Adaptive leadership focuses on helping leaders act in a way that encourages others to adapt and embrace change. Adaptive leaders engage in activities that "mobilize," "motivate," "organize," "orient," and "focus the attention of others." Instead of single-handedly trying to solve all problems and…

A school's success is largely determined by the effectiveness of its principal--decades of research have made this clear. Less settled is the question of what principals need to know and do to drive positive outcomes in their schools. A recent report funded by The Wallace Foundation provides evidence on the connection between school principals and…

A school principal discusses how the enrollment of two gender-diverse students in his school changed his thinking on school safety and helped him and his staff create a more inclusive and sensitive school environment.

A recent controversy over Amazon's culture has strong implications for the whole child approach, and it offers powerful lessons for principals. A significant difference between the culture of so many businesses today and the culture at good schools is that in good schools, the welfare of the employees is very important. Student success is the…

At a Monday evening monthly meeting of school administrators, discussion ensued about how to improve the administrators' schools. Ideas such as increasing student achievement, energizing teachers, and engaging parents were offered. One principal suggested focus should be turned to the students' restrooms, "because lots of problems emerge…

Students are often required to create work in a vacuum, handing in papers to an inauthentic audience for the purpose of receiving a grade. As a result, students often neglect to consider the effects that their work can have on others. In this article, the author highlights an art project from her middle school in Kings Park, New York, that…

If classrooms teachers play the lead role in establishing relationships that help students do their personal best, principals are leaders in creating good school environments for adults. Westerberg, former principal of award-winning Littleton High School in Colorado, shares six principles that help create positive schoolwide relationships. Drawing…

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…

Traditionally, principals have used walk-throughs to determine whether teachers are implementing strategies that the principal believes define good teaching. In this model, the principal is the expert, and the teacher is the learner. Connie M. Moss and Susan M. Brookhart believe that this approach can cause the principal to disregard the classroom…

It's a challenge for schools in every country: How to provide the right kind of discipline and create a climate that nurtures learning. This challenge may look different in different countries. A school's disciplinary climate not only is the product of educators' beliefs and actions, students' beliefs and actions, and the interaction of these, but…

The challenges one faces inside the school are connected to and compounded by things that are happening outside. In fact, schools face a number of external demands and pressures that they have to address. Moreover, without the connections, support, and expertise that come from interacting with a host of people, organizations, and institutions on…

Today more than ever, effective schools need to cultivate teacher leadership. Principals must meet multiple demands from many sources; they cannot be expected to be experts in all subject areas; and their tenure in a given school is often shorter than that of teachers. As novice teachers gain experience, they often develop the urge to extend their…

To audit school climate requires sound comprehensive planning and should include assessment of the climate dimensions of human satisfaction and human productivity. (Author/JM)

Describes a program at Kishwaukee Elementary School in Rockford (Illinois) designed to improve the effectiveness of this inner-city school. (Author/JM)

Outlines the characteristics and components of clinical supervision and presents 10 suggestions for implementing the process. (MD)