Research evidence now lends legitimacy to the importance of the principal's instructional leadership in promoting school effectiveness. (Author/JM)

Des Moines (Iowa) Public Schools is one of six urban districts participating in an effort to redesign the role of principal supervisors. The Wallace Foundation's Principal Supervisor Initiative provides four years of support for these districts to transform the role, which has traditionally focused on operations and compliance, into one that…

From an organizational perspective, this paper synthesizes research on instructional leadership at the secondary level to provide principals with useful school management models to overcome obstacles to effective supervision. In addition, this paper analyzes the properties of secondary schools that shape principals' work; reviews their daily…

The typical school system lacks an adequate support system for helping teachers resolve student problems. This paper describes one organizational innovation, the intervention assistance team (IAT), which is a formal group of teachers and other educational personnel who meet at the building level to recommend solutions to specific instructional…

This book synthesizes research findings on principal effectiveness, viewing the principal as a key factor in ensuring school effectiveness and productivity. Methodology includes an extensive literature review, participation and observation grounded in theory, and pragmatic responses to conditions and issues. Chapter 1 presents an overview of…

Leadership, teaching personnel, and curriculum and instruction appear to be the three major variables related most directly to school improvement and school success. Effective principals provide strong instructional leadership and assume the role of change agent. (JHZ)

Fostering the growth of science educational programs is one of the most challenging and rewarding task instructional leaders will have to do in the twenty-first century. This article analyzes the current science teacher shortages and turnovers in public, urban secondary schools and brings to the forefront the need for an assessment of…

Based on a review of the literature, the author summarizes and evaluates research on the role of principals in effective schools and suggests additional factors needing study. Her review identifies nine features of effective principals and schools, involving commitment to academic goals, academic expectations, school climates that facilitate…

This article, as an opinion piece, considers the importance of developing a succession plan that can be implemented when a vacancy occurs in school leadership. While succession planning is a common practice within corporations, businesses and governments, schools also have to be thoughtful and prepared for change. A change in leadership can be…

After more than 20 years of vague reference to the principal as instructional leader, progress is finally being made, and the specificity and results are truly awesome. In 1989, William Smith and Richard Andrews wrote a monograph titled "Instructional Leadership: How Principals Make a Difference." In their study of 1,200 school…

A coordinated system of assessment of principals, schools, and teachers can provide a broad base of informative data that can be used to enhance the instructional leadership provided by principals. Under its Education Improvement Act of 1984, South Carolina is incorporating eight elements into its coordinated assessment system: (1) assessment of…

Argues that secondary school principals must provide instructional leadership to see that students are well prepared for the future. Topics receiving special emphasis are (1) learning how to learn; (2) providing affective education; (3) preparing students for lifelong learning; (4) teaching meaning, values, and goals; and (5) integrating the…

This paper expresses dissatisfaction with a system of preparation, certification, supervision, inservice training, and compensation that fails to produce highly qualified teachers. Teachers' training and working conditions must change so that beginning teachers are better prepared, inservice education really improves experienced teachers' skills,…

Cautions that since education is complex, efforts to improve education must also be complex, extending beyond enabling principals to exert instructional leadership; that patient work is necessary to complete the absorption of changes; and that common standards for educational achievement do not necessitate standardizing teaching methods for all…

Stress is part of the job of a school leader. How can principals and other leaders manage the stress so they can be resilient and effective? This article shares advice on this topic from five experts. Tips include: (1) Balance urgency with purposeful action (Ayesha Farag, Principal of Williams Elementary School in Newton, Massachusetts); (2) Keep…