Some of the most readable resources in education research deal with the topic of educational leadership. Here are a few highlights:

ERIC Clearinghouse on Educational Management.
Located at the University of Oregon in Eugene, the clearinghouse offers a wealth of resources for administrators. Its Web site at http://ERIC.uoregon.edu provides easy access to tens of thousands of abstracts, ERIC Digests, articles, books, papers, and research summaries on all aspects of the governance, leadership, administration, and structure of all kinds of schools. The site also offers links to an Internet discussion group for K-12 administrators and to other organizations of interest to policymakers, administrators, researchers, and other educators. And a "trends and issues" department provides timely information on hot topics such as school choice, finance, law, and safety.

A perennial bestseller from the clearinghouse is School Leadership: Handbook for Excellence, edited by Stuart Smith and Philip Piele. Now in its third edition, the book is a gold mine of research findings on everything from leadership styles to shared decisionmaking. Calling the book "highly readable," Edwin Bridges of Stanford University says it provides "numerous examples of what a theory or a concept looks like in actual practice" and offers "suggestions for translating theory into practice."

For ordering information, visit the clearinghouse Web site or call 1-800-438-8841.

Jossey-Bass Publishers and AASA.
The Jossey-Bass Education Series offers a number of publications on school leadership and organization. One engaging book, Shaping School Culture: The Heart of Leadership by Terrence Deal and Kent Peterson, describes the critical elements of culture — the purposes, traditions, norms, and values that "guide and glue" the school community — and show how a positive culture can make school reforms work. Anecdotes from real schools bring the concepts to life.

Another recent title in the series is Making Sense as a School Leader: Persisting Questions, Creative Opportunities. This brief but enlightening book by Richard Ackerman, Gordon Donaldson, Jr., and Rebecca van der Bogert shares "some of the sense" that practicing principals have made of their own complex work. Real-life case examples of typical leadership dilemmas provide valuable insight into how school leaders handle tough decisions.

For ordering information, call 1-800-956-7739 or visit the Jossey-Bass Web site at www.josseybass.com. These two titles, along with dozens of additional resources on school leadership, are also available through the American Association of School Administrators. Call AASA at 1-888-PUB-AASA or visit the Web site at www.aasa.org.