Describes types of change typically encountered in school boards (administrative, curriculum/program, human resource, teaching/learning). Outlines five cyclical phases to guide/implement change: diagnosis, planning, implementation, stabilization, and evaluation. Provides specific strategies and techniques which will improve probability of…

Describes a Wisconsin middle school's step-by-step plan for dealing with student suicide. The plan calls for maintaining a normal school day and providing counseling services directed by an interview team (counselors, social workers, and teachers) trained to help people handle suicide. Tips for managing suicide's impact are provided. (MLH)

Criticizes the concept of superintendents functioning as chief negotiators in collective bargaining processes (it endangers the relationship with teachers, and puts an extra burden on the demanding job of a superintendent). Lists five recommendations for hiring outside negotiators. (MD)

The characteristics of exemplary school board members are (1) being results-oriented, (2) knowing how to conduct meetings, (3) appreciating the school system employees, (4) having good communication skills, (5) expecting quality work from administrators, (6) understanding "public trust," and (7) being a public servant. (MD)

Questions a recent court decision in which public school employees who gathered on their own time on school property for prayer meetings and religious discussion were found to be in violation of the school district's policy prohibiting prayer meetings and in violation of the Constitution. (MD)

Site-based management cannot work without the school board's active involvement and determined support. Suggestions are offered from School District 12, Adams County, Colorado, which has been moving away from a centralized administrative system to shared decision-making. (MLF)

As a result of working on the educational problems in Russia, where more than 100 ethnic groups now control the schools, Stephen Heyneman explores the link between schooling and democratic values. Claims that one of America's greatest potential exports is its tradition of local democratic governance and that the United States could do more to…

Instead of taking an adversarial approach to bargaining, a school district in Palmer, Alaska, now uses collaborative negotiation. Benefits from collaborative bargaining have included shorter contract negotiations and the filing of fewer grievances. Selecting and training the teams is a crucial element for success. (MLF)

School board members in Louisiana, Minnesota,and Nebraska responded to a survey asking for their attitudes toward the six national educational goals. The boards' ranking of the goals is compared to that from a public opinion poll. Findings indicate that local school board members believe educational goals are best determined by themselves in…

To handle a death in the school community wisely and sensitively, school boards need to develop a death response policy. A policy developed by a diverse committee will be sensitive to the needs of the entire school community. Offers seven points to consider in drafting a policy. (MLF)

Interviews with 12 Kansas school executives and questionnaire data received from 49 board presidents and 72 superintendents disclosed that the majority had perceived the occurrence of communications that violated employees' privacy. Training, ethical awareness, and a well-written policy are part of the solution. A model policy is provided to guide…

The Ashtabula County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities in Ohio has developed 27 new procedures for infection control that follow a comprehensive study of infection control and disease transmission. Many of these procedures are applicable to schools. (MLF)

Analyzes school boards' response, in terms of crisis decision making, to a situation in which a superintendent was charged and later convicted of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old female student. Cites "Crucial Decisions," by Irving Janis, and offers recommendations to help board members be more effective decision makers. Presents an outline of…

This series of discussion papers presents the respective positions of the North Carolina State Board of Community Colleges (NCSBCC), the North Carolina State Board of Education (NCSBE), and the University of North Carolina Board of Governors (UNCBG) regarding several educational issues facing the state. The first set of papers focuses on…

In the wake of January 1988 takeover legislation to improve education in the State of New Jersey, this paper describes and justifies the strict state three-tier monitoring system of school district educational standards. School districts that need improvement after the first level of monitoring must develop an improvement plan to overcome their…