Growing public concern with student discipline, increases in student suicide rates, homicides, and high pregnancy rates of teenage girls are causing educators to give renewed attention to the concept of "character development" in public education. (MD)

A Michigan elementary school has developed an unusual six-tier grading structure to accommodate the needs of children at different stages of development. They provide half-step classrooms that allow students to move forward in school at a rate that allows success. (MD)

At the Northview Elementary School in Manhattan, Kansas, the position of Assisting Teacher was developed to help teachers handle their work load. The position is filled by an experienced teacher who teaches half time and assists at the building level, with individual teachers, and in professional growth and development the rest of the time.…

Outlines how to develop productive staff meetings that foster professional staff development. Three steps to follow include developing a staff development committee, designing a long-range staff development plan, and planning staff meetings that become a lesson in themselves. (MD)

Describes a program called the Character Education Curriculum developed by the American Institute for Character Education that is the most widely used plan for teaching the basic traits of character, conduct, and citizenship. (MD)

Discusses the importance of the principal's role in preparing for the changes that are taking place in adapting education's role to a technological future. (MD)

Outlines five lessons learned at Roosevelt-Perry Elementary School (Kentucky) when the computer education program, Humana Computer Tutor project, was implemented. The principal was important to the success of the program. (MD)

Outlines the principal areas in which computers have the potential for improving learning. These include: math remediation, vocabulary and language arts, enriching learning opportunities, helping the handicapped, and computer literacy. Includes discussion of areas to consider when planning basic computer programs. (MD)

Describes a program at Pennington Elementary School in Nashville, Tennessee, in which children are rewarded with "Weepuls" for good academic scores. (MD)

Describes the school-business partnership developed at the Alice Smith Elementary School in Minnesota. Includes a discussion of nine guidelines for schools to follow in the development of corporate-school relationships. (MD)

Offered is a test of 10 questions to help principals evaluate the kindergarten curriculum in their schools. A point grading system is included. Appended are 22 references as well as a list of books and associations. (SI)

Nine years ago the Caloosa Elementary School in Caloosa, Florida, ranked below the national average. In 1987 the school was cited as one of 210 oustanding elementary schools in the country. The school was changed by a new administrative team that developed discipline, student achievement, and program enrichment. (MD)

An artist outlines her system (called the Monart Drawing Method) for teaching children to draw realistically. Children are taught an alphabet of five elements of shape and allowed to interpret and utilize the information any way they wish. The system allows children's natural creative abilities to flourish. (MD)

Outlines six beliefs administrators may have that hinder the deliverance of good staff development programs. The author asserts that it is important that principals critically examine the implications of these beliefs. (MD)

Suggests ways of judging teacher performance based on the five basic steps in the teacher evaluation process: (1) gathering information and making judgments; (2) holding the evaluation conference; (3) identifying areas needing improvement; (4) providing assistance; and (5) guiding the teacher out of teaching if improvement cannot be made.…