Increasing evidence shows that school leaders, throughout all stages of their careers, can benefit from a mentoring system in which a seasoned leader helps the protege combine theory and practice with experience. This research roundup reviews works that provide support for principal mentoring and share strategies for establishing mentoring…

This booklet was designed to help families, school professionals, and students understand the function and purpose of comprehensive school improvement. It is part of the SILC Road initiative, which was founded by several education groups in Colorado for the purpose of helping schools educate all students. The volume focuses on the elements of the…

Discusses child abuse and neglect. Describes signs of abuse and neglect, urges teachers to become involved, and gives guidelines for teacher intervention. (RH)

The School Meals Initiative for Healthy Children was launched in June 1994 to improve the health and education of children through better nutrition. This leadership guide provides information to school decision-makers on using materials and resources developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and describes Team Nutrition, an implementation…

The purpose of this guide is to help leaders move their schools ahead in the face of adversity. It is intended for principals, teacher leaders, district administrators, and others who have a stake in helping schools move forward. The contents are based on qualitative research and actual experiences of schools effective in dealing with adversity.…

This workbook is designed for leaders and members of work teams in educational and social-service systems. It presents in a systematic fashion a set of tested facilitation tools that will allow teams to work more efficiently and harmoniously, enabling them to achieve their goals, to deal directly with both personal and work-related issues that…

This field guide provides a look into education in relation to a concept that has already been established in science, business and therapy. This book will encourage and educate readers about systemic thinking through examples and ideas pertinent to education and its reform. Following a Foreword (Michael Fullan) and Introduction (Blane Despres),…

This newsletter reviews five reports that address the implications of standards for administrators. These texts include "Designing and Implementing Standards-Based Accountability System" (Education Commission of the States), which describes some of the policy implications of standards-driven accountability; "Why Principals Fail: Are National…

Specifically designed for teachers, administrators, and other school decision-makers, this monograph outlines ways quality circles can be used to improve educational planning and decision-making. The first of four sections defines quality circles as a group of workers who identify, analyze, and propose solutions to problems within their scope of…

This monograph's purpose is to provide a basis for team development for quality circle groups involved in problem-solving and decision-making. Training group members in team building is a crucial factor for success in quality circles. The following are important needs for group members: a sense of belonging, a commitment to group goals, a sense of…

Never before has the need for effective mentoring programs for principals been more urgent. Record student enrollment, an anticipated retirement of about 40 percent of principals, and a shrinking pool of those who aspire to be principals have brought about a shortage of principals and an alarming lack of qualified applicants. This research roundup…

This practical guidebook is designed for managers and leaders who have responsibility for the creation and success of teams. First, a team is described as a workgroup whose members are dependent upon one another for the completion of a given task, and whose members possess different but complementary skill sets. A team manages its own work within…

This document was developed to assist parents, caregivers, and teachers in understanding the importance of homework and the role that parental involvement plays in assigning homework. The document is a teacher's guide containing talking points to be used in a presentation to parents, and includes transparencies. The presentation begins with a…

This guidebook presents practical, everyday applications of effective school leadership principles. Chapter 1 describes the roles and responsibilities of school leaders today. Chapter 2 presents a litmus test of school leadership, which is described in terms of vertical and hierarchical models. Problem-solving techniques are presented. The role of…

Maintaining that good communication and sharp awareness of interpersonal dynamics can help facilitators of quality circles develop greater group synergy and thus more creative and productive results, this guide presents techniques and exercises for developing facilitators' interpersonal communication skills. A pretest and brief introduction are…