In this qualitative ethnographic research study, I focused on a first-year assistant principal's leadership experiences in an urban PK-8 school environment and the coaching, mentoring, support, and training needed to develop an effective building administrator who will be retained in the assistant principal position. The guiding research questions…

During the past decade, thousands of schools have adopted response to intervention (RTI) frameworks as the means of improving educational outcomes for all students, including those with disabilities. Planning, implementing, and sustaining those frameworks requires organizational changes that affect staff members and underlying school structures…

This comprehensive toolkit will bring you up to speed on why RTI is one of the most important educational initiatives in recent history and sets the stage for its future role in teacher education and practice. The authors demonstrate innovative ways to use RTI to inform instruction and guide curriculum development in inclusive classroom settings.…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the tensions between external accountability obligations, educator's professional values, and student needs. Strategic, cognitive, and moral dimensions of this tension are captured with the central category of integrity. Design/methodology/approach: This is a mixed methods study that compares five…

Argues that the participatory leadership model is especially effective at the middle school level because the team concept is vital to the middle school construct. Asserts that principals who use such a model can truly become instructional leaders. (FL)

Argues that providing leadership and opportunities for staff members to become more effective in their jobs are the primary responsibilities of a school principal. Offers a number of suggestions for use in staff development. (FL)

Mandated standards do not pose a threat to developmentally responsive middle level programs; rather, how standards are interpreted determines their appropriateness for educating young adolescents. Differences in responses to mandated standards are reflective of an individual school's culture. Understanding culture and cultural leadership provides…

In searching for avenues to create a collaborative school environment in which autonomous teachers impact the outcomes of schooling and students become independent learners, there is increasing interest in "self-managing work groups." This paper presents findings of a study that examined the role of the principal in the development of…

Four secondary schools engaged in a program of individualized schooling were selected for this longitudinal study based on theories of decision-making, leadership, and job satisfaction. Researchers examined the relationship between staff job satisfaction on the one hand and the amount of decision-making and the staff's perceptions of principal…

Examines challenges to school library materials initiated by principals in public middle, junior, and senior high school libraries based on a 1990 survey. A review of literature emphasizing the leadership of principals, their role in school library program development, and the principal and school library censorship is included. (Author/LRW)

This handbook describes skills and competencies that are consistent with the most generally accepted middle school philosophies. These include the philosophy that middle schools should be student-centered, should ease the transition to high school, emphasize an integrated curriculum, and implement instruction that emphasizes active learning.…

Findings of a study that examined how effectively instructional leadership and instructional climate predict student learning outcomes are presented in this paper. Surveys to determine principals' self-perceptions and teachers' perceptions of instructional climate were completed by 72 principals and 1,523 teachers. Achievement results for 9,415…

This paper presents the results of an Achievement Directed Leadership (ADL) field test conducted at eight elementary schools and a middle school in an urban school district in New Jersey during the 1981-82 school year. The stated purpose of the field test was only secondarily to assess student outcomes; its major objective was to help principals…

The result of a collaborative effort to meet the needs of California educators in middle-grades reform, this volume provides access to the best ideas in research and practice, and support for local improvement efforts. The casebook format tells the strategies, problems, and diverse actions of educators focusing on the "how" of leading a…