The 42 school districts participating in the state of Washington's Inclusionary Practices Project achieved a significant 12.8% increase in inclusion in the least restrictive environment (LRE 1, or in general education for 80-100% of the school day) over four years, surpassing the state average increase of 6.8%. Katie Novak and Helene Paroff…

In 1983 the Far West Laboratory's instructional management program established Peer-Assisted Leadership (PAL), a unique professional development program for principals. No longer isolated, principals help each other develop analytical and other skills to become better instructional leaders. MLH)

In addition to serving as managers and teachers, superintendents must exercise considerable political skill to meet the varying demands placed on school administrations by school boards responding to changing public pressures. Managing the conflict growing out of these multiple roles is the sign of an excellent superintendent. (PGD)

A review of several well-known studies of schooling suggests that schools--and their principals--can indeed make a difference. The authors suggest four keys to improving the training and practice of the building principal. (Author)

Efforts to empower teachers will be aided by parallel attempts to strengthen principals and other supervisors' ability to perform their job better. Principals need to be specifically trained in using personal power to help empower their teachers. Further research is needed concerning the exercise of power in schools. Includes nine references. (MLH)

By focusing school schedules on teacher-directed instruction in reading and mathematics and developing a parallel-block master schedule, more efficient use can be made of classroom time without large expenditures of money or time for staff development. (DCS)

A study of elementary and secondary principals revealed that effective principals all demonstrated five essential qualities of leadership--they had clear visions of desirable futures for their schools, translated those visions into specific goals, established supportive environments for improvement, monitored progress, and intervened effectively…

Addressing the underlying tension that generally exists between school-level autonomy and systemwide uniformity, the author's nine commandments include recognizing the school as the key organizational unit in public education, selecting and nurturing first-rate principals, and granting more budgetary authority to the school level. (JBM)