After more than 20 years of vague reference to the principal as instructional leader, progress is finally being made, and the specificity and results are truly awesome. In 1989, William Smith and Richard Andrews wrote a monograph titled "Instructional Leadership: How Principals Make a Difference." In their study of 1,200 school…

Summarizes results of an in-depth study of 25 elementary and middle schools in 11 districts in the United States, Canada, and Australia. Some schools were actively restructuring; others were going through the motions of school-based management with little instructional change. The most successful SBM plans were those that empowered new decision…

Describes a Canadian principal's efforts to deal with a disruptive child suffering from attention-deficit disorder. Staff focused on creating a positive school experience for Tommy after medication failed to mitigate his outbursts. Next fall, there will be an "acting out" room and additional human resources. (MLH)