2008 Educational Leadership Consortium Council (ELCC) standards verbatim and the remaining…

The recent policy focus on the turnaround of persistently low-achieving schools has generated considerable debate about the reforms needed to dramatically and quickly increase school performance. The purpose of this article is not to focus on specific turnaround interventions, but rather on the identification of schools slated to receive these…

In recent years, policy changes in American education have refocused a spotlight on principal instructional leadership. Although in previous eras the professional literature exhorted principals to "be instructional leaders," there were few sanctions if they failed to do so. In the current policy context, however, instructional leadership has…

The roles and responsibilities of principals are increasingly focused on instructional leadership. In many states, changes in the preparation and credentialing of future principals have been based on recognized leadership standards. Requirements for practicing principals to complete professional development aligned with such standards have also…

This study examined how self-efficacy beliefs might be used to inform leadership regarding accountability. A survey of principals was used to investigate the degree to which they believed the goals of federal and state school measures were actually attainable, and to what degree they believed their leadership helped achieve these goals. The…

Weick's theory of sensemaking is used to analyze findings from a qualitative study of the implementation of a district-initiated adolescent intervention literacy course in two urban secondary schools. The authors concluded that implementation of the literacy course was hampered because district administrators, building leaders, teachers, and…

School principals and school counselors have the ability to forge a unique collaborative relationship to improve student achievement. Historically, school counselors have altered the primary focus of their work as deemed by the perspective of their principals. With an emphasis on improving student success in school, this study revealed the…

Students were electronically polled about the influence of the Internet in their education and ways teachers could use this resource to motivate them and increase their learning. Responses from the 956 adolescents showed that the school quest to increase student engagement could more often be met through online assignments that facilitate…

Effective schools research gave birth to a new role for principals: instructional leader. Recent studies have suggested the relationship between strong school instructional leadership and higher student achievement. Skeptics question whether the principal's job is realistic and reasonable, with its emphasis on instructional leadership, multiple…

The purpose of this study was (a) to research the impact of electronic communication on the role of the principal and school leaders and (b) to investigate patterns of unanticipated consequences or phenomena that have developed within the organization along with the widespread use of electronic media. Twelve themes were identified and grouped into…

Teacher collaboration is an essential element of substantive school change for which principals have responsibility for cultivating. As such, it is becoming increasingly important for school leaders to employ models of supervision that focus on the performance and improvement of collective teacher behavior. In this article, the authors present a…

Research identifying relationships between principals' instructional leadership behavior and academic achievement is problematic because it fails to consider the perspectives of the "consumer" (i.e., students). Consequently, this study investigated what students perceive principals do to influence their academic achievement. Students identified…

The author discusses a project that affords high school principals an opportunity to create collaborative relationships between members of their school communities and college-based teacher education programs. In its 13 years, this collaboration has been shown to increase student and teacher engagement: Students gain perspective on what goes into…

Recent years have seen a proliferation of student action research both nationally and internationally. Going by various names--participatory research, action research, participatory evaluation--student action research is research that (a) is conducted by youth, within or outside of schools and classrooms, with the goal of informing and affecting…