This study investigates the experiences of a group of classroom teachers who transitioned into administrative roles as vice-principals in a rural schoolboard in southwestern Ontario. We included both elementary and secondary former teacher leaders who moved into the school administration and explored the aspects of their leadership experience that…

This paper reports on an interpretive study in which 25 elementary principals were asked about their assessment knowledge, the use of large-scale assessments in their schools, and principals' perceptions on their roles with respect to large-scale assessments. Principals in this study suggested that the current context of large-scale assessment and…

Using a naturalistic inquiry approach and thematic analysis, this paper outlines the findings of a research study that examined 12 Manitoba principals' conceptions of professional learning communities. The study found that these principals consider the development of professional learning communities to be a normative imperative within the…

Although claiming leadership to be critical to school improvement, few studies seek the informative voice of principals regarding their understandings of roles and sources of leadership. Using a distributed perspective as a theoretical lens to reconceptualize leadership, this article explores principals' perspectives of leadership in relation to…

This study focuses on four key issues: the perception of the role played by principals in Ontario in the administration and supervision of special education programs and services; the extent to which the construct of the principal as the instructional leader accurately depicts the role of the principal in schools with high concentrations of…

In 2003, a study of two Canadian adult literacy programs included 37 learners who revealed a variety of reasons for having dropped out of school as teenagers and younger adults. Chief among these were the influences of parents, siblings, and peers both in and out of school. This article considers these research findings, in light of the…

This report presents results from an evaluation of a series of workshops on the role and function of the school principal, held in Alberta, Canada in 1983. The workshops were designed to assist school systems in defining the role and function of principals as a step toward developing policies for implementing changes related to the principalship.…

On the surface, Michael Moher's major challenges as a superintendent do not seem so foreign from any other leader who is responsible for the education of 28,000 students. He has been grappling in recent years with budget shortfalls, school closings, a couple of dissident board members and even a week-long teacher's strike. Moher runs a Catholic…

The "School Administrator's Guide to Implementing Language Programming" serves as a starting point to plan for and implement language programming. It provides a general overview; suggests practical strategies for working with students, parents, teachers and the surrounding community; and includes details on areas to address in selecting…

A 1983-84 Alberta study examined the job satisfaction of senior high school principals and its relationship to these principals' perceptions of their influence, their effectiveness, and their school's effectiveness. The selected indicators and best predictors of these variables, and associations with demographic variables, also were identified.…

Describes developmental teacher evaluation models designed for Medicine Hat School District No. 76 to involve teachers and administrators in all phases of implementation. Outlines basic components including administrator and teacher training, written evaluation policy, written job descriptions, jurisdiction/school standards, goal-setting…

This manual contains guidelines for administering the Alberta, Canada, Achievement Testing Program in June 1987. The tests are administered to all students in grades 3, 6, 9, who have not been granted special exemption. The first section of the booklet includes information on the Achievement Test schedule, exemptions from the Achievement Testing…

Future school responses to child sexual abuse (CSA) should occur within a community context. As Canadian schools try to implement CSA prevention programs, changes in the community such as improved child care programs should occur simultaneously. A summary of CSA facts, new initiatives at the national level, and the role of the community, school,…

It is generally believed that there are too few Canadian faculty members to meet adequately the needs generated by recent increases in enrollment and by expanding societal expectations for college research and development, technology transfer, and community service. A very large cohort of faculty members will be retiring around the turn of the…

General guidelines for administering the Grade 12 Diploma Examinations for June 1987 in Alberta, Canada, include shipping dates of the tests, a schedule for returning examinations, securing test materials, and handling walk-in candidates. Additional information includes what to do about students who arrive late, violation of examination rules,…