Excessive centralized control begets uniformity, which denies local need and school uniqueness. Further, control, order, and supervision create impassivity and work against autonomy. The decentralization of authority to lower echelons more familar with local needs may provide a more relevant administration that encourages local initiatives; school…

During the 1987 World Health Organization's Regional Assembly, the Ministers of Health of the African States launched the Bamako Initiative, an effort aimed at reorganizing the health system to ensure universal, permanent accessibility of maternal and child health services. Three conditions were initially seen as necessary for success: improvement…

Does homework increase academic achievement? The best answer, in 1986, is that large-scale correlational studies at the secondary level suggest a strong, positive relationship between amount of homework and academic achievement. Results are less clear at the elementary level, but the weight of evidence is positive. At both elementary and secondary…

Relevant theory and research are brought to bear on the questions of what administrators can do that makes a difference to student learning, of exactly what principals manage in their role as education leader, and of what knowledge they must have to increase learning in their schools. Conclusions are that principals can improve student achievement…

Two policy options for improving teacher competence, inservice training and regular classroom supervision, were studied through a survey of approximately 400 rural primary schools in Thailand. Results do not indicate improvement resulting from inservice training but do show improvement resulting from intensity of supervision. Implications for…

We position teaching as a complex, creative profession and have an expectation that practicum should support the reflexive, possibility-thinking and risk-taking creative endeavours of the beginning teacher. This paper reports on a series of studies that explored shared understandings and effectiveness of relationships and roles of practicum…

This paper discusses the changing nature of the role of principals following the introduction of local school management (Partnerships 21) in South Australia. The study reports the series of interviews with primary and junior secondary principals with regard to their roles in several areas namely; instructional leadership, teachers' professional…

This article reflects a perspective from outside the educational fraternity. It describes management consulting studies of pay for principals. Educators prefer to be accountable to other educators for their performance. In many situations, this has led to pay policies that may reflect the consensus of educators but do not permit these educators to…

For anyone in a leadership position, responsible for the performance of others, there is always an obvious concern with the quality of the work performed and the adherence to the mission, vision, values and culture of the organization. Traditional methods of assuring quality performance include some form of performance appraisal, giving feedback…

In this study, the implementation effects of a program for the training in coaching skills with Dutch school counselors are described. These school counselors are expected to provide help and support to primary school teachers. Coaching is a form of in-class support intended to provide teachers with feedback on their own functioning, thereby…

Two experiments in instructional supervision were conducted to support teachers in changing their teaching behavior as they implemented a new math curriculum. The focus of the investigation was a method of teaching multiplication and principles of effective teaching. In the first experiment, instructional supervision, both with and without…

This learning unit on stores control is one in the Choice Series, a self-learning development program for supervisors. The purpose of the approximately eight-hour-long unit is to enable the supervisor to design and organize the layout of a store for maximum efficiency, understand the types of documentation associated with the movement of goods…

This book, written with reference to British schools, examines the skills that are needed for educational management and leadership, and discusses how those skills should be applied. The first chapter sets out the tasks and skills involved in each of three major areas: the management of learning, the school as a community, and the management of…

The traditional goals of teacher education programs in Canada are preparing teachers who can work within existing school systems, who are knowledgeable in subject areas, and who have skills in various teaching techniques. These goals are at variance with the recognized need on the part of the schools for teachers who can integrate theory and…

The aim of this study was to identify the best way to prepare and give support to Western Australian teachers when they assume their first appointments. Subjects included 15 percent of all new teacher appointments in the state of Western Australia in 1977. These were interviewed personally, as were their principals and superintendents. The…