Among the nine steps developed by the Elloree Public Schools in Orangeburg County, South Carolina, are taking a crash course in school construction, considering hiring a consultant, defining goals, developing a management plan, creating a project description, drawing up a list of prospective architects, and soliciting presentations. (JBM)

Claims that costs of converting the educational system to metrics can be spread over ten years, and are a one-time expenditure whose benefits are longlasting. Examines textbook replacement, modification of shop equipment and other hardware, training of nonteaching employees, and implications for sports. Stresses the need for longrange planning.…

Offers 10 tips for developing well-designed crises-management plans and specified procedures for dealing with crises and tragedies. (LMI)

Describes process for developing a successful superintendent-school board governance team to improve student achievement. (PKP)

A strong board-superintendent relationship is essential to lead change successfully. Strategic management focuses on identifying specific strategic issues that tend to involve such high educational, financial, or political stakes that they cannot sensibly be left to normal routine. Strategic change initiatives are a schedule of tasks with specific…

Fourth-graders in Oklahoma City used the Internet to find an expert to identify a 75-pound Pleistocene-Era mammoth femur they found in a nearby river. A superintendent explains how his technologically backward district wired its schools for Internet learning and facilitated genuine instructional improvement. (MLH)

Striving to meet a diverse community's learning needs, the Federal Way (Washington) Public Schools leverages technology to help students acquire world-class skills while reaching to achieve grade-level standards. A laptop-based learning program and a statewide Internet academy give students new learning options. (MLH)

Presents a New Jersey school board's method for revenue raising through bond approvals by the community. The key to this board's success is the involvement of citizens in the early decision-making process. (MD)

Identifies five steps in the development of strategic planning: identification of goals, development of programs, setting of priorities, implementation of programs, and evaluation. Includes discussion of the five stages and the uses of microcomputers. (MD)

Architects of a newly-opened elementary school in Bellevue, Washington, conducted a followup study of teacher and pupil attitudes. The candid comments can be used as helpful do's and don'ts in future design projects. (WN)

Outlines the steps the Nashua (New Hampshire) school district planning team used in making an evaluation of all programs. Summarizes the results of the evaluation and explains how these will be used in the district's long-range planning efforts. (MLF)

To increase student achievement, a Massachusetts school district used Appreciative Inquiry, a strengths-based approach to problem solving for strategic planning. The process asks: What does this organization do well, and what is our vision for the future. Cites activities that helped schools reach goals set in the process. (MLF)

In response to changing school demography, a Phoenix, Arizona, elementary school district made community participation the centerpiece of a new strategic planning process. The superintendent and board set up a broadly representative planning team to identify critical issues in enrollment, funding, curriculum, and personnel. The process is…

Customer satisfaction as applied to schools assumes that no single change or reform will fix the schools forever; school districts must embrace a process of continuous improvement to respond to changing customer demands. This article describes one suburban California district's new strategic planning process: inviting customers to shape the…

Pay-as-you-go funding (via local option sales taxes or earmarked property taxes) is superior to floating expensive bond issues to resolve school construction crises. Districts can plan projects more thoughtfully, focus on project priorities, avoid arbitrage problems and high insurance costs, and address socioeconomic considerations more equitably.…