Reviews the current (1987) certification requirements for principals in the 50 states. Speculates about future changes. Includes four tables. (Author/MD)

Lists 10 do's and don'ts for principals who must, on occasion, deal with the news media. (Author/MD)

Presents a set of standard questions to be used to help administrators identify effective teachers during the interview process. Includes three figures, one a teacher interview rating scale. (Author/MD)

Candidates with excellent potential do not reach the interview stage in a job search for reasons that seldom have to do with "politics." In most cases, failure to be interviewed can be directly traced to the poor materials submitted for the initial screening. Includes specific advice for job searching. (Author/MD)

The annual Gallup Poll reveals what the public thinks about national education issues, Should these results be used to set local policy? A North Dakota school district did its own local survey in 1986 and describes how it was done. Includes seven references. (Author/MD)

School trips to museums do not have to be boring lecture-tours if educators and museum personnel work together to make the visits exciting learning experiences. Includes a simple plan for developing such trips. (Author/MD)

The demographics of school-age children will change dramatically by the year 2000. Currently that year's gradutes are five-year-olds, of whom one-third are minorities, one-fourth are below poverty levels, and half live with a single parent. Educational curriculum must change to meet the needs of this future generation. (MD)

State government has begun to take the lead in educational curriculum development, because state leaders perceive a direct link between economic development and school curriculum. Includes two figures. (MD)

Reviews the nine factors contributing to educational productivity, the effectiveness of instructional techniques (mastery learning ranks high and Skinnerian reinforcement has the largest overall effect), and the effects of psychological enviroments on learning. Includes references and a table. (MD)

Competing notions of education are reviewed. The progressivist notion is individualistic and aims at self-actualization, whereas the more conservative perspective emphasizes a mechanistic approach in which some students' full potential may not be realized. To accommodate student differences, curricula must be treated as useful guidelines to…

Presents a list of 20 principles to follow when developing curriculum improvement programs. Includes a list of references. (MD)

The principal's most powerful tool is the ability to integrate the total response of the school toward improvement. A principal that understands this works toward staff synergy and finds a model for this in the concept of "curricular unity." Includes a table and list of references. (MD)

Discusses the meaning of "democratization" and the changes that are necessary in our educational system for democratic principles to be realized in our schools. Includes a list of references. (MD)

Presents an outline--compiled from the latest research on effective instructional practice--for the development of instructional leadership in principals. Includes a guideline for the development of an instructional improvement plan. (MD)

Factors providing rewards for principals and their importance in the development of instructional leadership are discussed. The understanding of individual learning styles is also stressed as an important component in effective instructional leadership. Includes references and a diagram. (MD)