Argues that high levels of teacher turnover, not the shortage of new recruits, is the major reason why teacher demand exceeds supply, except in those states that have reduced class size such as California. (PKP)

Spouses working as superintendents confront agonizing logistics while establishing ground rules for dinner talk. Couples sharing the same career risk eclipsing their personal lives with professional issues. Having one's personal support network under the same roof can be mutually beneficial and synergistic. A married superintendents roster is…

Central-office administrators might consider developing new volunteer policies to ensure students' health and safety. Suggestions for soliciting, selecting, and using school volunteers include using community resources, developing selection and evaluation guidelines, determining a volunteer's suitability, and publicizing good deeds. (MLH)

Describes Nebraska's School-Based, Teacher-Led Assessment and Reporting System (STARS), whereby local districts are required to develop plans to assess students against state standards. Districts are held accountable for the quality of their formative assessment programs following guidelines provided by the state. Plans must include a…

Citing new provisions of Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, discusses legal limitations and exceptions to posting personally identifiable student information on a school district's Web site. (PKP)

For the past three years, five Topeka-area schools have participated in the Topeka Academy for Leading Learners program, or TALL. A 21st Century Community Learning Center Project funded by the U.S. Department of Education and the Mott Foundation, TALL serves approximately 300 students through an after-school program in four elementary schools and…

Educational supervision must be tied to improving staff skills in several critical areas--planning, diagnosis, monitoring, evaluating, and modifying programs to meet individual students' needs. To address supervisors' training deficiencies in these areas, this article recommends a workable training model and outlines desirable supervisor…

Declining enrollments and consolidation of school building resources throughout the 1970's resulted in strains on educational facilities as baby boomers now crowd classrooms in the 1980's. Outlines factors administrators should consider when deciding whether to begin new construction projects or remodel existing facilities. (MD)

Provides an outline of items for consideration when planning construction projects for new educational facilities. Establishing checkpoints, calendaring events, delineating responsibilities, and developing a checklist and timeline to follow during planning and construction as well as a close-out audit help ensure success. Includes a copy of a…

School districts need to devote some time to inservice activities for staff, and to develop parental programs to help counteract negativism. Taking the extra time to encourage students promotes strengthened abilities and self-worth. (MLF)

Continued economic recession, a growing national debt, and consumer overconsumption mean that a federal tax similar to a sales tax may be passed. Because the "value-added tax" will significantly affect school budgets, according to economist Anthony Carnevale, educators should demand a portion of the tax for education revenue sharing. (CJH)

The Anchorage, Alaska, School District is dealing with the problem of teaching students about the "information age" through a unique program in their central library system. It was one of the first school districts in the nation to computerize its library and to provide access to computer databases to the students through telephones as…

Once the decision has been made to dismiss a school executive, the relationship should be concluded in a private manner with adequate severance pay and outplacement services provided. Preparation for potential dismissal can help executives avoid some employment crises and ease the impact of others. (MLF)

First of two parts urges discarding the drill/skills approach to writing in favor of new methods developed through research. Second part discusses research findings related to the cost-effectiveness of reducing class size, using computer-aided instruction, increasing instructional time, and using peer tutors. (PGD)

"Metamessages," messages about the message, are conveyed by a person's behavior or appearance and by the structure of the organization. Communication can be improved by self-understanding and self-correction through feedback. Tips are given administrators on sending and receiving the intended messages. (MLF)