This research examines the financial profiles of 550 public school districts in Michigan and highlights the association between school district fund balance and the following eleven indicators: enrollment, percent enrollment change, percent of students receive free and reduced lunch (FRL), percent of special education students, percent of English…

As part of an ongoing effort to gauge how school districts across the country are responding to the current economic downturn, the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) continues to assess various measures of economic impact. Earlier AASA surveys addressed trends in districts' initial responses to the downturn, districts'…

The purpose of this study was to describe the experiences of superintendents with business backgrounds and who lack teaching experience. There is a shortage of qualified superintendent candidates in K-12 school districts. As a result, some school boards are hiring nontraditional superintendents. This qualitative case study is important because it…

The public usually thinks of large urban schools when it considers reforms to the American education system. But rural students account for a large and growing segment of the school-age population, and their needs have too often been overlooked in school improvement efforts. Policymakers and the public must make rural education a priority if the…

Equitable science education opportunities are shaped by factors originating inside and outside schools. Resources for science instruction--for example, laboratory equipment and course offerings--have historically been allocated unequally across schools serving different student communities. This paper addresses the equity of instructional resource…

In response to a growing dialogue at the local, state and national levels around the idea of restructuring teacher pay to include performance measures, the American Association of School Administrators surveyed a randomly selected sample of its members to gauge their feedback and interest in pay-for-performance programs. AASA launched this survey…

The primary purpose of this study was to assess the impact of the GROW program on the intrinsic, extrinsic, and the general job satisfaction of principals and assistant principals in Pennsylvania. The impact of the variables of year in position, age, gender, level of work, location of school, and present degree was examined; the impact of…

This preliminary survey offers insights into how community-school partnerships are structured and what types of relationships schools and districts have established. Among respondents to this survey, businesses and parent organizations are by far the most frequent K-12 partners. Also, clear differences were found in the responses of suburban,…

Examined prevailing assumptions regarding differences between school psychologists in different settings. Compared professional preparation, experience, employment conditions, job satisfaction, roles, continuing education needs, and perceptions of key issues of school psychologists (n=502) in rural, urban, suburban, and combination settings. Found…

This investigation shows a positive relationship between early enactment of collective bargaining legislation for teachers and the urban percentage of a state's population and a negative relationship between enactment of such legislation and a state's index of conservatism. (Author)

Compares responses of counselors in isolated school settings to their non-isolated peers on work environment issues. Reports isolated counselors viewed themselves and their role as more highly valued and felt a greater sense of control than their non-isolated peers, but found obstacles to service delivery in isolated settings. (Author/DHP)

When William Moore, a Scottish Presbyterian pastor, established the first special school in China in 1874, the country began her long and circuitous journey toward establishing formal educational services for individuals with special needs. Special education in China developed slowly on the infertile soil of continual wars, political instability,…

Reports results of a 1977-78 survey of administrators in 122 Tennessee school districts to determine psychological services available, immediate and future manpower needs, positions available, and appropriate training. Notes that most districts both provided and need more services and that psychological service differed in rural and urban…

Analysis of the content of three multicultural textbooks found that issues of place were not emphasized and rural issues were neglected. Rural culture was overshadowed by urban, and rural issues were dealt with in the context of urban issues. Rurality was invisible and rural stereotypes were perpetuated. (Contains 20 references.) (SK)

A 15-item questionnaire was administered to 36 rural Nebraska superintendents concerning special education. Financing of special education programs ranked as the number one concern of superintendents. Other high ranking concerns were meeting state guidelines, increasing enrollment, shortages of support service personnel, and matching the…