In this digest identification and development of leadership skills in gifted and talented students are examined. Leadership is analyzed and its scope expanded from qualities of one who leads to a more complex view of how a person exerts influence. Conceptions of task-oriented versus relationship-oriented leaders are considered. Ways in which…

Since many senior academic administrators of colleges and universities first trained for academic careers in research and teaching, they have had minimal management training. Both academic and nonacademic officers with administrative experience find they must quickly develop the different knowledge and skills needed to manage an institution when…

Increasing evidence shows that school leaders, throughout all stages of their careers, can benefit from a mentoring system in which a seasoned leader helps the protege combine theory and practice with experience. This research roundup reviews works that provide support for principal mentoring and share strategies for establishing mentoring…

Most administrator training programs focus on what educational leaders should do rather than what they should not do. To help administrators in their roles, an overview of mistakes to avoid is offered in this ERIC digest in Spanish. The emphasis on the negative stems from the belief that undesirable behaviors are far fewer than desirable ones. The…

Most administrator training programs focus on what educational leaders should do rather than what they should not do. This digest offers an overview of mistakes administrators should try to avoid. The emphasis on the negative stems from the belief that undesirable behaviors are far fewer than desirable ones. The digest reviews the types of…

A comprehensive review of current thinking about the preparation, selection, induction, and assessment of school principals is provided in this digest. Methodology is based on a review of recent literature on the principalship and on interviews with several educators. Following an introduction, the first chapter examines inadequacies of principal…

This digest is intended to help parents and educators assist with the development of leadership attitudes and skills in gifted youth. The relative lack of interest in leadership despite its designation as a talent area in definitions of giftedness for state and federal policies requiring differentiated programs is listed. Characteristics of gifted…

This newsletter reviews five reports that address the implications of standards for administrators. These texts include "Designing and Implementing Standards-Based Accountability System" (Education Commission of the States), which describes some of the policy implications of standards-driven accountability; "Why Principals Fail: Are National…

Prospects for making formal principal preparation programs more relevant to actual administrator experience are described in this Digest. First, some of the deficiencies of traditional preparation programs are outlined. Next, ways in which shared decision making and decentralization have affected principals' preservice training needs are…

Never before has the need for effective mentoring programs for principals been more urgent. Record student enrollment, an anticipated retirement of about 40 percent of principals, and a shrinking pool of those who aspire to be principals have brought about a shortage of principals and an alarming lack of qualified applicants. This research roundup…

Although instructional leadership is acknowledged to be a critical skill in educational administration, few principals and superintendents have had in-depth training for that role, especially in a standards-based environment. Current definitions of instructional leadership include much deeper involvement in the "core technology" of…

This issue reviews five publications that provide a sampling of current perspectives on the preparation of school leaders. Joseph Murphy's "Preparation for the School Principalship: The United States' Story" traces the history of leadership preparation programs in the United States from the 19th century to the present. David L. Clark's "Searching…

This issue focuses on preparing department chairs for their leadership roles. It presents qualities that experienced chairs cite as being crucial to success, and asserts the need to develop formal training programs for people newly appointed to these positions. Articles include: (1) "Midlevel Management in the Community College: A Rose Garden?"…

In recent years, social studies educators have given serious attention to the apparent crisis of citizenship and the improvement of civic education in the United States. Insufficient attention, however, has been given to the place of leadership in civic education. Yet, youth leadership is big business in the United States. Each year, over half a…

This digest offers camp leaders, outdoor experiential educators, school and college faculty, or youth agency staff who are interested in nurturing youth leaders a framework for designing youth leadership programs which employ an outdoor setting as a "leadership classroom." Basic categories for leadership theory are defined: trait theory,…