Reviews strategic planning aspects essential to educational administration, including organizing for planning, utilizing information sources, and developing the participative decision-making process. Strategic planning clearly transcends traditional and outmoded planning procedures in its ability to upset views, identify new possibilities, and…

Industry has believed for years that adopting the metric system would be an advantage to U. S. economy both at home and abroad. The author explains how the metric conversion program is being organized, and how educators can get information about it. (Editor)

Tongue-in-cheek advice on how to survive the principalship. (Author/MLF)

Outlines basic management principles intended to aid secondary school principals in dealing with school discipline problems. (JG)

Discusses common categories of inhumane management behavior identified in a survey of principals and school district administrators. (JG)

In an era of increased public demands on schools and school leaders, reliance on values and principles is essential. Principals also need vision that comes from meditation and knowledge derived from building high quality educational programs for all American youth. The goal is helping each individual progress and find self-fulfillment in a free…

Principals inevitably influence instruction and learning whether they intend to or not. How principals handle six managerial tasks (scheduling; articulating policies, rules, and norms; hiring personnel; supervising personnel; coordinating pupil services; and managing self-development) determines their effectiveness as managers and instructional…

Tables of general characteristics of philosophies, administrative theories, and administrative practices related to the theories are presented to help school administrators assess their own beliefs and values and move toward the consistent conceptual framework necessary for improving their administrative behavior. (MJL)

To overcome the superprincipal complex, principals must become expert in processing information and making decisions. To make informed decisions most effectively, principals should employ participatory management, become process consultants, and incorporate the Situation-Target-Proposal (STP) method for resolving problems. Otherwise, change will…

If educational leaders are to reshape education, they must acquire new and effective skills suitable for deployment in the information age. Administrator certification programs need to provide an understanding and application of formal organization theory, management functions, and the relationship of human growth and development to the learning…

Offers ten tips intended to help administrators make decisions and resolve conflicts. (Author/JM)

For beginning principals, delegation is an important skill and an effective way to learn about staff members. After defining the school's strengths and weaknesses, a principal can set concise, realistic goals and communicate them to the school community. A general blueprint for action (including communication, assessment, planning, and…

Principals of smaller and rural secondary schools should think critically about the mix of their goals with staff members' goals. Although very little can be accomplished from the principal's momentum alone, a united group can accomplish great things. Suggestions are given for providing each staff member with meaningful leadership opportunities.…

Few administrators fail to become leaders because they lack technical skills. The problem is lack of people skills and inability to exercise good judgment. Administrators can minimize failure by valuing honesty, objectivity, delegation, and feedback and by respecting chain of command and the limitations of power. Other potential pitfalls are…

Defines school-based management (SBM) as a program adopted by schools or school districts to improve education by increasing school staff autonomy in making building-level decisions. Analyzes SBM's key objectives, benefits, and limitations. Budget, curriculum, and staffing decisions are commonly decentralized under SBM. Staff communication is…