This book is intended to serve as a practical guide to developing, implementing, and appraising mentoring programs for school and district leaders. It describes mentoring and discusses why it is an important issue in professional development. A three-phase model is presented to help lead school districts and individual school personnel through the…

This is a highly practical book for the first-year principal or for the assistant principal looking ahead to promotion. In place of abstract generalities, it offers real-life vignettes and scenarios that may be faced by typical first-year principals. The skill checklists are intended to be realistic and unintimidating. Step-by-step explanations…

Describes a recent study of principals' evaluations and perceptions concerning the quality of inservice learning experiences based on five alternative models. Findings disclosed participants' preferences for short-term institutes sponsored by a professional association and informal networking. More work is needed to design effective inservice…

Discusses merit pay as a school improvement idea, focusing on drawbacks of providing monetary incentives for superior teachers. Before jumping on the merit pay bandwagon, superintendents are advised to consider school purpose, alternative or equally effective reward systems, financial implications, and fairness of merit ratings. (MLH)

Recent research suggests that principals can improve the content and delivery of staff development programs by selecting practical topics, involving teachers in topic selection and presentation, keeping teachers' experience levels in mind, emphasizing ongoing staff development processes, avoiding lecture-based programs, and encouraging personal…

This book provides an overview of the internship as a central ingredient of effective preservice programs. Intended for those who are involved in the preparation of school administrators, the text emphasizes that preservice programs must ensure that interns will learn the skills that will make them effective leaders. The book is designed to…

The Danforth Foundation Program for the Preparation of School Principals now being implemented at four American universities embodies two major emphases: (1) collaboration between universities and school systems and (2) experiential learning approaches. One important program aspect is mentoring relationships between candidates and experienced…

An educational platform, or philosophy, serves as a guide to administrative actions. Issues to be considered include aims of education, expectations for students, social significance of schooling, organizational climate, teachers' roles, student teacher relationships, and characteristics of students. (MLF)

Since principals play an important role in fostering effective educational programs, they have a genuine need for increased professional development opportunities. Five models for administrator inservice education are described, including courses for academic credit, workshops and seminars (institutes) sponsored by professional associations or…

Socialization of the new principal is becoming an increasingly important issue calling for serious attention by practitioners, researchers, and educational policymakers. This paper attempts to contribute additional insight into the ways in which beginning school principals become socialized in their new school settings and the ways in which they…

The most critical variable for school success is the leadership behavior of the school principal. However, the principal's role is becoming increasingly complex. This book offers suggestions for the beginning principal. Each chapter is geared to help new principals develop personal plans for professional development and improvement. Following the…

This book promotes professional development through the use of mentoring and provides guidance to educational planners and school administrators who wish to adopt, develop, design, implement, and evaluate inservice teacher education programs to train mentors. The first part of the guide presents: information for planning and implementing a…

Educational reform commissions and state departments of education across the United States have recommended that would-be administrators spend more time in planned field experiences, internships, and other practica and on-the-job learning activities. Despite this need, systematic research on experiential learning for administrators is remarkably…

In nine chapters, this guide provides planners of professional development programs for school administrators, directors, and supervisors with background information for assistance with the design of local entry-year programs and activities by employing school systems. In chapter 1, the legal basis for entry year programs is examined through a…

Several problems and issues are typical of the beginning years of a principalship. A study of first- and second-year principals in a midwestern state classified these problems and issues into three broad areas: role clarification, limitations on technical expertise, and difficulties with socialization to the profession and to a particular school…