Ensuring appropriate educational opportunities for students with disabilities is one of the greatest challenges that public schools face. Research suggests that few school leaders are prepared to provide effective special education leadership (Monteith, 2000; Walther-Thomas, DiPaola, & Butler, 2002). If school reform goals are to be realized,…

This report summarizes a research analysis examining which instructional practices had a positive relationship with the achievement of low-income, English learner students as measured by the English Learner Academic Performance Index (EL-API) and other achievement tests. Based on a research study that surveyed teachers and principals in 237…

This paper presents the research and methodology and analyses used for the "Gaining Ground in the Middle Grades" research. This appendix contains the following sections: (1) Overview; (2) Constructing the Survey Data File; (3) Constructing Composite Independent Variables (Subdomains); (4) Constructing Longitudinal Outcome Variables; (5)…

"Academic Achievement, Culture, and Literacy: An Introduction" by John Attinasi provides a framework for the title paper. Multiculturalism requires not only a change in curriculum, but a change in school climate and pedagogy. Communication is critical, given the centrality of language and the variety of linguistic expression in homes and schools.…

In 1985, in response to both first- and second-wave reform reports criticizing the nation's schools for a lack of rigor in their instructional programs, the achievement formula research project, "Techniques of Responsive Intervention to Validate Effective Teaching" (TRIVET), was developed. Between 1985 and 1988, the project was piloted in three…

This speech reviews school effectiveness research over the past 5 years, presenting the most important conclusions: schools make a difference in how much children learn, and principals make a difference in school effectiveness. The characteristics of better schools listed are: 1) clear sense of purpose, (2) well-formulated instructional goals, (3)…

Eleven annotations of studies or summaries of studies that are entered in the ERIC system are presented in this leaflet. All the annotations concern principals' behavior characteristics and institutional programs that are related to school success as measured by student achievement. The studies reviewed agree that exemplary principals share a…

A three-day conference on effective schools sponsored by the National Committee for Citizens in Education brought educational researchers, school practitioners, and parents together to discuss a promising approach for restoring the quality of urban schools. This paper, a report of the conference, provides a succinct review of the literature on…

A review of research linking elementary principal "antecedents" (defined as traits), behaviors, school conditions, and student outcomes furnishes few supportable generalizations. The studies relating principal antecedents with behavior and principal antecedents with organizational variables reveals that the trait theory of leadership has…

School climate is defined as the norms, beliefs, and attitudes reflected in institutional patterns and practices that enhance or impede student achievement. Research findings support the notion that school learning climate is an important factor in determining academic outcomes. School climate is largely dependent on the leadership of the…

The purpose of this study was to determine how principals spend their time and to test a new structure using business management trained staff to increase principal time spent on academic achievement and gap closure. Twenty-one elementary school principals were randomly selected for a week-long time-task analysis. Data collectors shadowed the…

Over the past 50 years, theoretical and methodological problems have plagued the study of leadership. This paper reviews the literature in the areas of leadership; leadership theories; leadership styles; and the effect of principal leadership on teachers' morale, performance, and student achievement. The literature shows that principal leadership…

This document provides guiding questions and a process for school district personnel to assess the district's organizational capacity for supporting strong educational leaders in a standards-based system. These questions reflect the most recent research literature about leadership and its optimal organizational supports in high-performing school…

Accelerated Schools are built on the strengths of school staff, students, parents, and communities with the goal of bringing at-risk students into the educational mainstream by the end of elementary school. During the 1990-91 school year, 53 schools are participating in the Accelerated Schools Program, including statewide networks in Missouri and…

Describes the perspectives, roles, and activities of school district staff in planning for educational outcomes, focusing on central office administrators, principals, and teachers. The planning projects carried out in a large urban school district with 38,500 students have produced higher student achievement and a better school climate. Includes…