"The Wiley Handbook of Educational Supervision" offers a comprehensive resource that explores the evolution of supervision through contributions from a panel of noted experts. The text explores a wealth of topics including recent and dramatic changes in the complex context of today's schools. This important resource: (1) Describes…

This paper considers the kinds of interventions that elementary school principals make for the purpose of improving practice in their schools. Findings are derived from the Principal-Teacher Interaction Study being conducted at the University of Texas at Austin, which has categorized interventions hierarchically at the following levels: policy,…

This study, initiated by the Scarborough (Ontario) Board of Education, examines principals' perceptions of their role in curriculum implementation, the difficulties inherent in this role and the support systems available to assist principals, and the leadership component of the principals' role in curriculum implementation. Interviews, based on a…

The aims of this symposium are to examine and discuss critically the findings of a major survey of practices in instructional supervision. Data from over 1,000 teachers and their supervisors in central Pennsylvania were compiled, and findings are reported in four sections. The first section is an introduction focusing on the theoretical…

In this 2-year study, the assumptions and methods of role theory were employed to guide the description and analysis of instructional leadership among secondary school principals. This paper reports selected findings from the first year's work--a focused ethnographic study of instructional leadership patterns in five secondary schools--based on…

Presents a conceptual model of educational leadership that is based on the dimensions of leading groups (including purpose and direction, educational problems, management of events, and standards) and on the dynamics of group interaction. (JW)

This essay proposes a responsive research agenda to examine relationships between supervisory inquiry and practice on one hand, and teaching and learning on the other. The agenda first calls for policy-oriented research that examines the implications of state-mandated educational changes on supervisory practices and commensurate teaching and…

Because leadership theories and recent research into principals' roles have only limited validity, practical utility, and comprehensiveness, this study undertakes a description of effective principals' behaviors and a coherent explanation of them. Long-term goals, factors affecting student learning, strategies for goal achievement, and structures…

This report describes efforts to test a model of leadership effectiveness that centers on "macro variables" and "discretionary leadership." Macro variables were represented by the complexity of the environment, context, and structure of a unit. Discretionary leadership was defined as influence over and above that typically…

The research on supervision and school effectiveness suggests that principals acting as supervisors of instruction make a difference in teacher performance and pupil learning. This study investigated whether effective clinical supervision requires supervisors who practice certain strategies and procedures as they dialogue with supervisees, or…

This report consists of two main sections. The first presents a theory about how supervisors decide on the causes of a subordinate's poor performance and what they do about it. A two-stage process is suggested. The first stage involves the supervisor making attributions about the causes of the poor performance. This stage requires processing an…

Past research has correlated differential curriculum implementation outcomes at the classroom level with the actions of the key change facilitator at the school level: the principal. Accordingly, this paper reports the results of a study of three change facilitator styles among principals: responders, managers, and initiators. Working definitions…

The role of the principal as leader has been a subject of considerable debate and research in education. This study examines the extent of variation in leadership behavior and activities among urban high school principals. Data were collected through interviews with principals and teachers in national samples of urban comprehensive high schools…

Using nationally representative data generated by the normal, day-to-day operation of schools, this research tested the major conclusions drawn from case studies focusing on principal effectiveness. On the basis of detailed information regarding individual student characteristics and achievements, detailed characteristics of teachers and their…

This book is designed to help policymakers, educators, and researchers develop a deeper understanding of the issues of school restructuring and to give greater conceptual clarity to the terms of the current debate. The chapters of the book contain forum papers that are organized into two main parts. Following chapter 1, "Introduction: On Changing…