This is a powerful critique of two decades of educational reform in New Zealand, from an educator who was deeply involved. It is also a provocative call for action. Bali Haque has been both a secondary school principal required to implement reform and a senior public servant in the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) tasked with pushing…

The principalship has experienced many changes over the years influenced by reform efforts, economic changes, and social challenges (Goodwin et al., 2005). As a result, challenges experienced by public school principals have impacted recruitment and retention efforts of qualified candidates. The Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium…

The term, "professional learning community" has become so common place in schools that it is used to refer to almost any type of collaborative work. But the "professional learning community" suggested first in the early 1990's described a school where teachers and administrators continuously worked to learn and then act upon what they learned. The…

Today's principals must have knowledge of content area standards and be involved in curriculum planning and pacing. They assign strong master teachers as mentors to new teachers. They are involved in what's happening in their classrooms and practice ongoing assessment of the classroom teaching, focusing on improving student learning. Today's…

This study considered the question, how do principals influence student achievement? We adopted a direct-effects model with antecedent effects to measure the relationship between principal characteristics and student achievement. Using such a model, we postulated that preservice principal characteristics, such as training and experience, enable…

This article reports early case-study data gathered from 20 schools involved in the "Impact of School Leadership on Pupil Outcomes" project. We present and discuss the perceptions of headteachers and other school leaders regarding leadership factors that directly and indirectly affect pupil outcomes in these improving schools. Included are…

Since 2004, AISD has conducted an annual survey to monitor campus staff's perceptions of their school environment. The survey measures elements of teaching and learning conditions most critical to school success.

The early gender bias experiences that children encounter can shape their attitudes and beliefs related to their development of interpersonal and intrapersonal relationships, access to education equality, participation in the corporate work world, as well as stifling their physical and psychological well being. For early childhood educators, being…

The current policy context established by "No Child Left Behind (NCLB)" calls for schools and teachers to develop and execute plans of action they believe will effectively address achievement gaps. This article uses conceptual and research literature to explore the construct of teachers' collective sense of efficacy and its potential…

Purpose: This study examined African American teachers' perceptions of their teaching experiences in schools that were once primarily populated with African American students but have experienced shifts in demographics to primarily consisting of Hispanic students. The study focused on three areas. The first area was African American teachers'…

"The Learning Principal" is an eight-page newsletter published eight times a year. It focuses on the important and unique work of school principals. This issue includes: (1) Landmark Study Examines U.S. Professional Learning: Findings Point the Way to Improving Student Achievement (Stephanie Hirsh); (2) School Leadership: Q&A:…

In the most recent Programme for International Student Assessment of science learning, the equivalent of six school years separate the achievement of 15-year-olds in Finland, the best-performing country, from their counterparts in Kyrgyzstan, a former Soviet republic. Still more than a school year lies between the neighboring countries Canada,…

The first year of teaching is a "make or break" time. Approximately 30 percent of all beginning teachers either move to a different school or leave teaching at the end of their first year. This paper proposes four action steps for beginning-teacher induction and mentoring programs with the potential to not only keep teachers in the classroom, but…

Purpose: The burden for school improvement in a time of accountability falls squarely on the shoulders of principals as new requirements demand that they act as instructional leaders. The purpose of this study is to discover the common themes of school leadership and instructional practices of high school principals at successful schools in…

Culturally proficient school leadership and its impact on narrowing the learning gap is both timely, and needed and the focus of discussion for this study. This phenomenological qualitative research study examined culturally proficient school leadership actions that help promote a measurable narrowing of the achievement gap in five southeastern…