Among all in-school factors that impact student learning, teachers carry the most weight -- but school leaders are not far behind. Decades of research have proven the positive influence principals can have on student achievement, school climate and teaching quality. New evidence suggests that their impact may be even greater than previously…

Headship transitions in U.S. independent schools represent critical organizational events that affect multiple school constituencies, including faculty, staff, and students. With recent projections forecasting a high level of impending headship transitions in independent schools, this paper seeks to capture how second-year U.S. independent school…

Principals are essential to improving student achievement and narrowing persistent achievement gaps between students in underserved communities and their economically advantaged peers. The Every Student Succeeds Act provides opportunities for states to invest in developing and supporting effective school leaders. One such opportunity includes…

Physical education is critical to addressing childhood obesity, yet many school-based programs do not meet established quality standards and teachers are called upon to change. Little is known about how change is initiated and its associated internal and external factors. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate physical education…

A research project team studied schools in Washington, Ohio, Illinois, and Wisconsin to investigate the scope of a leader's responsibilities and identified seven common functions of leadership. The study revealed that understanding and delivering what the school needed was the principal's core job.

Superintendent preparation and training has remained substantially unaltered for a half century. State certification requirements drive the content and activities for preparation programs housed in higher education institutions. State agencies never participated in superintendent preparation beyond awarding certification to post master's educators…

The academic program represents the major thrust of an institution of higher education toward the achievement of its objectives. An effective structure for academic organization is essential. Within such a structure, clarity of procedure is needed in both the development of academic policies and in the implementation of these policies. The Office…