In this qualitative ethnographic research study, I focused on a first-year assistant principal's leadership experiences in an urban PK-8 school environment and the coaching, mentoring, support, and training needed to develop an effective building administrator who will be retained in the assistant principal position. The guiding research questions…

School safety and student well-being are crucial to the social, emotional, and academic development of young people. Many districts have turned to school security measures that offer visible signs or outward appearances of safety; however, other approaches--those that create positive and inclusive school climates--both support students' well-being…

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,…

The provision of a well-planned, modified, and articulated curriculum that would provide students with disabilities appropriate access to the general curriculum and effective instructional support is the thrust of this paper. The paper examined the various issues on the concept and objectives of special education and the role of a well-designed…

With the need to meet a set of higher accountability standards such as Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) Standards and the AYP benchmarks of the NCLB Act, for example, school principals are faced with the knowledge that they play a vital role in school effectiveness as well as teacher retention, parent participation, and…

The rationale for taking bold action on the nation's persistently failing schools can be summed up in one dramatic and disturbing statistic: half of the young Americans who drop out of high school attend just 12 percent of the nation's schools. Ending the cycle of failure at schools is a daunting challenge and a surprisingly controversial one.…

The traditional roles of teachers and principals have changed and improved organizational teamwork is fostered by all members of the learning community assuming decision making roles. Toward this end, the purpose of this correlational study was to explore the relationship between teachers' perceptions of the leadership behaviors of secondary…

This case study describes processes in an urban high school, which contribute to excellence in urban pedagogy, and investigates teachers' and educational leaders' perceptions of the factors influencing their commitment to school success. Six themes related to excellence in urban pedagogy were identified. Data in the form of semi-structured…

Principals in urban high schools can play an important role in improving school effectiveness by adopting an educational philosophy that focuses on development of the students' sense of self-worth. (PGD)

The author began her career as a classroom teacher, and for the last 20 years has focused on improving teaching and learning in urban school districts. Now, as a principal of the Connections Academy virtual K-8 public schools in Colorado, her day may look different from that of a traditional school principal, but there are actually a lot of…

In this article, the author describes how Superintendent Jimmy Cunningham recognized the moment he parted ways with his urban colleagues on just how school funding should be meted out in Arkansas. The Arkansas Supreme Court had declared the state's school funding system unconstitutional so the Arkansas Association of School Administrators had…

This sourcebook, prepared to assist New Jersey urban school principals and administrators, presents research findings and describes exemplary programs related to the Urban Initiative, a school improvement project of the New Jersey Department of Education. The source book consists of three major sections. Section 1 reviews effective schools…

Case studies of five urban high schools illustrate some important factors that appear to be crucial in determining whether or not reform efforts are implemented. Among these factors are the following: (1) teacher participation; (2) collegiality among staff members; (3) shared belief that change can occur; (4) leadership by the principal; (5)…

In the interview process, every aspiring principal naively speaks of assuming the role of instructional leader. The candidate has read the right books, taken the right courses, and attended every possible workshop to prepare for the day when he or she would become captain of his or her own ship. However, it does not take long for principals to…

To claim that ethics and morality lie at the foundation of effective administrative praxis is neither new nor revolutionary--numerous studies have demonstrated that moral issues are embedded in the weave and texture of schooling and influence administrative choices. This paper explores the challenges, tensions and dilemmas new administrators…