In hopes of shedding light on how public school leaders can better advocate on the state level for the needs of their schools and their students, The School Administrator turned to policymakers in different settings and with different political leanings. They invited a trio--a Republican state legislator from the Chicago suburbs, a rural…

Building a new school can be exciting and creative. The process enables parents, students, educators and the community to explore their dreams and priorities, and create a facility tailored to their unique needs. Unfortunately, the process also can leave education institutions and communities feeling like they've bought an "off-the-rack" facility…

A review of literature on state education governance, with a focus on strengthening the role of the state boards of education in policymaking, is presented in this report. Four themes include current recommendations of various groups, the context of governance, governance structures, and key actors in state education policymaking. Policy…

This paper presents two separate but related addresses on the subject of the relationship between school boards and superintendents. The comments of Frances Harrison, chairman of the Rocky Mount City (North Carolina) Board of Education, focus on the importance of the superintendent selection process and on elements of the board-superintendent…

Board members and administrators can build public confidence in their schools by taking every opportunity to communicate positive attitudes about the people in the schools. As leaders, they have the responsibility to use people power to promote the schools. If school employees feel good about their jobs, they will build confidence within the…

To work well together, school boards and superintendents must reach agreement in certain sensitive areas of their relations. Five of these, briefly discussed, are (1) the degree to which administrators become involved in policymaking, and boards, in procedural issues; (2) the superintendent's authority over administrative appointments; (3) board…

Local boards of education have the responsibility and authority for operating local school systems, but in a system of any size authority must be delegated. Unlike factories, schools cannot be run from the top down. The health of the schools is determined directly by and in proportion to the extent that principals and teachers have a voice in…

Productive board meetings entail well-planned agenda, effective chairpersons, and on-task focuses which avoid extraneous issues and fruitless, time-consuming discussions. Members should understand the agenda's chief points beforehand or be prepared to make pertinent inquiries which administrators anticipate. Tips for chairpersons include keeping…

Staff selection and hiring in the Jamestown (Rhode Island) Public Schools includes two unusual elements: Teachers, administrators, and the community are involved in the hiring procedure and the superintendent negotiates with teachers hired to determine their first year salaries. During the district's recent selection of an elementary school…

Teacher absenteeism is a growing problem, according to this short guide on reducing absenteeism. The author briefly reviews the research data on absenteeism from national, state, and district sources. She lists the average costs of teacher substitution by district size and the characteristics of both districts and teachers with bad absence…

Techniques that reduced teacher absences from 8.7 to 7.6 per year in the Milwaukee Public Schools are described in this report. The techniques include (1) information, in each new teacher's orientation kit, on the district's attitude toward good attendance, (2) articles about sick leave in the staff bulletin, (3) periodic reminders and training…

Many New Yorkers have given up on the public schools and on the chance for reform. However, the school system's new chancellor, Frank Macchiarola, seems to have both the necessary commitment to change and the administrative skills. Interim evaluations have been made of his performance, with the following results: (1) Staff Performance--good work…

Contemporary social changes demand a new role for the educational administrator. Yet, responses to a recent poll of 50 large cities indicate that most school districts still depend on the traditional training by universities for administration. Of the 34 cities that replied, only one school district indicated signs of an ongoing program for…

In the first section on grievance procedures, this report gives important suggestions to administrators and teachers, discusses the roles of administrators and chapter chairmen in grievance processing, and provides a one-page grievance formula. In the second section on grievance arbitration, the report (1) discusses the rationale for binding…

Reports results of a 1982-83 survey of 37 Canadian chief executive school officers (CEOs) regarding their effectiveness. Presents findings and analysis regarding CEO relationships and effectiveness with community groups and school board members, community expectations of CEOs, CEO roles as mediators and policy makers, and reasons for…