Reviews research showing that the social climate of the school and the morale of the staff can have a positive effect on pupil attitudes and learning. Suggestions are made for activities to improve morale. (Author/MLF)

Today's instructional leader must possess skills in four critical areas: curriculum development, clinical supervision, staff development, and teacher evaluation. (Author/JM)

Describes some steps school districts can take to meet student achievement standards of the No Child Left Behind Act. Includes using the "Bully Pulpit," employing standards to reshape instruction, providing a rigorous curriculum aligned with standards, providing extra instruction for students who need it, and assigning the better…

Two-year case study of how teachers and administrators at K-5 school in North Carolina created a more supportive school climate that resulted in a steady improvement in student performance. (Contains 16 references) (PKP)

Examines how a new principal at a historically low-performing high school brought about changes in the school culture and in student achievement. Describes how the principal emphasized achievement at the highest levels through heroes and heroines, rites and rituals, stories, governance and leadership, symbols, enforcing expectations, and serving…

Describes qualities of a good preschool child-development program: Competent staff, parent partnerships, administrative support, and school board support. Provides list of online resources. (PKP)

As measured by the number of published articles in U.S. newspapers and wire services in the Nexis database, references to "adequate yearly progress"--the key benchmark for school performance under NCLB--nearly quadrupled between December 2002 and December 2003. State and local news outlets have devoted significant space to their state…

The University of Wisconsin System and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction have been involved in a multi-year program starting in 1998, one goal of the program has been aligning curricula within the K-16 system of education in Wisconsin. The purpose of the Curriculum Articulation Project has been to work with educators in the state of…

This paper presents a case study of the school culture in a secondary school in Mauritius. It analyses how the school culture has an impact on the effectiveness of an educational organisation. The literature on school culture is reviewed and discussed. The education system in the Mauritian context is described; and its advantages and drawbacks…

This study explored the relationships between professional orientation (defined as how the principal sees his or her role in the organization) and school culture, the influence of gender on professional orientation, and the relationship between school culture and the academic achievement of students. One hundred principals were surveyed. Two…

Research literature highlights the principal as central to teacher evaluation. However, principal reports do not provide adequate information to document teacher quality. Good teacher evaluation adds multiple data sources such as client surveys, peer reviews of materials, and pupil achievement data, which vary by teacher and setting. Principals…

In the Fall of 2006, Education Resource Strategies (ERS), a nation-wide leader in helping school systems make the most of their resources, was invited by Saint Paul Public Schools (SPPS) to study the use of resources in the district and create priority recommendations to inform the district's strategic plan. Saint Paul is in a situation where…

Alvermann urges teachers to "listen to their own students for guidance in adapting their instruction," calling it both "feasible and worthwhile." She says, "But having personal access to good directional ideas is not enough. Finding ways to turn those ideas into sound instructional practices (based on principles derived from equally sound…

This policy brief explores kindergarten readiness observation and its benefits to local and state level stakeholders; highlights efforts by California counties and other states to measure school readiness; and makes recommendations for moving toward statewide use of kindergarten readiness observation tools. Key points include: (1) Early efforts to…

The East Texas School Study Council (ETSSC) (a cooperative organization involving 82 member school districts, a regional educational service center, and East Texas State University) sponsored a study on the impact of Texas reform legislation (H.B. 246 and H.B. 72) on the instructional role of the approximately 400 principals in council member…