An instrument was developed to measure the attitudes of public school board members on issues such as the expenditure of additional local money for various programs and services, the determination of teacher raises, and required minimum proficiency tests for high school graduation. A total of 66 completed questionnaires was usable from the 112…

A reduction in force (RIF), coupled with today's inflation and cost of living increases, impacts on school systems. This paper discusses the effects on an urban school system--the Atlanta Public Schools--and offers suggestions to school administrators on moves to make and pitfalls to avoid when faced with RIF. Some topics covered include legal…

The supervisor of today does not shrink from accountability if it is defined and understood by all. It is only when he is left unprotected and unsure of his role that a supervisor encounters problems. Therefore, a negotiated agreement does not represent militancy on the part of administrators or a protective device to cover incompetency; it merely…

Trustees evaluating their private school should know the school and its staff. They can use objective evaluation methods, such as standardized test results or college placement of graduates, but they should also incorporate the opinions of recent graduates and the community and utilize staff presentations to the board. (RW)

Internal and external pressures that affect college program discontinuance schemes were investigated, based on minutes of the Kansas State Board of Regents and three other government-related groups/subgroups. During 1972-1986, a total of 206 programs were merged or discontinued. In 1972 a policy was enacted whereby masters programs that had…

Suggestions to boards of education on handling an impasse situation in bargaining are given. Boards are advised to fully assess the possibility of gaining an acceptable agreement at the beginning of the negotiation session. If this cannot be done, six assumptions are offered as good advice in dealing with all impasse situations. Advice written by…

This presentation describes a curriculum revitalization project begun in Spring, 1983 in Baxter Springs, Kansas. The cooperative "effective schools" effort used a broad base of support to establish a director of curriculum, create new school-university ties, focus a reading K-12 curriculum improvement effort, and hold instructional…

As a result of the increasing insistence that schools should concentrate on teaching basic skills, states and school districts have moved to establish minimum competencies for high school graduation, to be assessed by tests that demonstrate that students have achieved a certain level of mastery of basic skills. The Austin, Texas, Independent…

Fewer women than men serve on local school boards despite the fact that female volunteers in schools outnumber male volunteers. This paper presents findings of a study that explored the barriers and facilitators to women's participation on school boards, as well as women's motivations. Data were obtained from four focus groups composed of 7-10…

This study examines the socialization and enculturation process by which one becomes a school board member, using adult socialization and small group theory to construct a model of the role personalization process. Thirteen new school board members in seven Arizona school districts were interviewed indepth, from the announcement of their candidacy…

The superintendent's contract embodies the community's expectations of the school system's chief executive officer. The contract allows the school board and the superintendent to accomplish a number of tasks, including assuring stability in the district's leadership, creating means for resolving conflicts, and establishing procedures for meeting…

A review of the literature on managerial responsibilities in the collective bargaining process in the public schools yields two hypotheses. The first is that the degree of conflict in public school bargaining is related to the role and level of participation on the management bargaining team of the superintendent, the principal, and the assistant…

The author makes two initial assertions regarding the use and presentation of closed meetings. First, the real problem is not how to present them to the public but how to present them to the media. Second, closed sessions should never be used unless absolutely necessary. After presenting the reasons for the "sunshine" laws, the author…

This paper discusses court cases in which teachers allege constitutional violations of their First and Fourteenth Amendment rights. The cases represent a struggle between those forces representing the authority of the board of education to govern public schools and those advocating the individual rights of teachers to continue their employment in…

The speaker comments on a goal development process that has been used in the Milwaukee Public Schools for planning and implementing policy. Improvement of attendance was the goal selected for use in illustrating the model. (Author/IRT)