In education systems around the world, planners and policymakers are calling for more attention to whole-system improvement. To best address teaching and learning outcomes, teachers and head teachers need whole-system support to build professionalism and improve their practice. The middle tier of education systems, composed of professionals…

The goal of this manual is to provide guidance in the evaluation of educators, highlight critical components of effectiveness training, and offer opportunities for professional growth. The term "educator" includes teachers, all professional and temporary professional employees, education specialists, and school administrators/principals.…

The principal's role in the process of inducting student teachers is important. This paper functions as a guide to show principals how they can facilitate positive student teacher experience by working to minimize problems. Initially the principal should review district policy with the student teacher, introduce the student teacher to key…

The principles and practices of Catholic school supervision, as distinguished from school supervision in general, are predicated on a special Christian view of education, emphasizing the unique value, diversity, and personal growth of pupils and teachers alike within a mutually caring Christian community. Accordingly, an approach is developed for…

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,…

In response to accountability pressures over the past several years, a body of research attempting to identify characteristics of effective schools has developed. Efforts to improve school climate or evaluate teachers solely according to "effective school" characteristics may be misguided. One problem is that school effectiveness may be…

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…

Counsels new superintendents to assess staff strengths and deficiencies before devising a plan that uses everyone's talents (even those of "turkey" principals) to fullest advantage. Strong communication and supervisory skills and firm administrative policies are essential to target weak performers and determine when transfers or dismissals might…

This annotated bibliography was prepared to serve as background material for the paper "Instructional Leadership: A Composite Working Model" by James R. Weber. Although not all the materials compiled in this bibliography propose discrete models of instructional leadership, the selections represent the range of issues, tasks, and…

To guarantee an efficient educational system, effective evaluation and supervision of teacher performance are necessary. However, the evaluation of teacher performance presents two major problems: first, no clear definition or measure of effective teaching exists, and second, evaluation is perceived to have conflicting purposes, either as a…

This synthesis of research findings translates investigations in instructional leadership into a working model for practitioners--principals, assistant principals, teachers, and others. Three kinds of research--theoretical, practical, and ethnographic--are used to develop a model based on six interrelated functions of instructional leadership,…

Presents guidelines for teacher observation and evaluation. (Author/MLF)

A veteran principal offers some wide-ranging and practical suggestions for supervising children on the playground and in the cafeteria. (Author/MLF)

Contends that evaluation is determining whether a teacher is doing a good job and rating the teacher's performance, whereas supervision is determining what's happening in the classroom and perhaps giving a little advice. Steps to better evaluation include discarding checklists and annual formal evaluation, and providing opportunities for teacher…

Instructional leadership is leadership that is directly related to the processes of instruction where teachers, learners, and the curriculum interact. These three elements constitute the domains of the instructional process. The principal alone often cannot be effective in the supervisory role because of lack of time, lack of specific training and…