There is growing awareness among educators and policymakers that effective school leaders are critical to school success and student achievement. Many studies illustrate the important benefits of effective school leadership for teachers, pointing to the significant influence on teacher satisfaction, development, and retention. This case study…

An effective school requires an effective leader, but great principals rarely just happen. They are cultivated. This Wallace Perspective draws on a decade of foundation research and work in school leadership to show how urban school districts can play a major role in ensuring they have principals who can boost teaching and learning in troubled…

Provides up-to-date advice for school board members on the use of corporal punishment in the schools. Reviews recent court cases in the state of Georgia. Provides four legal guidelines to apply in corporal punishment cases. (MD)

Examines how principals view the importance of the following: (1) tasks of media specialists; (2) standards of the State Board of Education and of accrediting agencies; and (3) media specialists' responsibilities in planning media programs, public relations efforts, and other media activities. (MS)

In her first year as superintendent of the Atlanta Public Schools, Beverly Hall encountered what she describes as the nearly universal disbelief that poor children of color can achieve high levels of learning. This chapter recounts how she confronted this and other obstacles and challenges as the new leader of the Atlanta Public Schools. Hall is…