Recommends that standardized achievement tests for first to ninth graders be limited to three uses: home reports, monitoring of longitudinal performance trends in the basic skill areas, and annual monitoring for unusually low score comparisons. Recommendations deliberately exclude early childhood and high school testing and testing for individual…

Staff development, usually geared to the least common denominator and confined to formal leader and staff behavior, needs to be replaced with human development, an informal, interactive process to improve teaching, management, and leadership skills; self-understanding; and political and cultural savvy. Five teacher career stages are suggested as…

School performance measures developed by a public management institute have improved learning, confidence, cost effectiveness, teamwork, and accountability among students and teachers in Illinois districts. A model measures learning, parent and teacher satisfaction, and cost. Zion, Lake Forest, and North Chicago districts made substantial gains…

In a pilot test, superintendents participated in self-assessment activities in the American Association of School Administrator's Executive Development Center program. Activity stages centered on professional attitudes and skills, personal health, and fitness. Data provided a profile for professional development. Participants felt activities were…

Although the Pueblo (Colorado) School District's student dropout rate compares favorably with national and state data, the community found the disproportionate number of Hispanic dropouts unacceptable. This article describes the district's efforts to reorganize staff, strengthen existing programs, and institute teen mother, inhouse suspension,…

Describes the partnership between high-tech industries and the schools in Orlando, Florida, which resulted in the planning and development of a $30 million high school known as "The Educational City of the Future." (MD)

The level of productivity of United State's workers has been declining since 1965. At the same time consumption of goods has continued to grow and is currently higher than the productivity level. The key to influencing national productivity is improving educational levels of the work force, research and development, and capital formation. (MD)

Using the metaphor of a "roadmap," this article provides suggestions for strategic long-range planning for school districts. Critical factors include a mission statement, strategic goals and objectives, and specific game plans for accomplishing and evaluating tasks. (TE)

According to two recent surveys, the ongoing revolution in standards for school administrators has affected all 52 state agencies. If the current trend persists, nearly all state departments of education, school districts, and colleges and universities will experience changes in preparation, certification, and employment standards for school…

According to the assistant secretary of the U. S. Department of Education, unsolved problems facing the educational excellence movement include lack of educational performance data, shifts in curriculum content, expected shortage of qualified teachers, and lack of training standards for educational leaders. A critique by the Minneapolis…

Analyzes the implications of recent court decisions and of the federal government's changing role for instruction and support services provided to handicapped and learning-disabled students. (MCG)

A study of Chapter 2 first-year implementation in nine states found that administrators like the flexibility of the block grants. Problems remain concerning the participation of private school students, service to special populations, and the continued use of state advisory councils. (MLF)

Responding to renewed interest in merit pay and master teacher plans, this article reviews surveys and local plans and finds that successful plans exist in areas with adequate salaries and evaluation measures. "Career Ladders" based on incentives and/or additional responsibilities are also examined. (MD)

Resources should be reallocated from the colleges to elementary and secondary schools, and an emphasis placed on character formation and self-discipline by means of homework. Students should start school at age four and have more work experiences, but fewer should enter colleges. (MLF)

"Alinsky methods," designed for confrontation, can include packing meetings, requesting marathon sessions, and using dramatic advertising. Developed by Saul Alinsky for oppressed people, the methods can be mitigated by 10 administrator actions, including building openness and trust, having good legal and public relations advice, and…