The Programs for Higher Education (PHE) at Nova University (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) developed field-based doctoral programs in higher education, leadership in adult education, and vocational, technical, and occupational education. During the 1980s, PHE critically analyzed the format for the delivery of the specialization seminars for the three…

The self-interests of the primary participants in the school and the common welfare as represented in the improvement of the American educational system are most likely to become one in the process of improving the school as a work place. This strategy was explored in the form of a collaborative enterprise. Eighteen schools in southern California…

Nearly every state has initiated a comprehensive plan for improving K-12 education. These reforms include new standards for students and schools, stricter requirements for the teaching profession, new sources of funding for education, the strengthening of leadership and management positions, and programs for special student populations. (RM)

Research shows conclusively that principals and other school leaders are essential to school improvement, and that these individuals benefit from the intensive, contextualized support that a coach or mentor can provide. But how does a coach support a school leader in mastering the professional and emotional challenges of school leadership for a…

The Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico-Rural Systemic Initiative (UCAN-RSI) supports systemic improvement in science, technology, and mathematics education for all rural students in the four states, focusing on schools that enroll large numbers of American Indian and Hispanic students. This document contains a report on UCAN's 4th year (September…

Even the best schools must undertake a systematic and continuous appraisal of their current condition and future directions if they are to remain valuable and viable contributors to their community's quality of life. It is clear that schools cannot undertake that appraisal unless it is done in full partnership with the communities in which they…

The South African educational system has experienced many significant changes in the past 5 years which are intended to facilitate paradigm shifts in terms of ownership of schools, equity, wider access, more mobility, and modernization. New legislation and policy frameworks propose numerous strategic recommendations. It was against this backdrop…

Details the planning of an education center intended to introduce community education more effectively to Indian communities by providing them with technical assistance and facilitator-type leadership training in a field-based mode. Notes the goals, proposed functions, and planning timetable of the center, and what makes it unique. (SB)

Major findings from a five-year study of the impact of the Swedish School Leader Education Program (SLEP), a program of leadership development for principals and vice principals, are reported. Despite research design difficulties, results for 35 school management areas and 66 evaluators suggest a positive impact of the SLEP. (SLD)

Findings from this six-year study point to the challenge of providing substantive and on-going feedback to students in a non-traditional leadership preparation program. More importantly, this paper describes, from an inside-out perspective, the struggles encountered as faculty attempted to remedy inconsistencies in the program and reconcile…

Researchers have spent years investigating the demands, multiple roles, and critical nature of organizational leaders in postsecondary educational settings. Overall, the research indicates agreement that leadership at all levels in postsecondary education is complex and multidimensional. During the past thirty years, though, much of the research…

The New York University Symposium on Urban Community Colleges examined the distinctions between urban and non-urban community colleges, the role of urban community colleges in linking high schools and universities and in promoting local economic development, and methods of identifying and developing leaders for these institutions. No definitive…

This paper focuses on the preparation of personnel to provide services to developmentally at risk infants and young children. Efforts in preparing direct service personnel should specifically define the population of children to be served, emphasize interdisciplinary preparation while recognizing the importance of disciplinary preparation, have a…

Principals play an important role in the success of externally funded change projects in their schools. Interviews exploring the participation of principals in such projects in 14 Oregon elementary and secondary schools provided 11 case studies illustrating helpful and unhelpful behaviors. The projects were found to have life cycles of their own,…

Educators from the teacher, administrator, and school-board associations of the states of Alaska, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Oregon joined with the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory to highlight the achievements of the public schools in preparing children and youth for a successful and fulfilling life, and to note the significant…