ABSTRACT
In Chapter 10 we outlined the array of experiences which, at least potentially, shape the readiness of individuals for the practice of school leadership. We reported a wide range of opinion with respect to the perceived relevance of formal preparation programs. For some school-leaders, experiences with such programs proved very helpful; for many others the experience was perceived as a waste of time. While these results may come as no surprise to many familiar with such programs, they ought to be viewed as alarming for at least two reasons. Although seriously underfunded, for the most part, formal preparation programs are sufficiently institutionalized in many provinces, states, and countries that they are likely to remain a part of school-leaders’ experience during the 1990s. Moreover, in light of the hectic and unreflective context characteristic of the school-leaders’ work environments, such programs continue to offer a more or less unprecedented oasis of opportunity, free from the ‘press for action’ for the development of key skills, knowledge, and dispositions.
