Recently added articles from School Administrator:
Stimulus thinking.
May 01, 2009 ... McREL's Tim Waters will present research findings about the primary role of professional development for school system leaders at one of three upcoming AASA-sponsored events that will address the use of federal stimulus funds for maxilnuln value. The AASA Seattle Summit, July ...
Leaders' soft skills.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
May 01, 2009; ... Back-to-back articles in the February 2009 issue (Donald McAdams' "Top 10 'Guarantees' for a Great Relationship" and Robert Sternberg's "Wisdom, Intelligence and Creativity Synthesized") underscore the essential nature of the so-called "soft skills" of leadership--recognizing and ...
McAdams on governance.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
May 01, 2009; ... Don McAdams' Board-Savvy Superintendent columns should be required reading in every graduate administrative course for school superintendents. His advice is a common-sense approach to working with boards, it doesn't cost any money and it works. One thing I've noticed about many ...
Student profiles.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
May 01, 2009; ... Learning profiles do have a place in the classroom and I applaud Joyce Stone and Carol Tomlinson for bringing this important fact to our attention in their articles in the January 2009 issue. Understanding learning profiles and the effect on student achievement is essential for ...
Flashback: May 1994.
May 01, 2009 ... (An occasional feature reconnecting readers with the magazine's subjects and individuals from 5, 10, 15 or 20 years earlier) In the cover story, Elliot Eisner, past president of the American Educational Research Association, questions whether national academic standards for ...
Rearview memories.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
May 01, 2009; ... Gwen Gross had me captured from the get-go in her December article, "Rearview Memories." What struck me as I read her memories was the incredible number of similarities that my career and hers had spanned--36 years in the profession, a liberal arts background, and a small-town upbringing ...
Tales of transitioning.(EDITOR'S NOTE)
May 01, 2009; ... Moving in, moving upward, moving on. The superintendency is a world full of transitions. This issue of The School Administrator captures a few of the personal, professional and organizational aspects of transitioning. James "Torch" Lytle, who recently departed the top post of ...
[Cartoon].(EDITOR'S NOTE)(Cartoon)
May 01, 2009 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "As a team, we must embrace chaos, see opportunities in disaster and welcome the ...
Using meeting agendas to push achievement.(BOARD-SAVVY SUPERINTENDENT)
May 01, 2009; ... I often give a quiz when I talk to school boards and superintendents about the role of the board and using meetings wisely. First, I describe a board of education meeting I observed in a suburban school district where three of the numerous items on a 45-page agenda included: ...
Opening up options for school software.(TECH LEADERSHIP)
May 01, 2009; ... Can you keep a secret? If you look closely at the license agreements your staff routinely agrees to for software that is purchased and installed on computers throughout your school system, you better have answered "yes" to that question. Almost all school software in use today ...
The context of superintendent entry: a veteran educator's discourse on using the transition period to your advantage.(Cover story)
May 01, 2009; ... The new executive director of AASA, Dan Domenech, was the highly successful superintendent of the Fairfax County, Va., schools for seven years. But probably few readers realize he had the distinction of being the chancellor of the New York City Public Schools for one day. As he ...
The unintended consequences of reorganization: the churning of a school system and its toll on the professional staff.
May 01, 2009; ... For the last five years, the lives of New York City public school educators have been governed by constant change. With certainty, every January or June heralded something new--restructured departments and offices, staff changes and new initiatives. While our professional lives were ruled ...
Survival as the superintendent's spouse: having relocated seven times, the author shares her coping strategies for dealing with the lack of respect toward school leaders.
May 01, 2009; ... Plenty of behind-the-scenes speculation exists over what contributes to the high rates of superintendent turnover and mobility. One increasingly overheard reason for what drives superintendent movement falls into a category generally relating to family or "personal reasons." What does this ...
Lose your job, then sue the board? A study of court cases involving superintendent termination discovers a high rate of board victories, especially in federal court.
May 01, 2009; ... Case No. 1: H. Major Poteat worked for the Harrisburg, Pa., School District for 11 years before his promotion to the position of superintendent in 1995. After only six months on the job, he ran into disagreement with three newly elected school board members about the district budget. They ...
A leadership walk across Gettysburg: school administrators find the battlefield a place for fully appreciating the role of vision, mentoring and the power of words.
May 01, 2009; ... What can the Battle of Gettysburg reveal about leadership and organizational theory? Dwight Eisenhower answered this question in his book, At Ease Stories I Tell to Friends, writing: "That many visitors to Gettysburg are satisfied with a fast review of the scene and a sketchy ...
Limiting liability for lawyers' fees.(FOCUS: SPECIAL EDUCATION)
May 01, 2009; ... I sat in the federal courthouse's mediation room, and my jaw dropped upon hearing the figure--$180,000. That was the amount demanded by the parent of a child with disabilities to settle a special education dispute. Ironically, this amount was not for more services, assistive technology or ...
As retirement approaches.(GUEST COLUMN)
May 01, 2009; ... Twenty years ago I made a choice to become a school superintendent. Armed with 18 years of teaching and administrative experience in the principalship, as well as a doctorate from the University of Minnesota, I knocked on the door of the Minnesota School Boards Association and asked for ...
Do unto others: a roadmap for communicating well.(GUEST COLUMN)
May 01, 2009; ... Success in the area of communication is as simple as abiding by the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. If you expect those with whom you communicate to be forthright, you must be as well. If you expect your e-mails and phone calls to be returned in a ...
Complaints can improve your schools.(GUEST COLUMN)
May 01, 2009; ... For some reason, in the school business we don't much like to hear the negatives of our practice. It might be we have this problem with criticism because our output is such an indefinable, ambiguous product. Much of what we do is built upon the good (or shabby) product of those ...
The American public school.(PRESIDENT'S CORNER)
May 01, 2009; ... No other institution in the United States so universally and profoundly affects its citizenry than the American public school. Eighty-nine percent of the nation's children attend public schools and, according to a report by Larry Mishel, president of the Economic Policy Institute, 86 ...