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Federal Resources for Educational Excellence (FREE) Web Site!

Online research just got easier—With 1,200 educational resources supported by 30 federal agencies, the FREE Web site has been updated to help users do more precise and faster searches. New search capabilities eliminate the guesswork in locating a wealth of resources for teaching and learning on a variety of subjects—from arts to vocational education. Visit www.ed.gov/free.

Beyond Islands of Excellence: What Districts Can Do to Improve Instruction and Achievement in All Schools—A Leadership Brief

presents the key findings and recommendations set forth by the members of the Learning First Alliance. For copies of the leadership brief (Stock No. 303369) or for the full report (Stock No. 303368), contact the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) at (800) 933-ASCD, #2 or ASCD, P.O. Box 79760, Baltimore, MD 21279-0760 or visit the ASCD Web site at www.ascd.org. The cost is $3 per copy for the lead- ership brief or $10 per copy for the full report (plus shipping and handling). March 2003, Learning First Alliance.

“Beyond the Pipeline: Getting the Principals We Need, Where They Are Needed Most”

is a synthesis of findings from three research reports. A recent policy forum held by The Wallace Foundation and the American Youth Policy Forum in Washington D.C. says the difficulty some schools face in attracting a quality principal is not due to a shortage of certified candidates. Copies of the Wallace Foundation Policy Brief can be downloaded at www.wallacefunds.org. Print copies can be ordered for free at that Web site or by writing to: The Wallace Foundation, Two Park Avenue—23rd Floor, New York, NY 10016.

Trying to Stay Ahead of the Game: Superintendents and Principals Talk about School Leadership

is a report from Public Agenda by Steve Farkas, Jean Johnson, Ann Duffett, and Tony Foleno, with Patrick Foley. Public Agenda was founded in 1975 and works to help the nation’s leaders better understand the public’s point of view and to help average citizens better understand critical policy issues. Public Agenda also conducted a series of one-on-one and group interviews with practicing superintendents and principals, including those in urban, subur- ban, and rural districts, and those from different parts of the country. Complete print copies are available for $10 plus $2.50 shipping and handling by calling (212) 686-6610 or by visiting www.publicagenda.org.

The Attributes and Career Paths of Principals: Implications for Improving Policy

by Frank C. Papa Jr., Hamilton, Lankford, and James Wyckoff. Mining 20 years of New York state data, the researchers at the State University of New York at Albany discover, among other trends, that districts are hiring older candidates as first-time principals. Read more online at www.teacherpolicyresearch.org.

A Matter of Definition: Is There Truly a Shortage of School Principals?

is a new center report that finds that despite widespread publicity about a shortage of school principals, there are far more candidates certified to be princi- pals than there are principal vacancies to fill. The report, by Marguerite Roza, is on the Web site of the Center on Reinventing Public Education at the University of Washington in Seattle. Visit www.crpe.org/pubs.shtml#leadership.

Collaboration Between General and Special Education: Making it Work

by Michael N. Sharpe and Maureen E. Hawes discusses questions about participation of students with disabilities in accountability systems and how to develop new skills and strategies to meet these challenges. The issue brief Examining Current Challenges in Secondary Education and Transition, published by the National Center on Secondary Education and Transition, is available online at www.ncset.org.

Who Is Leading Our Schools? An Overview of School Administrators and Their Careers

by Susan M. Gates, Jeanne S. Ringel, and Lucrecia Santibanez. There is concern that now, as state and federal governments are increasing school accountability requirements and relying on school administrators to promote improvement, schools and districts will not be able to attract and retain enough qualified people to fill such positions. This report develops a conceptual structure for understanding the careers of schools administrators and describes what is known about those who hold such positions and how their characteristics have changed over time. Download the full report (or order for $28) at www.rand.org/publications/MR/MR1679/index.html.

The Assist

newsletter is a publication related to the assessment of students with disabilities. The Assist may be downloaded from the Office of Special Education and Early Intervention Services section of the MDE Web site: www.michigan.gov/mde.

IDEA Local Implementation by Local Administrators (ILIAD) Partnership at the Council for Exceptional Children

is an organization that supports principals in their role as the instructional leader in the implementation of IDEA. The partnership is between the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) and the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP). Through this partnership, principals receive professional development materials specifically designed to assist them as the instructional leader in providing special education services in their school. In addition, both organiza- tions have cadres of principal leaders identified by their organization to provide direct support to their colleagues on IDEA. For more information about the ILIAD Partnership and featured resources, con- tact: (877) 232-4332 (toll free), (866) 915-5000 (TTY toll free) or visit www.ideapractices.org.

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