NASSP Bulletin

An idealized view of the principal's role ignores both the importance that context plays and the unique and dynamic quality of individual principals. Yet, there are three things that good principals do: understand the context, understand themselves, and focus on what is best for students. This article identifies the major community, school, and reform contexts in which principals work and discusses components of self-understanding that are important to enacting the role in a reform setting.

A principal's role is multifaceted and continually transforming to include new demands. In a 31-item survey of 1,801 principals from Indiana, results show that disparities exist among rankings of perceived priorities and actual priorities. Only three items were rated comparably: school climate, curriculum expansion, and improved staff morale. Implications are discussed.

Principal preparation programs nationwide are closely analyzing their curricula and responding to the current challenges through meaningful change. This article addresses seven trends in new programs and their role in the success and failure of principals and their ability to affect student achievement.

Expectations from the standards movement, reform, and advances in technology pose challenges that school leaders must be prepared to face. This article advocates principal preparation and cultivation through mentoring and coaching. It clarifies the differences, uses in succession planning, new principalships and job changers, and benefits to both the mentor and protégé.

The selection process for principalship is the most significant factor in assuring quality candidates. Programs are available that focus on training and development in administration, communication, and technology. This article explains the Kentucky Principal Internship program, a collaborative effort of the Jefferson County Public School District and the University of Louisville.

It is important for educational leaders to have a clear vision of the role of the school in today's complex world. Principals who look for opportunities beyond the United States and learn about American societal relationships from a global distance will be better able to provide proper stewardship of the most valued resources in education—teachers and students.

This article outline specific guidelines useful for principals who recognize the importance of providing a culture of quality in their schools so that students can realize their potential. Guidelines are based on research that involves placing students in demanding, long-term intellectual environments and requires that teachers and principals agree on quality indicators.

Following the call for middle-school reform, several arguments emerged that supported a consistent idea of what constitutes a “good middle school.” This article focuses specifically on exploratory programs, offers a review of related literature, and examines the problems and solutions principals and teachers from two middle schools reported during interviews.

With more school violence in the forecast, administrators are quickly developing plans to respond. But what are some of the critical elements to be considered? This article looks at four such elements.

A critical problem in American high schools is the lack of collegiality among teachers. This article relates a personal experience in the development of the “Teacher Learning Groups” model in which staff lead sessions on a topic of interest or expertise.

Academic experiences of middle level, high school, and college students from both public and private schools were examined. Seventy-one participants from midwestern urban and rural communities reported their observations within the context of reform. Points discussed include instructional method, quality of teaching, school safety, and further implications.