The effect of political influences on the allocation of personnel, money, facilities, and equipment by elementary school principals is discussed in this paper. The use of Zald's political economy framework as a tool for understanding the principal's role in allocating resources is described by the author. He suggests that the principal occupies a…

Suggests that schools need clear structures and strong, professional cultures to foster teacher learning, describing school culture, positive versus toxic cultures, and staff development. The paper highlights two schools with positive cultures and describes how principals and school leaders shape school culture by reading the culture,…

From an organizational perspective, this paper synthesizes research on instructional leadership at the secondary level to provide principals with useful school management models to overcome obstacles to effective supervision. In addition, this paper analyzes the properties of secondary schools that shape principals' work; reviews their daily…

How educators think about and use time is woven into school cultures. School leaders must learn to read the culture and focus staff development on cultural issues affecting how people use time. This paper discusses cultures that nurture and wound and describes how to shape more nurturing cultures (read the school's culture, assess views of time,…

Case studies of four principals and their "problem-finding" behavior (identifying and solving strategic organizational problems) are presented to illustrate their roles and effectiveness in providing instructional leadership. (CB)

As principals' responsibilities increase, helping them learn to use and enjoy their daily managerial and symbolic challenges can increase their energy and make them more effective leaders. This includes learning to: change gears quickly; map their work; find tools for handling interruptions; become analysts; refine communication; and resolve…

The tasks of elementary principals are characterized by brevity, variety, and fragmentation. As proof of this, studies have indicated that principals may perform as many as 50 separate tasks in an hour. Principals also must interact with a wide range of individuals, must accomplish tasks requiring many different skills, and are required to make a…

Strategies that school superintendents use to develop and implement school improvement plans in response to state mandates were studied through interviews with 30 Maine superintendents and assistant superintendents. Results indicate that imposition of state standards may ignore superintendents' interpretations that shape the approach to meeting…

Unproductive, toxic schools have fragmented staffs, eroding goals, and negative, hopeless atmospheres. Schools with strong, positive cultures feature service-oriented staffs, a collegial ambience, celebratory rituals, supportive social networks, and humor. In crafting school culture, school leaders (principals, teachers, and parents) act as…

This book illustrates how principals can simultaneously act as efficient managers and effective leaders. Through a mixture of "knowing about" and "knowing how," the book offers new strategies to help principals integrate the technical management role with the symbolic leadership role. Chapter 1 illustrates the tension between the two approaches in…

This paper examines the transformed governance structures of four schools engaged in systemic restructuring efforts and looks at how those transformations have affected principals' roles by reshaping the micropolitical environment of the school. Principals' roles have changed as: (1) decision-making jurisdictions are redrawn; (2) power dynamics…

Most systems of administrative control include both formal and informal, explicit and implicit evaluative mechanisms that sense deviation from standards and activate corrective actions to return subordinates to acceptable levels of performance or to correct beliefs. A review of prior studies showed, however, that few school districts have specific…

Illustrates some of the various ways principals may shape and change their school cultures. These cultures are composed of the shared norms, values, beliefs, and assumptions about the world of work that shape how people think, feel, and act. (BJV)