In "Navigating the Principalship," James P. Spillane and Rebecca Lowenhaupt look at the major challenges of the principal position, examining how new principals adapt to the role, set an instructional agenda, and build cooperation and collaboration. They focus in particular on the dilemmas that mark the principalship--the inevitable,…

Being a principal, superintendent, dean, provost, or president carries a wide array of responsibilities and burdens. An inevitable part of being a leader is that some decisions are very hard to make which means that leaders carry a huge emotional burden. Author Rick Ginsberg identifies strategies that educational leaders have identified as helping…

The purpose of this study was to describe special education administrators' reports of the social supports (House, 1981) that ameliorate the stress inherent in their professional role. This study used a mixed methods design and was conducted in two sequential phases involving 153 special education administrators in a northeastern state. During…

Fear and anxiety are emotions that principals must learn to overcome if they are to be effective leaders. This article provides some observations and suggestions that can help principals understand and cope with fear on the job. (Contains 3 online resources.)

This study addressed the perceptions of isolation among high school principals in Georgia. The data collection process, in which interviews were conducted, provided insight into the lived experiences of 10 principals. One of the findings was that high school principals were relieved, in a sense, to discuss their perceptions of the…

Offers nine questions to enable camp directors to assess personal level of individual, interpersonal, and/or institutional burnout. Provides suggestions to overcome burnout: understand self and take corrective action; realize tribulations, pressures, and responsibilities are inherent in camp administration; be positive; be innovative; and maintain…

Trustees find themselves in the middle of an ongoing battle over accountability and autonomy. Government officials accuse the academy of being more interested in autonomy than accountability--more interested in demanding financial support than in serving public priorities. Business leaders question the responsiveness of colleges and universities…

Describes a databased taxonomy of behaviors that elementary and secondary school teachers use to cope with both internally and externally derived work stress, considers the effectiveness of such behaviors, discusses methods for preparing teachers for working conditions, and points out the value of the taxonomy for future research. (PGD)

The study of school leaders' feelings during and about their work suffers from inadequate academic definitions about the depth, character, and legitimacy of those feelings, as well as from limitations on the means of capturing and recording those feelings. This study pushes the definitions of administrators' stress into the areas of traumatic…

When properly managed, stress can serve as a key to successful job performance. This book explores the link between pressure and performance in schools. It shows how to recognize stress as both a facilitator and debilitator of effective performance. Chapter 1 serves as a personal stress checkup. Chapter 2 explores the myths of administrative…

After summarizing research into the sources and correlates of teacher stress, this article defines and proposes a model of work-related stress in school, incorporating current concepts and research findings. Strategies for coping with the buildup of environmental stressors are developed for application at various administrative levels within the…

The president of the University of Miami (Florida) at the time of Hurricane Andrew discusses the challenges of coping with widespread campus destruction and the resulting organizational crisis, and offers guidelines for responding rapidly and effectively to the needs and concerns of various constituents. (MSE)

The president of California State University, Northridge, at the time of the 1994 earthquake reflects on the decisions she made following the disaster, concluding that leadership in such a crisis is dependent on an individual's value system and that leadership is seen in performance, not position. Specific examples are discussed, including…

An experienced college president offers 12 suggestions for coping as president: control calendar; keep passion for work; protect health; manage stress in all life areas; make changes one step at a time; stop when reaching limit; pay attention to support system; learn to live comfortably with ambiguity; separate ego from outcomes; control…

"Chronicle of Higher Education" presents an abundant source of news and information for college and university faculty members and administrators. This April 30, 2004 issue of "Chronicle for Higher Education" includes the following articles: (1) "Why Michigan State Opted Out" (Eddington-Shipman, Richard); (2)…