Because colleges and universities create and disseminate knowledge, and because of the power knowledge creates, these institutions of higher learning possess a moral responsibility to society. The scholar's role is crucial because of his or her power to define reality for and exercise control over society in general and students in particular.…

This brief report summarizes a longer document with the same title. It explains that institutions of higher education have a moral responsibility as disseminators of knowledge to foster proper values and ethical thinking in its students for the well-being of society. The collegiate ethos, the practices and customs of the institution, are important…

The 11 items in this annotated bibliography are entries in the ERIC system concerning studies of school effectiveness and the debate surrounding how much influence schools have over student learning. Several articles included reexamine the 1966 Coleman report, and one compares a more recent Coleman report with the earlier report. A number of…

Principals today are expected to maximize their schools' performances with limited resources while also adopting educational innovations. This synopsis reviews five recent publications that offer some important insights about the nature of principals' leadership strategies: (1) "Leadership Styles and Strategies" (Larry Lashway); (2) "Facilitative…

School leaders can generate student motivation by creating an atmosphere where academic success and the motivation to learn are expected and rewarded. Leaders can create a school culture conducive to learning by shaping the instructional climate and using activities and symbols to communicate goals. School restructuring that creates a positive…

"Vision" is one of the most frequently used buzzwords in the education literature of the 1990s. This digest presents an overview of visionary leadership, which many education experts consider to be a make-or-break task for the school leader. It discusses various definitions of vision, the significance of vision for organizations, the…

Elementary school principals are in a key position to prevent school violence. This document reviews five publications that feature strategies administrators and teachers can use to create a safe school. In "Creating Safe Environments for Learning in North Carolina's Public Schools," Tanya M. Suarez reviews the literature on school safety and…

"Vision" is one of the most frequently used buzzwords in the education literature of the 1990s. This digest in Spanish presents an overview of visionary leadership, which many education experts consider to be a make-or-break task for the school leader. It discusses various definitions of vision, the significance of vision for…

This book is designed to help educators recognize and, if necessary, change a school's culture. It guides principals, other administrators, and teachers in the process of shaping the culture of their schools. For those who have already begun the process, the book provides insights, examples, and reassurance that their efforts are headed in the…

In education, the term restructuring is as notable for its ambiguity as for its meaning. This book draws from more than 600 sources across a wide spectrum of perspectives regarding restructuring. It provides a picture of many of the trends and issues in school restructuring and attempts to place these issues into a context that helps explain where…

Effective schools have staffs that stress the importance of educational goals and have a well-defined mission. They also clearly communicate the expectation that all students can and will reach the stated goals. Reviews of studies of exemplary schools find that the principals express high expectations for both teacher and student performance,…

Changes that higher education is experiencing and forecasting and approaches to improve higher education management are considered. In addition to declining enrollment, rising costs, and diminishing financial resources, colleges are faced with the task of managing these changes under the pressures of new constraints and new constituencies.…

Chapter 1 of a volume on school leadership, this chapter looks at research findings concerning the characteristics of leaders. The author begins by looking at those characteristics resulting from accidents of birth or early environmental influences and concludes that leaders are usually more intelligent than nonleaders, not firstborn, used to…

This digest addresses the necessity for holistic learning--the integration of intellectual, social, and emotional aspects of undergraduate student learning. Research findings, theoretical models, and the relationship and interdependency of these developmental areas are briefly reviewed and recommendations are provided to faculty, administrators,…

The purpose of this paper is to identify those programs and processes currently using the components, factors, and behaviors that have been described in the literature as characteristic of more effective schools, and to synthesize findings from these programs and processes carrying out effective schooling practices. Following an introduction,…