School leaders often neglect a key mechanism for empowerment: The school-improvement plan. In this article, researchers Coby Meyers and Bryan VanGronigen discuss five fundamentals of improvement planning that school leaders can use to ensure their plans are useful, effective, and on-track.

School leaders' resilience is best built as a collective effort, write Soraya Sablo Sutton and Nate Gong. The "Change Makers" program at UC Berkeley's Principal Leadership Institute gave school leaders across California the opportunity to work together to solve problems of practice and build their collective resilience--a key to…

As a new principal, Adkins-Sharif shares his lessons learned in the first year on the job. He hones in on classroom-focused learning to improve instructional leadership and create a thriving school culture. Adkins-Sharif suggests learning from other school leaders and peers, making time for classroom observations, and creating open dialogues with…

New school leaders typically start out with enthusiasm--but sometime in their first year, they often find themselves disappointed, exhausted, and full of self-doubt. In this article, Cathy A. Toll discusses five perspectives that helped her enthusiasm for the job when she was a new school leader: (1) Teachers are well-intentioned, hard-working…

The principal can make a fundamental difference in the performance of a school by involving staff members in school improvement planning, specific teacher and program development, and careful assessment. (Author)

Organization stability can be deeply affected when leadership changes. Frequent leadership turnover is to be expected, though it interferes with project timetables and can drastically disrupt progress. This article offers practical advice for managing leadership transitions effectively. (three references) (MLH)

Former elementary principal suggests ways to improve student learning by increasing information sharing among faculty, including the restructuring of faculty meetings, adopting an inclusive planning process, and creating study groups. (PKP)

Describes a team approach to guidance at Briarcliff Manor Middle School, Briarcliff Manor, New York. (MB)

An Alberta high school principal describes the process of transforming a small vocational training school into an innovative school of science and technology. While preparing school plans, this principal learned the importance of open discussion. Community participants identified seven topics for further study that were later incorporated into a…

A New Zealand survey found that elementary and secondary teachers were concerned about four key technology management issues: planning, access, technical support, and professional development. Teachers recommended that principals have a clear, democratically constructed policy on the place of educational technologies in the school curriculum,…

Thirty-nine principals, classified according to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, filled out quesionnaires based on Vroom's leadership behavior model and Mintzberg's 10 manageral subroles. Because the findings correlate effectiveness with time allotted to disturbance handling and entrepreneurial roles, three recent decision-science techniques are…