According to recent research findings, school principals are the motivating agents in schools where effective learning takes place. Recognizing the importance of school principals, Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) conference participants viewed a role delineation for principals and a restructuring of school organization as necessary to…

An overview is presented of school effectiveness research which has identified characteristics of academically successful schools. The research reviewed has reexamined such things as the way educators manage time, assign students, define curriculum, determine class size, organize schools, and assess achievement. This report focuses upon three…

Written primarily for teachers and educators, school administrators and personnel, policy makers, and parents, this book discusses the alternative control procedures available to educators faced with student behavior problems and presents one set--those related to problem management--as most effective. The authors' Systematic Management Plan for…

How large should a school district be? The answer is similar to President Lincoln's answer to how long a man's legs should be: long enough to reach the ground. A school should be large enough to do the job, to provide the educational programs that meet the needs of its students. School size means different things to different people. A small…

Research symposia were held at the 1977, 1978, and 1979 annual conferences of the National Middle School Association. This document reproduces 14 selected studies relating to middle schools from the papers presented during those symposia. Topics covered are effects of teaching behaviors; teacher-managed inservice training; relationships among…

Effective schools must have effective leaders. Such leaders are those who can create and implement a vision of the school's culture that contains within it the values on which excellence is built. (BJV)

Illustrates some of the various ways principals may shape and change their school cultures. These cultures are composed of the shared norms, values, beliefs, and assumptions about the world of work that shape how people think, feel, and act. (BJV)

Summarizes recent scholarship on superintendents and classroom learning. Concludes that central-office involvement is infrequent but probably necessary for widespread school improvement. Proposes guidelines for future research. (BJV)

The reforms that are most consistent with current arrangements for school governance and administration are unlikely to foster the organizational and professional climates most conducive to student achievement. But the kinds of reforms that might engender better school conditions are inconsistent with existing controls and are, therefore, unlikely…

Although there is a renewed interest in having reasoning skills taught in schools, current methods of organizing, staffing, and governing classrooms retard the teaching of critical thought. The limited impact of progressive educational reforms, an earlier movement for critical thinking, is assessed. Needed policy and research directions to improve…

Self-regulation consists of the metacognitive processes, behavioral skills, and associated motivational beliefs that underlie youths growing self-confidence and personal resourcefulness in acquiring the skills needed for adulthood. This chapter discusses the role of school organization in the attainment of self-regulation in terms of four levels…

Recent research studies and reports of current desegregation plans are examined against the background of two models of social systems: consensus and conflict. The article's focus moves from the community to the school to the classroom to the individual. Available from Duke University Press, Box 6697 College Station, Durham, NC 27708. (Author/IRT)

The history of statutory and case law pertinent to school reorganization reflects the elaboration of state authority over education during the development of the American Republic. This article considers the legal right of the state to define and redefine the territory served by administrative units that provide direct services to students. Public…

This book analyses the debate on the structure of higher education in Germany, France, Sweden, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, the United States, Japan, and Australia during the past 3 decades. Structural patterns or models are systematized and the way in which different countries have solved their problems in organizing higher education are…

Patterns that emerged from reviewing 26 syllabi for courses on organization and administration in higher education are discussed, and six sample syllabi are presented. The syllabi focused more on organization than administration. Of the 26 syllabi, 19 dealt with organization and administration generally; 5 with administration in a specific…