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National Plan for Principal Development
Strengthening the skills and knowledge of the nation's100,000 principals is likely to have more immediate payoff in raising student performance than any other area of school improvement because it is central to raising standards, improving teacher quality, and holding schools accountable for results, says this recent report by the National Staff Development Council. NSDC offers a national strategy and urges school leaders to spend more time observing teachers and classrooms. (Press release includes links to PDF and web version of report.) Also see the Winter 2001 issue of the Journal of Staff Development, which has several principal leadership stories. And see this collection at the NSDC Library, including this profile of the NC principal leadership program.

Principals Can Shape School Culture
Principals send large cultural messages to staff and students with every decision regarding budgets, curriculum, instruction, as well as interactions with central office and community leaders, says this article in the National Staff Development Council publication "Results." The article offers insights from leadership experts and several strategies principals can use to help schools focus on caring and achievement. Also see the Journal of Staff Development article on principal leadership for effective staff development ("In the Right Context," Winter 2001).

Reinventing the Principalship (PDF File)
This report from the Institute for Educational Leadership -- "Leadership for Student Learning: Reinventing the Principalship" -- draws on the work of IEL's Task Force on Principal Leadership, chaired by Joseph Murphy and Paul Schwarz. "The core mission of the principalship must be redefined as leadership for student learning. Communities must fill the pipeline with effective school leaders...and guarantee quality and results." Includes guidelines for communities that wish to start conversations on reinventing the principalship.

Engineering a Middle School Turnaround
One year after Barren County Middle School opened its doors in 1994, the school ranked 141st out of 336 Kentucky middle schools as measured by state standardized tests. By 1999-2000, the school's ranking had jumped to 26th. "Staff development was a driving force in the turnaround," says former principal Michelle Pedigo in this Journal of Staff Development article (Summer 2001) [Read Michelle's MiddleWeb diaries here.] And read this interview with Pedigo, the NASSP 2000 middle level principal of the year (Education World).

Middle Grades Principal Leadership -- Study Groups
At the Collaborative Communications website, "Study Groups for Principals" describes how one district structures dedicated time for principals to learn about best practices and discuss them with colleagues. And see this article from NSDC's "Results" about the same principal program. Another entry at Collaborative Communications, "Communicating with Principals," shares a tool for district administrators to organize and disseminate materials using a weekly, systematic format that saves principals administrative time and increases time for instructional leadership.

Preparing Principals for Complex Leadership
What implications do recent developments in public education -- such as the standards and accountability movement -- have for school leadership? Certainly the job of principals has become far more complex. The February 2001 issue of "Strategies," published by AASA and the Panasonic Foundation, looks at ways three school systems are building principals' capacity to meet new challenges, including a profile of Hamilton Co. (Chattanooga) TN's principal leadership center. (To download a PDF/Acrobat version of this issue, go to this link and find "Feburary 2001.")

Articles for Middle School Principals from NAESP
At this link you'll find a selection of on-line articles from the "Middle Matters" newsletter of the National Association of Elementary School Principals. Some topics include: "Moving Away from Social Promotion," "After-School Programs Can Make a Difference," "Creating a Comprehensive Guidance Program," and "Plan for a Successful Inclusion Program."

Articles for Middle School Principals from NASSP
The National Association of Secondary School Principals has begun to offer selected articles from its publications NASSP Bulletin and Principal Leadership online. This link leads to the index.

What Makes Principals "Highly Successful"?
Forty successful Washington State principals were asked about factors most likely to prevent schools from raising student achievement. The number one factor? Lack of visionary leadership. Read about the results of this study by Seattle Pacific University in this Education World article and find out how principals answered the question: "What would need to happen before you'd take over a struggling school?" Includes link to complete study, other resources.

The New Principal
This special issue of Northwest Education magazine (NWREL) examines the challenges facing today's principal in several articles. "Sharing the Lead" makes the case that successful principals are working "in a collaborative spirit with a wide range of stakeholders to meet reform goals." Another article, "Preparing to Lead," describes one of the legacies of much-mourned former Seattle supertintendent John Stanford -- the Principal Leadership Institute.

Portrait of the Super Principal
After a tumultuous decade of reform, principals work longer hours, have more stress, and get less thanks. Is there any way to make this job more attractive? , this article in the Harvard Education Letter asks.

The Contemporary Principal
Subtitled "New Skills for a New Age," this article from the May 2000 issue of Education Update (ASCD) shares the viewpoints of principal leadership experts about the changing definition of "effective" leadership. "As we redefine what teachers do as professionals," says one, "we must, by necessity, redefine how school leaders operate." (Complete text and resources online.)

Job-Embedded Principal Training
"Quietly, under cover of educational lingo and university requirements, reformers around the country have established beachheads of clinical education for principals. The programs view schools -- not university lecture halls -- as the proper training ground for future leaders, and they put student learning as job one for principals." ("Building on Experience," Education Week, 5/3/00.) Also see this article on the need for better principal professional development by NASSP executive director Gerald Terrozi ("The Principalship," Education Week, 3/29/00)

Evaluating the Principal
Principal evaluation is "all over the map," says this article in ASCD's "Education Update" (December 2000), and, as accountability for student performance becomes an ever larger factor in measuring a principal's effectiveness, fair and consistent evaluation procedures are paramount. The article reviews attempts to bring more uniformity to principal evaluation, including a system developed the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium that outlines a series of standards that can be recognized by states for licensure.

Middle School Principal: "Parents are people, too"
"A 7th grade student named Kevin helped Marianne Young come to a profound realization about parents and their school-age children," begins this article in ASCD's "Education Update" (November 2000). "These parents are continually 'in the process of losing their dreams of what their children will be and facing the reality of who their children are becoming.'" It's time, this principal says, for schools to develop "a new way of talking with parents."

Confronting Mediocrity in Your School
Excerpt from an important article in the October School Administrator: "Barring a district-level intervention, Principal A will follow the concepts and pattern he picked up from his mentor: Some teachers can do it and some teachers cannot. He'll assign his average teachers to average kids who, he will argue, 'don't really need lots of content' and whose parents will not complain. He'll save his top-notch instructors for the advanced placement classes they like and are intellectual enough to teach." Also see the sidebar: 3 C's for Building a Culture of High Standards.

Differentiated Instruction: Equity and Excellence
"Search as hard as you may," Carol Ann Tomlinson tells school administrators, "but you'll never find a job in the Lake Wobegon School District, where all students conveniently arrive above average in their academic readiness." In this article in the October 1999 issue of School Administrator, the University of Virginia professor makes the case for differentiated instruction, which "promotes high-level and powerful curriculum for all students, but varies the level of teacher support, task complexity, pacing and avenues to learning based on student readiness, interest and learning profile."

On the Frontier of Reform: Trailblazers, Pioneers, Settlers and "Stay at Homes"
In this article, "On the Frontier of School Reform," reformer Phil Schlechty's presents his favorite metaphor for the complex process of restructuring systems so that new outcomes are possible. Trailblazers take the first steps; pioneers, who need assurances that the trip is worthwhile follow the trailblazers; and settlers, who need to know what is expected of them and where they are going, bring up the rear. Then there are the "stay-at-homes," who Schlechty feels should be treated with benign neglect, and the saboteurs, who can be disruptive but may have something to add.

Getting Reform Right: What Works and What Doesn't
This article by Michael G. Fullan and Matthew B. Miles suggests seven reasons why typical approaches to change do not work. Reform that endures must be systemic and based on knowledge of the change process. The authors offer seven propositions that can help schools "get reform right."

Six Steps to an Achieving Middle School
What is an achieving middle school? Middle grades reformer Hayes Mizell offers this definition to a group of North Carolina educators: "It is a school whose mission, ethos, culture, structure, organization, curriculum, co-curriculum, and instruction is explicitly dedicated to the achievement of every student and every adult in the building. It is a school where from the time a visitor walks in the front door there is no doubt that the school's focus is on advancing the achievement of every student and every adult.... In the achieving middle school the administrators, teachers, and students understand that they all have something to teach and a lot to learn."

Time, Staff Development and "Toxic" Schools
"A river of values and traditions can nurture or poison staff development hours" reads the "teaser" on this article from the Spring 1999 issue of the Journal of Staff Development. Author Kent D. Peterson proposes that "school leaders must learn how to read a school's culture, and how to focus staff development on the cultural issues that affect how people use their time." In "toxic" schools, Peterson says, staffs "actively discourage efforts to improve teaching or student achievement." Acrobat PDF file. One of a collection of articles about time and staff development at NSDC.

Getting Staff "Buy In" for School Reform Models
Researchers, program developers, policy analysts and educators have all noted that one of the most important ways to achieve the benefits of a well-designed program is to make sure that those who will use it are fully committed, says this policy/research brief at the American Federation of Teachers website. The article focuses on implementation of "proven programs" and underscores findings by RAND researchers that "schools that were forced (by the district) to implement a design showed lower levels of implementation."

Principal Internships: Five Tips for Success
A rising middle school principal describes some lessons she learned during an internship. Learning is best when it is hands-on, Teresa Gray reminds us. One can read and study all the books and journals available, but the ultimate test comes when the individual is actually in the trenches doing what must be done.(from Phi Delta KAPPAN)

Connecting Standards to Middle Grades Classrooms
Since standards-based reforms have gained steam in our middle school classrooms, many teachers have found themselves unprepared for the impact of standards on their instruction. Ideas about addressing the problem from the Public Education Network.

Using Data for School Improvement (PDF File)
This report from the Second Practitioners' Conference for Annenberg Challenge Sites shares information and experiences about how schools are using data to improve student performance. The report includes broad learnings from the conference, a framework for rethinking accountability, data collection examples from the schools doing the work, resources and more. The report is currently available as one downloadable Adobe PDF file (about 1040k). This link leads directly to the download. To find out more about other Annenberg accountability materials, go to this page on the Annenberg site.

Using Everyday Data to Improve Schools
"At Your Fingertips: Using Everyday Data to Improve Schools" (250 pp., $39.95) provides schools with a means "to systematically marshal valid, reliable, and trustworthy data to communicate more effectively with parents, school boards, and state officials." A workbook developed by MPR Associates, "At Your Fingertips" promises "to uncover problems before they become deep seated" by taking school teams through a six-step school examination process." This website offers examples of worksheets and includes information about ordering the book and obtaining other supporting materials and services.

Shhhhhh, The Dragon Is Asleep and Its Name Is Resistance
Monica Janas recommends a proactive approach to managing resistance to educational change. Her scenarios illustrate how resistance can undermine progress, and her ideas for positive action include encouraging all stakeholders to vent concerns, create a shared agenda, and deal with emotions by acknowledging how the changes will affect personal and professional lives. An extensive reference list is included. (The Journal of Staff Development)

The Principal as Chief Learning Officer
Two teacher/principal educators describe a theory of "formative leadership" is this paper developed in conjunction with their school administration program. The authors propose that "leadership is not role-specific, reserved only for administrators" -- rather, the job of the school leader is to create learning and leadership opportunities for faculty and staff. Includes link to a profile of Samford University's (AL) undergraduate teacher education program, which combines change theory, problem-based learning and 30 weeks of clinical training.

Holding Principals Accountable
After reviewing leadership evaluations and accountability systems in hundreds of schools, Douglas Reeves concludes there are seven keys to effective educational accountability systems: balance between achievement and improvement, specificity, focus on student performance, frequency, adaptation to individual strengths, rewards for the tough choices and reflection. Reeves, president of the Center for Performance Assessment, discusses each point from the perspective of holding school principals accountable. (October 1998 School Administrator magazine.)

Principals Evaluating Peers
The superintendent of the Chula Vista (CA) Elementary School District describes how she worked with principals in her 35-school system to develop a peer evaluation program that replaced a time-wasting "dog and pony show" that did little to improve schools or principal performance. Includes comments from a selection of principals in the district. In the 10/98 issue "Sizing Up Principals."

Building Better Principals
This Education Week report examines 20 years of research and finds strong evidence that "principals make a big difference in shaping the education that goes on in a school." How do good principals do it? The article explores researchers' explanations and profiles the life of principals today. (11/11/98) Also see this article about an outstanding middle grades principal.

How principals can improve mathematics instruction in middle schools
University of Pittsburgh professor Edward Silver analyzes data from the recent international testing in math and science and describes important issues for American principals and teachers in his paper, "Improving Mathematics in Middle School: Lessons from TIMSS and Related Research." Also see "Attaining Excellence Through TIMSS," a webpage at the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse [http://timss.enc.org/].

Leading Change: Principals' Stories of School Reform
To be a leader in a school committed to innovation is to walk a tightrope between collaboration and supervision, between faculty and community, between inspiration and perspiration. Each of the principals who contributed to "Leading Change: Principals' Stories of School Reform" has walked that tightrope successfully. Coalition of Essential Schools. (Find listing on this page.)

Principal leadership drives middle school reform agenda
Although middle school principals in Jefferson County, KY still struggle to find the time they need to be "leaders of standards-based reform," they say a heightened awareness in the central office about their key role in reform is leading to more support and better principal professional development. (From "Changing Schools in Louisville," 1998.) Also see this article on Louisville's standards-oriented professional development program for principals in NSDC's "Results" newsletter.

Principal Talk
A group of middle school principals examine samples of student work and discuss the pros and cons of using collaborative teacher discussions around student work to help drive improvements in teaching and learning. Includes work samples and rubric.

"Middle Grades Research"
A collection of articles published by Phi Delta KAPPAN. The report summarizes data from several years of middle-grades research supported by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and Lilly Endowment Inc. "The findings from this treasure trove of data on the variables that account for middle-level students' performance and achievement have been long-awaited by teachers, administrators, and curriculum directors across the nation," the KAPPAN says.

The New Principal
The new principal does not exercise control through hierarchical authority, but forges consensus and mobilizes talents to enhance student performance. Middle grades reform advocate Hayes Mizell describes what it takes to be a principal in a successful urban middle school.

Managers of bureaucracies or leaders of reform?
Drawing on her research for the Clark Foundation, Harvard researcher Barbara Neufeld describes what middle school principals need to be leaders of school reform.

What is the school leader's role in sustaining school reform?
What "habits of mind & heart" help school leaders guide successful school change over time? Summary of a USDE study with link to complete document.

School Leadership Profile for Principals
If you're a principal or hold a leadership position in your school, where do you fall on a school improvement-oriented educational leadership scale? This website describes five dimensions of educational leadership and offers an opportunity for self-assessment and reflection. Includes bibliography.

Brief for Principals
A series of thoughtful reports for principals interested in school reform, published by the Center on Organization and Restructuring of Schools at the University of Wisconsin. Articles frequently explore the connection between school management and school reform issues.