In the 2008-09 school year researchers from EdSource and Stanford University conducted a large-scale study of 303 middle grades schools in California. The team surveyed 303 principals, 3,752 English Language Arts (ELA) and math teachers in grades 6-8, and 157 superintendents of the districts and charter management organizations that oversee the…

The principal of a newly opened elementary school implemented a practicum study designed to unify faculty, parents, staff, and children; add direction to the program; develop a sense of purpose; and increase participation. It was expected that a vision statement would be developed in the school's first year of operation, and that parents and staff…

An award-winning law student article discusses the implications of a court decision concerning the legality of student searches on campus and the need for institutions to review their policies and attitudes toward increased scrutiny of student life. (MSE)

A questionnaire survey of elementary teachers and principals investigated their attitudes toward parent involvement in schools and sought to find whether barriers to parent involvemnt were related to school policies and procedures, teacher or principal attitudes, lack of resources, or lack of knowledge or skills. Of the random sample of 2,000…

Summarizes a midwestern study of single-parent seventh and eighth graders' special school needs and the effectiveness of school policies, programs, and practices in meeting those needs. The principals surveyed felt schools were more effective than parents in meeting certain student needs. Although principals felt specific approaches were…

In this article, the author presents Sharon I. Byrdsong, the 2006 MetLife/NASSP National Middle Level Principal of the Year, who believes that all students can achieve and makes it happen with programs and policies that support students and teachers. When Sharon I. Byrdsong took over as the principal of Azalea Gardens Middle School in Norfolk,…

This study examined differences in nine factors between a group of the highest-performing needs high schools (HPHN) and a group of the lowest performing high-needs (LPHN) high schools using teacher responses from a national dataset. The factors are: (1) shared mission and goals; (2) professional development; (3) collaboration among teachers (4)…

The Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990 required a complete restructuring of the educational system and greater emphasis on professional development focused on the needs of teachers at local schools. The purposes of this study were to determine the extent to which schools across the Commonwealth were implementing School-Based Professional…

This guide was developed to provide school personnel with practical ways to help students with asthma participate fully in all school activities. It begins by noting the prevalence of asthma and stating that asthma is a leading cause of absenteeism among students. This is followed by a brief description of asthma as a chronic lung disease…

Two specific questions related to the impact of test preparation materials on test validity were addressed: how extensively test preparation materials are being used; and which materials are being used. Four stratified random samples were drawn from four geographical regions. The 564 subjects in each sample included: (1) school superintendents;…

This report defines and describes an advanced model of school-based management in Prince William County, a suburban district considered to be part of the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. It documents the shift from a "top-down" to a "bottom-up" school-based management approach based on input from parents, teachers,…

To encourage educational equity for both sexes in elementary and secondary schools, this handbook provides materials for principals, other educators, and community members to use in assessing their progress toward achieving sex equity. The materials and information were gathered through nationwide contacts with those schools most likely to have…

THE REALIZATION OF EQUAL OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL AMERICAN YOUTH REQUIRES A DEMOCRATIC EDUCATION THAT IS EQUALLY GOOD AND EQUALLY ENDURING. EQUAL EDUCATION IMPLIES THE MAXIMUM DEVELOPMENT OF THREE POTENTIALITIES FOR EACH CHILD--(1) DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHILD'S HIGHEST LEVEL OF PSYCHOLOGICAL READINESS TO LEARN BY FREEING HIS NATURAL POTENTIALITIES THROUGH…

This paper represents an ongoing attempt by the author to elucidate, from a three year longitudinal study, the social and cultural milieu of a single, all black, ghetto school. The purpose of this paper is to detail the manner in which the activities and role of principal in this urban black school are affected by positing an "external social…

Success in today's K-12 environment often hinges on improved test scores. But success should be defined more broadly to recognize the overall learning environment that is created by students, teachers, staff members, administrators, and parents. As a middle level principal, the author has learned that to create long-lasting change and to foster a…