The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandates that special education students receive free appropriate public education instruction in the least restrictive environment. Special education students often receive a disproportionate number of suspensions in schools. It is the disproportionate number of suspensions received by…

In this paper, we report the results of a qualitative study examining the development of leadership competencies as Montessori school leaders gain experience using a coaching protocol with their teachers. Extending previous work, the emphasis is on the school leaders' specific roles as instructional supervisors leading reflective practices.…

This paper examines and evaluates some aspects of the legacy of the West Riding of Yorkshire County Council and its long serving Chief Education Officer, Sir Alec Clegg, who held the post between 1945 and 1974. Against a subsequent political discourse of markets, choice and autonomy which portrays local authorities as the cause of poor educational…

For a school improvement initiative to succeed, education leaders must do more than adopt a new program and train staff. This issue of "SEDL Insights" explores steps that leaders can take to ensure the successful implementation of a new program or practice.

Weick's theory of sensemaking is used to analyze findings from a qualitative study of the implementation of a district-initiated adolescent intervention literacy course in two urban secondary schools. The authors concluded that implementation of the literacy course was hampered because district administrators, building leaders, teachers, and…

This study investigated the perceptions of middle school principals' immediate superordinates regarding the principal's proper functions and sought to determine if those perceptions were significantly affected by differences in geographic location, sex, age, or administrative background among superordinates. Data were gathered through a…

Recounts interview with a retired middle school principal and administrator, discussing ways to promote a safe educational environment by building a school community, including advisory programs, early intervention, curriculum, extended school day, smaller schools, and achievement for all students. Includes a biography for Bourgeois. (JPB)

Eleven essays on a wide range of topics related to school administration are presented. The essays are: "Philosophy of Education and the School Administrator,""Administration and the Curriculum,""Role of Administration in the Curriculum,""Issues in School Administration,""Administration in Education,""The Middle School,""Grouping Students in…

Discusses two challenges facing middle level leaders in their efforts to emphasize curriculum and instruction: creating and maintaining high-quality developmentally appropriate curriculum and instruction in an era of standards-based reform and high-stakes accountability, and assisting teachers in making the changes in their classrooms that will…

Middle level teachers and administrators working in small or rural schools often face unique obstacles in implementing recommended middle level practices. From sharing staff and schedules with other school sites, to inappropriate instructional techniques, to a general lack of understanding of the middle level philosophy, these obstacles can be a…

Six chapters of a compendium consider major aspects of intermediate school operation. Chapter 17, "Organizational Structures," discusses the nature of organization, indicates the importance of an understanding of organization in establishing intermediate schools as an integral part of an educational program for youth, and explores the…