The effective principal should under stand the school guidance function and encourage collaboration and sharing among all groups to define problems and develop strategies that serve the students and the school community.

Prevention is more effective (and less costly) than reaction. The school psychologist, who is trained in such prevention strategies, holds a wealth of information that, properly utilized, can be among the princi pal's greatest assets.

School personnel often misclassify a Conduct Disordered student as Severely Emotional Disturbed following a serious offense. Educators must remember, however, that mislabeling a child in order to obtain services, to prevent a child from being expelled, or to remove the stu dent to a special classroom is both inappropriate and unethical. What, then, should school administrators do?

Novice administrators will find many pitfalls on the road to success. These hints may help them achieve success for themselves and their school.

While most public school principals and superintendents must be awarded annual or multi-year employment contracts by their school districts, such contracts offer little protection from reassignment to a lesser position or even from dismissal. Inadequate remedies for breach of employment contracts subject school administrators to working solely at the pleasure of their school boards.

The practice of student retention has always been a controversial method of remediation. Consequently, with opponents of the practice arguing that retention is an ineffective alternative for at-risk youth and advocates charging that social promotion amounts to a failure to enforce meaningful academic standards, the courts have become involved in litigation concerning this issue. This article reviews several retention-related court decisions nationwide and suggests 10 best practices that school administrators can use when considering or implementing student retention policies.

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