Reviews tasks and duties of department chairs, stressing the importance of establishing priorities and delegating appropriately. Includes an Appropriate Chair Role analysis for the Communication Department, George Mason University. (PD)

Considers the department chair crucial to the welfare of the university, responsible for housekeeping functions (scheduling, planning, etc.), recruiting faculty and students, and assuming advisory/leadership roles in the campus community. (PD)

Examines two areas of accountability associated with the role of ideal dean: planning, which includes developing a strong internal database, and leadership. (PD)

Examines the distinction between the roles of the college president and the chief student affairs officer. Demonstrates how the student affairs officer can support the president in obtaining resources and in other functions. (JAC)

An assistant principal suggests six changes in the role and responsibilities of assistant principals to help them prepare for principalship. (DCS)

Discusses creativity and the creative process. Delineates four habits that may be prevalent among community college educators that inhibit creativity (e.g., the pursuit of perfection and the need for personal control). Argues for creativity in leadership and suggests strategies by which educational leaders may encourage their own and others'…

The author examines the role of specialist supervisors in special education and suggests the need for reconsideration which would give special education supervisors authority over programs for more severely handicapped students, while allowing mildly handicapped students to be within general education's dominion. (CL)

Examines evidence of the loss of quality in community college instruction over the last two decades. Argues that administrative leadership is needed to reaffirm the community college's commitment to excellence in teaching. (DMM)

Suggests how administrators can understand the functions and relative merits of standardized tests. Notes that effective testing involves identifying criteria to be tested, techniques for testing these criteria, and standards for evaluation results. Urges principals to encourage the development and improvement of teachers' evaluation skills to…

Describes a range of subtle forms of sexual oppression that women faculty experience daily on campuses around the country. (PD)

Schools are managed with the wrong organizational model in mind. They are unique and cannot be governed by conventional management theory. This article describes schools as loosely coupled systems and describes what school administrators should be doing to be effective in such a situation. (Author/WD)

A former dean of the Faculty of Education at Harvard University discusses his decision to accept the position of headmaster of Phillips Academy in Andover (Massachusetts) and the rewards gained from fulfilling the responsibilities of a principal teacher. (WD)

Presents practical educational practices that can assist the elementary school principal in being an effective manager of mainstream programs. Suggests principals must exhibit competence, know about special services for the handicapped, and interface the needs of their staffs with the needs of their students. (NEC)

Discusses the conflicts between school principals and library media specialists concerning the role of the specialist and presents suggestions for resolving those conflicts. (FL)

Describes the need for principals to have a greater understanding both of the needs of special education students and of effective ways of handling their problems. Special education survey courses and practical experiences for administrators might help close the gap between principals and special education teachers. (WD)