The Elementary Principal's Handbook: A Guide to Effective Action. Second Edition.

Basic to good leadership is a repertoire of management skills providing a productive climate in which teaching and learning are facilitated. The elementary principalship requires well-trained, intelligent individuals with the necessary human, conceptual, and technical skills to lead groups of professionals and students into rich educational adventures. This handbook focuses on these necessary elements of good school management. Part 1 covers organizational and societal impingements; its first three chapters discuss the elementary principal's role; aspects of the school organization and the community served; and the legal principles underlying the well-operated, humane school. The fourth chapter discusses changing community dynamics, particularly the ideological shift from sacred to secular concerns. Part 2 focuses on task areas and functional aspects of the principalship, including curricular and instructional development; staff selection, evaluation, and development; financial and building management; and public relations. The object is to provide insights and stimulate creative thinking about these functions, rather than prescribe a single approach. Part 3 discusses management processes, including decision processing and decisionmaking, project management embodying systematic planning principles, and effective management techniques. Each chapter contains numerous figures, a summary, and a bibliography. A subject index is also provided. (MLH)