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Explores the perceptions of elementary school teachers regarding their principals and their leadership styles. The underlying and guiding) assumption for this project was that the effectiveness of a leader mainly depended on how others view him/her as a leader. As indicated in the results, teachers have a positive attitude towards their principals in general, but there are some areas where principals need to improve, such as, personnel management and professional growth and development. Furthermore, the bureaucratic and highly centralized structure of the Cyprus educational system proved to be ineffective and should be abandoned. Principals must be given motives for self-improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Provides an overview of some of the findings of a recently completed study of school choice in 33 local schools which may be indicative of the effect of an increase in the marketisation of schools. Since it is unlikely that debate over parental cho ice can be settled by theoretical argument alone and it may also be too early to understand the full implications of the relevant recent government reforms in the UK, results from research in other sectors of education can be used in the interim. Present s research which is partly based on a limited market model of cheap fee-paying schools. This market has been established for a long time, and so some of the benefits or damage caused by markets in education may already be observable in operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Suggests that, in today's world of uncertainty, it is of vital importance for an individual or an educational institution to stay abreast of environmental changes which may affect their future. Presents up-to-date information on environmental scann ing and how it can be used to benefit educational organizations. For modern educational institutions, it is necessary to establish a systematic method of collecting information regarding external influences on educational institutions. However, it is qui te difficult for any individual to be knowledgeable about all occurrences that may affect an institution, and it often requires special expertise to realize how an event or trend might affect an institution in the future. An institution must tailor speci fic sources of external information, devise a method to collect the information, and use the information effectively in the planning process and in building the future. Argues that environmental scanning has proved to be successful for school systems and should be accorded the importance it deserves. Furthermore, scanning provides all individuals with the opportunity to contribute to the strategic planning process which is of vital importance for the survival of an organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teachers can take a greater role in the overall success of the school when they commit to being active participants in the decision-making process. Moreover, teachers need to feel they have more to offer to the school than just teaching within their classroom. Suggests that schools must understand that the entire system will benefit when teachers play an active role in controlling their work environment. Finally, everyone must be provided with as much recent research on participatory decision-making processes as possible before implementation can be achieved successfully. At the same time, specific training should also be provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]