This manual was designed for use by school administrators in developing and/or improving the quality of distributive education programs being implemented in schools. Set forth in it are criteria for insuring success of programs, as well as checklists for assessing their merit. Appendixes outlining the functions and duties of coordinators,…

A survey of teachers examined principals' roles in influencing school effectiveness, noting the influence of supportive leadership style on a culture of trust and perceived school effectiveness. Results indicated supportive principal leadership produced collegiality and trust in principals but not in colleagues. Teacher trust in colleagues…

The relationship between teacher efficacy and a healthy school climate was examined in a survey of 179 teachers at 37 elementary schools in New Jersey. It was found that a healthy school climate was conducive to the development of teachers' beliefs that they could influence student learning. (MDM)

Building principals are confronted with a host of challenges, particularly when serving children who live outside of the stereotypical mainstream. This article, drawn from a larger ethnographic study, examines the leadership behavior of one building principal who was the administrator for a program serving deaf and nondeaf children. Although…

This policy brief shows that, while New Jersey has made a substantial investment in state-supported preschool programs, the link between preschool and elementary education needs to be strengthened. By adopting a broader view of early learning that aligns quality preschool with the early elementary years, policy leaders will reap a better return on…

Explores the various responses of four first-year English teachers to a state-mandated mentor program in New Jersey and implications for Wisconsin's proposal for a distinct mentor-supported license stage for beginning teachers. Suggests that mentors must appreciate their responsibilities and that school administrators must support the…

To effect a system of university governance in which a broad range of opinion may be brought to bear on policy issues and in which differences of opinion within and among groups may be heard, Princeton University's Special Committee on the Structure of the University has proposed the establishment of the Council of the Princeton University…

This sourcebook, prepared to assist New Jersey urban school principals and administrators, presents research findings and describes exemplary programs related to the Urban Initiative, a school improvement project of the New Jersey Department of Education. The source book consists of three major sections. Section 1 reviews effective schools…

New Jersey's removal of $22 million from its 1979-80 state school aid payments requires that school administrators immediately establish priorities and explore options for dealing with enrollment decline. From 1969 to 1978 New Jersey K-6 enrollment has dropped 19.4 percent. The time for selecting reasonable approaches to declining enrollment is…

THE MAJOR OBJECTIVES WERE TO DEVELOP CRITERIA FOR THE EVALUATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION, TO DEFINE THE NATURE OF THE JOB, AND TO DEVELOP AN INSTRUMENT FOR THE SELECTION OF ADMINISTRATORS. THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PRINCIPAL WAS CHOSEN FOR THE STUDY BECAUSE OF THE HOST OF PROBLEMS RELATED TO THE CONDUCT OF AN EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM, INCLUDING THE…

Based on interviews of 68 key administrators, a survey questionnaire given to 345 principals and districtwide administrators, and a shortened questionnaire given to 177 teachers in 68 New Jersey and Pennsylvania school districts in 1981, this study examines how educators seek assistance to strengthen educational programs and promote change.…

The increasingly politicized environment of schools should be examined in the context of the board of education's legal powers and the politics of education. Historically, the superintendent of schools has dominated policy making, though school boards' influence has been noted in areas such as finance and physical facilities, and in smaller…

To help New Jersey parents and other citizens increase their involvement in schools, this handbook describes school-site management, a form of decentralized administration that can help broaden effective citizen participation in educational management. Part 1 first defines school-site (or school-based) management--a type of school governance in…

This booklet describes the results of "Project Education Reform," a partnership involving the U.S. Department of Education, 8 state governors, and 16 school districts--2 in each participating state--representing a cross-section of the nation. It was generally agreed that a good basis for needed educational changes were the 13…

A staff and organizational development program was designed to foster the use of research to improve instructional effectiveness at the elementary level by monitoring and managing key classroom variables related to student achievement. A classroom improvement program, called the Basic Skills Instructional Improvement Program (BSIIP), was developed…