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The just-in-time learning approach to staff development is an effective way of introducing the learning organization concept to schools. It is also directly applicable to staff development designed to improve teaching and learning. Based on sound learning theory, the approach allows the development of a learning community which begins to form throughout the school. The facilitator of the just-in-time process needs to be credible with the learners.

The continuous improvement framework developed by the staff and officials at Winder-Barrow High School, Barrow County, GA, is presented. A leadership team composed of dept heads, faculty members and administrators dealt with policy and system changes and reported information to and from departments. The teachers formed Teacher Collegial groups (TCGs) to help each other formulate and assess strategies to improve instruction. The team system facilitated the identification of problems, devising solutions, monitoring of new guidelines and the continuous improvement of the whole school system.

A school that operates as a learning organization has students and teachers that are both continuous learners and effective collaborators. Such a school also underscores attention to orientation, peer observation, action research, and professional sharing. It also encourages collaboration among its staff by providing them time to do so. Schools that are learning organizations also have curricular teams/interdisciplinary teams, study groups, and school improvement task forces. These schools also believe in purposeful and results-oriented professional growth, receptiveness to change and professional advancement as a continuous process.

Collaboration, careful planning and communication are the key to the successful implementation of a four-block schedule. Beloit Memorial High School in Wisconsin achieved its goals of academic achievement, stress reduction and personalization with its adoption of such a schedule. Academic performance and school climate both improved, while teacher class loads were reduced. Stress among students and teachers was also minimized. Majority of the teachers surveyed also said they were able to use varied teaching methods. Eleven steps that schools can take as they plan to implement a four-block schedule are presented.

Changes in school schedules are aimed at improving the quality of student learning. Usually, however, schools scout for a schedule that has been successful and adopt it, rather than examining their existing schedule and making alterations that will allow them to work with students to optimal advantage. Steps in changing schedules that will avoid the pitfalls commonly associated with the effort are presented. These include analyzing the current conditions in the school, planning, implementing the schedule and examining the new schedule to determine gains or problems.

Changes in school schedules should recognize the importance of time and its relationship to learning. Individuals who will be most affected by the change should be involved in the decision making process leading to such a change. The experience of two high schools in a school district in northern Utah in rethinking school schedules highlighted a number of important observations involved in the process of change as well as vital concepts concerning scheduling and the use of time. These include individual comfort zones and the importance of common planning time in developing collaboration among teachers.

The renewal of certain high schools becomes necessary due to changes in the economic and social conditions required. These changes mandate reformulation of the curricula. Staff members need to understand the inherent opportunities in the school system renewal. The staff has to participate in the task of restructuring and help in developing new programs. The renewal process can strengthen the relationships between administrators and teachers. The administration can also help in building the leadership skills of the department heads.

The duties of a middle level assistant principal involve discipline, substituting teachers, and student activities and attendance. The assistant principalship is not considered to be a career post as it has a non-educational role. Assistant principals should contribute to changes and making people realize the significance of their position. They need to share some of the responsibilities with the administrative team, as combined decision making and supervision are significant for efficient middle level administration.

The process communication model shows that meeting the needs of school staff and students improves performance and promotes growth. It helps people to understand themselves and those they interact with. The model includes 6 personality types, each with a different set of perceptions, behavior, and motivators that affect teaching and learning. Success is important to most students cooperating with the understanding staff who accept them and help them learn. The benefits of this model include better student attendance and more effective communication in school and at home.

Inservices are useful in providing information to teachers in public schools because quality inservices come through communication among administrators, educators, and presenters. It is necessary to improve the ways of providing the most useful inservices to middle level schools. Inservices will become more effective when their advantages and limitations are seen in the right perspective.

Leadership is crucial to the success of a collaboration, whether involving direct participation in decision making or acting as an influencing element. Several ways are possible in which teachers, administrators, parents, and community members can take part in a collaborative endeavor. Principals can contribute to the collaborative atmosphere through an appreciation of the role of teachers, staff members, students, and parents. Collaborative atmosphere can help the faculty and staff to investigate, reflect, and make the learning situation better.

Charter schools are public education institutions which are run on the basis of a contract between teachers, parents and individuals belonging to a particular community and a governing body responsible for running these schools. Charter schools are independent entities having full control over the school's budget and administration. Merits and demerits of charter schools systems are discussed.

Portfolios help in assessing the progress of students and teachers at the elementary, secondary and university levels. Since the teachers and students select the subjects of the portfolio themselves, they get more involved in the learning process. Future and present administrators can also benefit from these portfolios as it can help in career development and also serve as a substitute assessment implement. Details of an administrative portfolio are discussed.

Assistant principals should extend their work beyond clerical work to effectively administer the changing face of schools. The assistant principal should take part in staff selection, curriculum planning and discipline management. They should also develop better communicative skills and encourage students to reach greater heights.

Research on the role of persuasive strategies shows that they can be used by school administrators to promote the relationship between supervisors and staff members, thus improving school productivity and staff performances. Persuasive strategies based on compliance-gaining theories can be grouped under three categories, expectancies/consequences, relationships/identification and values/obligations. These strategies should be staff centered and should aim at changing the behavior of the staff.

School restructuring is a turbulent transition period when the changes being implemented cause friction between the management and the staff, though a knowledgeable principal's guidance and support can ameliorate the situation. Restructuring aims to improve teaching and learning techniques, involves new administrative techniques and group decisions, and alters the relationship between teachers and administrators. The vital transitional period, when expectations are numerous, can be tided over with the principal's support and good planning empowerment and communication between the staff.

The transition of Herbert Hoover school from a strict department junior high school to a middle school within three years is described. The reduced number of students necessitated reducing resource allocation, and less experienced staff were employed as student strength declined. The staff were tuned to the needs of minority students and special needs teachers were familiarized with co-operative learning. Leadership staff were trained for better performance and staff members were familiarized with the pre-requisites for a good middle school.

Leadership is essential for process influx such as restructuring, and the presence of a strong principal is essential effecting change. Restructuring involves hard work and includes changes in teaching, learning, accountability, child service, parent involvement and public engagement. The process depends on the principal who should have individuality, commitment and leadership ability.

The field of educational administration is undergoing radical changes, with the role of administrators and administration being redefined completely. The anachronistic implementation of new methods benefits staff development and administrator satisfaction. The development of the mentor/intern relationship into peer support is further facilitated by strong administrators who foster leadership and communication skills in students.

A high school principal feels that a principal's role is to aid his teachers in improving the school's education process. He states that principals should make their rules reasonable and enforce them consistently. He advocates patience, professionalism and objectivity in handling the staff and students. He feels that principals should evoke students' trust.

Research conducted by the California Assessment Program (CAP), to study the effects of principal leadership on achievement in secondary and elementary schools, shows that good management style and a healthy school environment brings good results. The study was conducted through a questionnaire that was designed to measure 22 strategic behavioral interactions between principals and teachers, and administered to the principal and six teachers of schools in California. The research also revealed that secondary and elementary school principals from different cultural backgrounds use a similar set of instructional leadership activities to improve their schools' academic achievements.

The transformation of one school from a centralized administration to site-based management is recounted. 'Coaching for Leadership,' a new educational management coaching and review process, has served as a guide for this educational reform process. The reforms essentially transformed elementary and secondary director positions to roles of area administrator/coaches and helped to dramatically reduce administrivia.

A proposed approach to restructuring schools centers on revising the underlying principle of mandating how schools should change. The approach is designed to allow schools to establish their own restructuring plans. Each school and district would be held responsible for the realization of set goals and objectives with support, incentive funding, networking and professional development.

The ongoing reform experiments and the downsizing of administrative staff in schools threaten the career security of principals and assistant principals. Camille Sanders, a Michigan assistant principal whom the school management shifted to teaching duties without the mandatory 60 days prior notice, took the case to court. The trial court, in the light of two Michigan judgements, ruled in favor of the management. In a similar case in Indiana, the appeals court ruled that reassignment meant that the principal's contract was breached, even though the salary remained the same.

An associate principal discusses his experiences of providing leadership to a school staff. Changes in leadership qualities to meet the criteria of a moral leadership are narrated. Importance is given to shared decision making. Psychological motivation and moral authority to conduct school affairs are also important. Positive results of the process are recounted showing a conversion of the boss into a coach.

The experience of a former principal who accepted responsibility in a school in another district as assistant principal are described. The three differences between the duties of principal and the assistant principals are the difference in responsibility levels, dealing with coaching complaints, dirty locker rooms and officials' attendance and the inability to implement change easily.

A study is conducted to examine the experiences of school administrators who balance both managerial and professional values.

The article examines the significance of mentoring in finding jobs for school principals.

The article examines the role of secondary school principals in school administration.

Educational institutions should develop environment conducive to expanding and refining administrative skills in decision making, leadership, sensitivity, problem solving, judgment, communication and organization. Observation skills, communication skills and co-operative ability are important. This makes students more effective and focussed academically, while the expectation from professors increases. The professors strive to maintain high student ratings and, consequently, set very high personal standards.