Reviews current practices in middle schools. Includes a listing of 24 practices used in effective middle schools extrapolated from a survey of literature on effective schools. (MD)

The author presents a five-stage model for staff development used in a survey of professors and practitioners. The survey found that there is a disparity between what professors and practitioners believe is practiced and what is actually occurring in staff development. (MD)

This essay by the president of the National Council on Foreign Language and International Studies cites figures revealing Americans' ignorance of foreign languages and basic facts concerning the rest of the world. A plan of action is outlined for schools. (MJL)

This article reveals how junior high and middle school principals assess their job preparation and actual job requirements. The findings may be surprising. (Editor)

Claiming that there's an aura of dissatisfaction with the present pre- and inservice programs for principals, the writer reports his findings about existing programs and suggested improvements. (Editor)

Reports the findings of a study comparing the perceptions of principals and teachers toward the performance of instructional leaders. Offers recommendations for improving the principal's effectiveness. (WD)

Of 150 Huntington Beach (California) high school teachers participating in a survey on block scheduling's efficacy, 106 (70%) took time to make written comments. Teachers enjoyed having less up-front lecturing, more one-on-one interactions with students, and a less hectic schedule, but had concerns about interruptions and…

Summarizes a study that queried 140 South Carolina principals regarding their training needs, prior training activities, and recommendations for improvement. Participants' most important training needs involved curriculum design and instruction and the learning environment. Principals were most concerned about training time and location, activity…

Examines influence of mentoring on the job placement for 25 students in a master's degree and principal certification program at the University of Houston. Longitudinal study uses mixed methods survey research design. Finds, for example, that minority women who did not have mentors were still in the classroom one year after completing the program.…

Reports trends and implications of interdisciplinary teaming practices in middle schools, based on findings from a national survey. Noting that nearly 80 percent of schools currently implement teaming, challenges principals and teachers to move beyond simple formation of teams to the creation of an infrastructure that supports high-performing…

Principals' centers and academies such as the Maine Principals Academy, the California School Leadership Academy, and the NASSP Assessment and Development Center, are currently examining school leadership as a way to handle the education crisis. A 1989 survey showed that teachers' job satisfaction depends heavily on principals' effectiveness in…

A random sample of 4,000 secondary teachers evaluated a list of 36 recommended content area reading practices. Respondents (1,676) suggested that inservice programs concentrate on asking questions about readings, discussing valuable but infrequently used strategies, and using student-centered activities relating prior experience to readings.…

To discover who is in charge and ascertain principals' perceptions of their own decision-making autonomy, a short questionnaire was sent to a random sample of 2,559 elementary and secondary school principals in the 11 southeastern states. Respondents believed they have enough autonomy over instructional personnel, subject matter, and instructional…

In a survey of 46 Memphis-area high-school teachers, 72 percent of respondents reported having disabled students in their classes, but most felt inadequately prepared to teach them. About 85 percent thought that including severely disabled kids in neighborhood schools would necessitate substantial teacher retraining. (Contains 12 references.) (MLH)

To understand the dynamics of moving from fragmented work units to an integrated whole, a recent study examined the work cultures of 28 schools involved in major change efforts. This paper presents findings from three participating high schools that represent different phases (fragmentation, differentiation, and integration) of the development…