This study examined the perceptions of a cross section of new and experienced assistant principals regarding the realities of their jobs. Findings indicated that their challenges pertain to workload and task management, conflicts with adults and students, and curriculum and instruction issues. Novice and experienced assistant principals' responses…

The intent of this article is to examine how the best type of internship, i.e., the full-time, job-embedded model can be enhanced using coaching. Before illustrating an exemplary internship program with coaching, this paper describes what an exemplary full-time, job-embedded internship experiences looks like and expounds on the importance of…

Describes a professional learning effort in Victoria, Australia, designed to help principals process and learn from their experiences with recent school reforms. Principals reported that learning to reflect helped them do their jobs more effectively, challenged their conventional ways of thinking and acting, helped them be more proactive, and…

Educational administration preparation programs increasingly are using cohorts, particularly as a way to teach diversity issues. Cohorts are groups of students who go through a 1- to 2-year study program together. The special characteristics of adult learning, the need for acknowledgement and use of experience, the different learning techniques,…

An educational leadership program that combines student portfolios and an educational platform as student assessment measures is described in this paper. Beginning with a brief discussion of the purposes and mechanics of portfolios and platforms, the paper then describes how these assessment measures are integrated into an educational leadership…

Describes the Peer-Assisted Leadership (PAL) program for school principals of the Far West Laboratory for Educational Research and Development. Summarizes (1) history of the program, (2) a description of training, (3) results of the first year's work with principals, (4) PAL's continuing efforts, and (5) future directions. (SA)

Reflective questioning creates opportunities for individuals to reflect aloud, be heard by one or more colleagues, and be prompted to expand and extend thinking through follow-up questions. The article examines the origin of reflective questioning, explains how to develop reflective questioning skills, and discusses outcomes associated with…

Presents a study that verified the effects of the peer-assisted leadership program (PAL) on communication networks and professional isolation of 41 Quebec educational managers, using a one-group pretest posttest design. Results showed that PAL significantly reduced professional isolation without widening participants' communication networks. (34…

One of the most influential experiences in the author's development as an educational leadership professor has been the opportunity to work with educators outside the United States. His international experiences have caused him to observe distinct and subtle differences between leadership education in the United States and other countries. The…

In this book, a working model for leadership development is presented, resulting from groundbreaking work with learning communities in educational leadership preparation programs. Chapter 1 develops the concept of a learning community as both a structure for the delivery of course content (the product) and a laboratory for promoting collaborative…

Describes long-term effects of the Peer-Assisted Leadership program on participants with regard to their administrative actions, perspectives of their roles as school leaders, and collegial networking and support. (PCB)

The use of portfolios as an authentic measure of competence is discussed, particularly in educational administrator education programs. Rationale, purposes, and appropriate content for portfolios are outlined, based on the intended use. It is noted that a period of adjustment to portfolio construction and incorporation should be anticipated. (MSE)

This article discusses how alternative assessment strategies can tap into learners' espoused theories of action and ways in which educational platforms and portfolios become strategies for revealing learners' theories. The leadership preparation program of the University of Northern Colorado (Greeley) shows use of platforms and portfolios in a…

Given the importance of preparing administrators who can lead school improvement efforts, the purpose of this article is to explore ways in which the knowledge and skills about leadership for school improvement obtained in preparation programs can be transferred to the workplace. The author begins by examining the concept of transfer, particularly…