Effective Leadership for Instructional Improvement.

Beginning with the contention that the principal is the pivotal person in bringing about school improvement, this paper reviews several of the trends discussed in John Naisbitt's "Megatrends" and assesses their significance for public education in general and for the role of the principal in particular. These trends include (1) the shift from an either/or society to one where multiple options are the rule; (2) the change from a centralized to a decentralized society; (3) the move from the family to the individual as the basic unit of society; (4) the trend from representative to participatory democracy; (5) the shift from short-term to long-term thinking; and (6) the change from a national to a global economy. A review of these trends is followed by a discussion of the current public concern over the quality of education and an evaluation of some of the more popular proposals for school improvement, including merit pay, teacher testing, differentiated staffing, and partnerships with business. In conclusion, five general suggestions for school improvement are offered: (1) tougher academic standards, (2) instruction geared to individual learning styles, (3) expanded counseling programs, (4) professionalization of teaching, and (5) responsibility training for students. (TE)