This manual is intended to introduce the public school system of the District of Columbia to parent groups seeking to improve the quality of education through increased involvement in educational decision making. Part 1 presents an overview of the public education system including the Board of Education, superintendent, central administration,…

This book is premised on the conviction that being a successful principal is more than being a good manager. Becoming an effective school leader means understanding the culture as well as acquiring the technical skills. The book discusses the personalities and value systems that school leaders need to succeed. It is designed for first-year…

This guide is designed as a resource for use in implementing the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) in New Zealand secondary schools. Discussed in the introduction are the development of flexible learning in secondary schools, the context for the New Zealand curriculum, the NQF, and transition to flexible learner-centered schools. Section 1…

This handbook (in English) is part of a series of early French immersion program teaching guides--all written in French--and is designed to serve as a guide for administrators in schools with classes of students who are being instructed in French for a large part of their school program. It addresses itself to areas of concern which are unique to…

This report is one in a series of publications issued on school-based management and improvement (SBI). The publication is intended to present the best and most interesting of the research involving school based approaches to educational reform, including research on effective schools. It begins with an introductory article on SBI and its link to…

Intended for parents and all citizens concerned about improving Chicago's 592 public schools, this handbook explains how important reading is to a decent education and future employment. Chapter one describes the school improvement campaign called "Schoolwatch," the problems in the Chicago public schools, and the components of effective…

A handbook on accreditation is presented by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. After providing an overview on accreditation, explanations are provided on General Institutional Requirements concerning the institutional program and college organization, operation, and public…

This publication outlines some basic facets of an educational system with the intention of providing guidelines for excellence throughout the public school system in Wisconsin. Specific topics include: (1) the organization of elementary and secondary education on both the state and local level; (2) instructional organization and staffing patterns;…

As a result of a conference dealing with truancy, problems of non-attendance, and violent and disruptive behavior at school, a small scale survey was conducted of 18 urban schools in England to examine these problems and to report on practices and procedures which the schools had found helpful in coping with them. It emerged during the survey that…

This book concentrates on the connection between organizational behavior and the clamor for school reform, whether market-based, standards-based, or whole-school reform. It explains the great need for school leaders to develop a theory and practice that draws on what is known about organizational behavior in education. Educational leaders need a…

Organizing time into equal periods and moving at intervals from task to task is inefficient, yet most schools use this rigid scheduling method. Better ways of operating include the following: (1) teach required and elective subjects together; (2) devise double period seminars; and (3) combine back to back scheduling with team teaching. (VM)

Oaklea (Oregon) Middle School provides an innovative program of instruction to district students in grades 5-8. To facilitate this individualized approach, the school is divided into four smaller schools in which teachers and students spend four years together as students proceed through the instructional program. An important feature of this…

Research on school reform efforts and reform evaluation and the recognition that individual students are in constant transition and are members of multiple groups whose dynamics differ over the duration of schooling were examined. A conceptual framework for developing design and analysis strategies for investigating educational reform efforts is…

Establishing a program to help teaching assistants (TAs) become better teachers is discussed, including advantages/disadvantages of five possible organizational locations: individual course instructors, departments, colleges of education, other individual colleges, and a central administrative office. A mix of locations and criteria for assessing…

This handbook was designed to help school administrators, teachers, and community members make a successful transition from a junior high school to a middle school. The focus is on the process rather than content. Chapter 1 provides an example of how one junior high school faculty and administration made the shift to a middle school. Chapter 2…