Candi Mascia Reed is a retired principal of programs for deaf and hard of hearing students in the Total Communication programs of Bergen County Special Services in the Hackensack School District in New Jersey. Currently, she is an adjunct professor at The College of New Jersey, Special Education Language and Literacy, Deaf Education Teacher…

In this webinar, Dr. Stephanie Hirsh, Executive Director of Learning Forward, presented the research on effective PLCs and shared her experiences in creating, assessing, and leading PLCs. This Q&A addressed questions participants had for Dr. Hirsh following the webinar. The webinar recording and PowerPoint presentation are also available.

Richard DuFour, a leading advocate for creating professional learning communities in schools, shares his insights on why teaching has become an "embattled profession" and the steps teachers and school leaders can take to enhance teachers' practice and their working lives. DuFour explains how recent reforms aimed at educators themselves…

In this article, the author has equated the principal's relationship with the president of the teachers' union as a dance where each wants to lead and yet there is, as in most relationships, a mutual dependency that makes each person realize that there is a time when one leads and a time when one follows. The author presents the details of when…

Over the past two decades, numerous textbooks have been published on teacher leadership; however, this is the only volume that provides a definitive overview of the scholarship and writing being done in the field of teacher leadership. This book introduces the reader to the scholarship of over 35 authors, and thus, becomes an essential tool needed…

A headmaster reflects on his role and that of teachers in the lives of students in his school. Available from Private School Quarterly, P.O. Box 21587, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33335. (IRT)

Recounts experiences and observations of an elementary school teacher turned principal who is committed to the idea of teachers participating in decision making. Describes the author's effort to adjust her perspective while making the transition from teacher to principal without losing sight of a teacher's special needs. (KH)

This paper contends that, if pupils are to achieve as optimally as possible, the principal needs to provide quality leadership in having teachers stress vital principles of learning from educational psychology. The paper states that there are selected principles of learning that all schools of psychology emphasize. It first enumerates and…

The sharing of all decisions with school staff helps by getting collective wisdom of staff members making the system more effective. Teachers should be trusted to make decisions about organization, which affect their lives and the lives of students by involving them in committees like safety committee, parent advisory board and budget committee.

"A Nation Prepared: Teachers for the 21st Century" is critiqued. National certification of teachers and changes recommended for preservice teacher education are praised, while neglect of the role of the principal and relations between teachers' unions, school boards, and administrators are pronounced serious flaws. (MT)

A principal describes the conditions in his school that provide intellectual stimulation and promote discussions among staff, students, and himself. (JM)

Praises United States Secretary of Education William J. Bennett's 1986 elementary education report for presenting worthwhile observations on values, parents' responsibility, and teachers' professional roles. Criticizes Bennett's omission of implementation strategies, especially concerning the federal government's role in assisting minority and…

A principal recounts his experiences and attempts at instructional leadership and points out that principals must give a great deal of attention to their own needs for nurturance and comfort, challenge, growth, and change. If they are to be effective leaders, principals must be reflective alone as well as with others. (CB)

The principal of Concord High School (New Hampshire) recounts the 1985-86 school year's four crises--the visits of teacher-astronaut Christa McAuliffe and Secretary of Education William Bennett, the shooting of a former student, and the Challenger space shuttle explosion. The greatest challenge was resuming the normal schedule and fielding media…

Argues from personal experience that a fundamental revision of school authority structures is necessary. Describes most school power organizations as "pyramids," with an all-competent principal at top. Suggests that principals "think small" and deal with problems realistically, maintaining their integrity by treating each teacher fairly and by…