Urban school systems in Birmingham (Alabama), Baltimore (Maryland), and other cities have achieved large increases in student test scores by emphasizing basic skills, teacher evaluation and training, learning objectives, and strong administrative leadership. (RW)

A well-conceived and administered evaluation plan that incorporates the techniques of target-setting for all teachers and administrators may be one way to combat teacher burnout. (Author/MLF)

A cognitive-science revolution, reminiscent of Dewey's Progressive Education Movement, will profoundly affect future educational policy and practice. A comprehensive brain theory will emerge out of Darwin's discoveries about natural selection as a scientific explanation for biodiversity, Einstein's theoretical reconceptualization of…

A recent doctoral research study suggests that a husband's support may have a powerful effect on females entering and succeeding at the superintendency. All married respondents (14 out of 21) entered the job with strong spousal support and said this support was necessary for undertaking the role. A majority said the price was high and they would…

Each Oregon school is required to have a council responsible for developing a staff development plan, improving the instructional program, and coordinating school-reform efforts. During the Eugene district's implementation phase, central-office administrators played a key role in providing organizational development training and in allocating…

Catholic schools share five organizational characteristics that account for their unusual effectiveness. Catholic schools offer and require a core academic curriculum for all students, are embedded within a larger communal structure, are small enough to promote community, have decentralized governance, and have an inspirational ideology reflecting…

A director of secondary education in Omaha, Nebraska, summarizes common concerns about schools' use of educational technology. It is suggested that administrators should decide how technology fits into already busy schedules, train staff adequately, secure funding, keep up with innovations, encourage appropriate classroom use, gain community…

A middle-aged educator with over two decades in the superintendency describes his search for a job and his eventual acceptance of a professorship. Job seekers must be committed to working, have clear-headed retirement plans, believe in themselves, and produce superlative resumes. Sidebars by Cynthia Clarke list online job-hunting resources and…

Describes examples of financial incentives used to recruit teachers for low-achieving and hard-to-staff schools. Includes targeted salary increases, housing incentives, tuition assistance, and tax credits. (PKP)

Although about 5 percent of all U.S. workers hold second jobs, 300,000 teachers, or 17 percent of America's 2 million teachers, were employed outside the school system during the school year. Moonlighting adversely affects teacher recruitment, job stress, and teacher efficacy. Changes such as better salaries, merit pay, and productive summer…

The November 1989 amendments to the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 1986 earmarked $173 million directed primarily toward school Districts in disadvantaged areas. Attempts by some Congressional representatives and the President to interfere in sensitive local school issues (drug testing and mandated curricula) were dampened by education…

Superintendents of urban school districts are confronted by large classes; shortages of qualified staff, materials, and supplies; and inequitable funding. Despite their superintendent's herculean efforts to build strong community support, the Baltimore schools have the lowest per pupil expenditure among Maryland's largest school systems. (MLH)

Given the need for school administrators to exercise fiscal restraint and pare down expenses before recommending tax increases, this article provides information concerning trends in class size, school building renovation, energy economies, teacher and administrator layoffs, and state budgets. (MLH)

Empowered school staff find opportunities to work together. Outlines the superintendent's role and the conditions that must be met in order for empowerment and school improvement to succeed. (MLF)

Conflicts often are symptoms, not causes, of organizational problems. As school budgets shrink, the budget process becomes a battlefield. A systematic approach to revising the budget process involves clarifying the school vision, identifying leadership, clarifying participants' roles, organizing processes, exploring history, implementing change,…