Describes the everyday micropolitical facilitative strategies and personal characteristics of exemplary principals who have influenced and enhanced teachers' sense of empowerment. Data were drawn from a qualitative study that interviewed 275 teachers in 11 schools affiliated with C.D. Glickman's League of Professional Schools in Georgia.…

A survey of teachers revealed that principals who want to promote classroom instruction must talk openly and freely with teachers about teaching and learning, provide time and encourage peer connections for teachers, empower teachers, embrace the challenge of teachers' professional development, and lead and motivate teachers. (MLH)

Neglect of divergent cultural values and belief systems; perennial debates about moral, ethical, and legal questions; power struggles; and technically oriented initiatives have thwarted school-reform efforts. Initiating frequent policy changes to accommodate fads overlooks the slowness of change and the learning process in complex social…

The ideas presented in this book are drawn from a study of highly successful principals of schools affiliated with the League of Professional Schools. Chapter 1, "Sharing Governance," presents an overview of the literature on professional development and a description of the study. Chapter 2, "Trusting the Experts: Teachers,"…