Middle level principals should take the leadership role now in responding to the issues of (1) reduction of middle level teacher ranks to meet the coming elementary and high school teacher shortage and (2) the need for computer literacy training for teachers. (MLF)

Presents suggestions for administrators to follow at the local level in dealing effectively with conditions in the 1980s. Lists what we now know about schools and the situations in the present decade that will contribute to educational change. (Author/WD)

Summarizes demographic data from the 1989 survey of school executives on the sex, race, age, compensation, years in current position, working hours, and career plans of responding superintendents and principals. (MLF)

Of a representative sampling of 1,509 administrators nationwide who responded to the 1989 survey of school executives, only 254 (17 percent) are women, and only 101 (7 percent) are minorities. The differences marked by gender and race are accentuated in small town and rural districts. (MLF)

A brief history of East Ridge Middle School in Connecticut illustrates the strong economic and demographic pressures that can work against a middle school. The principal plays a crucial role in preserving both the structure and the programs of an effective middle school. Points out strategies to protect and develop middle schools in tough economic…

The public's demand for improvement of schools; the concern, debate, and inquiry about the principal's role; and the importance of principals' own views about their activities emphasize the need to enhance the body of knowledge about public school principals. This study utilized a 14-page questionnaire grouped into the following sections: (1)…

Disabilities and illnesses are becoming an increasing problem for all employers. To understand the problems unique to schools, 76 elementary and middle school principals were surveyed and indepth interviews were conducted with over a dozen of them. Nearly 70 percent reported that, over the past 2 years, they had between 1 and 5 teachers absent for…

If we are to close the gaps in achievement among Latino students, we must commit our most able teachers and administrators and prepare them for success. In addition, we need to add Hispanic cultural studies and place value on fluency in Spanish as well as English. Lists nine tips principals can use to involve Latino parents. (MLF)

This book addresses the educational challenges of the 20th century, such as the right to search students' lockers for guns and drugs, by examining the Milwaukee, Wisconsin school system as an example of how these challenges have affected the politics of education, the curriculum, the work of teachers and principals, and the everyday lives of…

This could be the year the schools begin to make significant progress in addressing minority education issues. Television programs produced by the Public Broadcasting System and closed-circuit teleconferences can be utilized by principals to forge partnerships between their schools and communities. (MLF)

This document is a record of the proceedings of a symposium for outstanding teachers and principals from all 50 states and trust territories, jointly sponsored by the Burger King Corporation, the Council of Chief State School Officers, and the National Association for Secondary School Principals (NASSP) and held in December 1984 at Captiva Island,…