The Principal: Creative Leadership for Excellence in Schools

This text is organized around the ISLLC Standards and provides a bridge from the theory of school administration to the practical problem solving in which school principals and other leaders engage. The Principal is organized into four parts centered on the six Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) Standards developed specifically for school leaders. Each of the four major parts of the book is framed with one or two of the Standards as its major theme. Now in its fifth edition, this text continues to be based on the research indicating linkages between educational leadership and productive schools, especially in terms of outcomes for children. It supports the understanding that formal leadership in schools is a complex, multi-faceted task that requires continual learning and that effective school leaders must be strong educators focused on the central issues of learning, teaching, and school improvement.

Table of Contents:
All chapters conclude with “Summary,” “Activities,” “Endnotes,” and “Selected Readings.” Preface. I. CREATING A VISION OF LEADERSHIP AND LEARNING. 1. The Principal: A Creative Blend of Substance and Style. The School: The Context for Leadership. The Principalship: The Role in Context. The Principal: The Leader Within the Role. The Leadership Background. 2. The Learning Community. Learning Communities. High Performance Organizations. 3. Decision Processing and Decision Making at the School Site. Decision Making: A Perspective. Decision Making as Problem Solving. Decision Settings. Decision Processing. The Work Group as a Problem Solving Unit. Problem-Solving Work Groups. The Garbage Can Model of Decision Making. 4. School Improvement Through Systematic Planning. The Principal's Role. Gathering Baseline Data. Determining Vision and Mission. Clarifying Expectations for Student Learning. Analysis of Instructional and Organizational Effectiveness. Action Planning/Project Management. The Project Calendar: Gantt Charting. II. DEVELOPING A POSITIVE SCHOOL CULTURE. 5. Creating a Positive Learning Climate. It's No Secret. The School as a Culture. Positive Student Control. Actively Encouraging a Positive Learning Environment. The Counseling Program. Student Services. 6. The School Curriculum. The Principal's Role in Curriculum Administration. Curriculum Analysis. Curriculum Design and Development. Curriculum Delivery. Curriculum Flexibility. Curriculum Continuity. Curriculum Balance. Curriculum Classification System. A Curriculum Model. Offering Curricular Breadth. 7. Promoting Student Achievement. Individual Differences Among Children. Grouping Students. Instructional Processes and Types of Instruction. Research on Teaching. 8. Special Students and Special Services. The 1997 Idea Amendments. Special Education and Related Services. Disciplining Students with Disabilities. Dealing with Parents of Special Children. The Role of the Principal. The Role of the Regular Classroom Teacher. Outside Public Agencies. 9. Human Resources Development. Human Resource Development and Organizational Context. Individual and Group Needs. Professional Development. Personnel Evaluation and Supervision. The Staff Evaluation Cycle. Mentoring. Organizational Development. Implications for Leaders. III. MANAGING THE ORGANIZATION. 10. Staffing the School—Recruitment, Selection, and Termination Processes. Recruitment. The Selection Process. Employee Probationary Status. Teacher Tenure. Involuntary Termination. Voluntary Termination. 11. Restructuring the Deployment of Instructional Personnel. Empowerment. Learning Communities. Organizing for Learning Community Development. Staffing Patterns for Elementary and Middle Schools. Staffing Patterns for Secondary Schools. The School as a Learning Community. 12. Restructuring Time—Scheduling. Schedule Flexibility. Schedule Design. Learning Community Planning Time. Elementary School Schedules. Middle School Schedules. Secondary School Schedules. Block Schedules—Middle and High School. Year-Round Schools. 13. Creative Budgeting, Fiscal Accounting, and Building Management. The Budgeting and Planning Process. Implementing a Planning, Programming, Budgeting System. Accounting for Financial Resources and Expenditures. Supplies and Equipment Management. Care of the School Plant. Working with Classified Personnel. 14. Technology Applications for School Management. How to Get Started. Technology Plans. Technology Applications for a School Office. Management Information Systems. Local Area Networks (LAN). World Wide Web (WWW). Staff Development for Technology. Hardware Security. IV. INTERACTING WITH THE EXTERNAL SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT. 15. The School and the Community. The Community. The School in the Complex Community: The Impact of the Gesselschaft Society. Informal Community Forces. Anticipate Obvious Flashpoints. Formal Community Forces. Promising Public Relations Techniques: Dealing with the Formal and Informal Forces. Getting the Message Out: One-Way Public Relations Techniques. Getting the Message Out and Back: Two-Way Public Relations Techniques. 16. Legal Rights and Responsibilities of Students and Staff. Legal Bases for Schools: A Federal, State, and Local Perspective. Due Process. Issues of Equity. First Amendment Rights. Sexual Harassment. Common Tort Liability Settings. Privacy and Confidentiality of Student Records. Appendix A: Case Studies in School Leadership and Management. Appendix B: ISLLC Standards (1-6).