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…

This module is designed to introduce educational leaders to an organizational assessment tool called a "culture audit." Literature on organizational cultural competence suggests that culture audits are a valuable tool for determining how well school policies, programs, and practices respond to the needs of diverse groups and prepare…

Researchers and policymakers have pointed to the lagging scores of eighth graders on international, national, and state assessments as evidence that students are not prepared to meet high academic standards and that middle grades reform is needed. In response to these concerns, educators have introduced reforms designed to provide middle-level…

Noting that an effective partnership between school and home can be one of the most powerful ways of helping children learn, this book provides guidelines for developing a whole school approach to working with parents to governors, parents, teachers, and other staff. Offering a wide range of good practice and practical ideas for developing an…

Illinois Senate Joint Resolution 173 resulted in the appointment in 1994 of a 53-member Work Group on Early Childhood Education. This group was mandated to report to the Senate on the development and implementation of a statewide early childhood education and care program. The group identified key issues, delimited legislative objectives, offered…

There are two essential social systems with which virtually all children and families have routine, significant contact: school and health care settings. Schools are being asked to address the needs of children and youth at a time when fundamental transformations of schooling structures and outcome expectations are also being demanded. To address…

This annual, national study of student charges at public, four-year institutions of higher education in the United States surveyed 572 colleges and universities in 1994. Approximately 93 percent, or 533 institutions, responded. The findings included the following: (1) college and university tuition and fees remain on the rise though rates of…

This newsletter summarizes unionization trends among college faculty and analyzes the six collective bargaining elections which took place during 1995. Academic unions represented 246,207 professors in 1995, a growth of 1.65 percent over 1994, and there were 504 bargaining agents on 1,115 campuses throughout the United States. This increase can be…

Creating and maintaining a web server, particularly for a large organization, is both an art and a science. The science of link management, statistical analysis, and error redirection is only a part of what is required of web managers. Additional responsibilities include knowing the information needs of users; data owner support services; training…

This document is a guide to the immigrant student's legal right of access to public schools based on the 1982 United States Supreme Court ruling in "Plyler v. Doe" (457 U.S. 202). Following an introduction, the first of three sections, "School Practices," addresses everyday school practices by outlining prohibited and…

This paper reviews studies on the use of corporal punishment in the nation, particularly in Louisiana public schools, and the impact of corporal punishment on black male students. The paper reviews the recent polls and studies on attitudes toward corporal punishment, noting that approval rates for use of paddling are significantly higher in…

This paper contrasts three theoretical positions which lead to different predictions about the impact on instruction and learning of enhanced teacher roles in school and classroom decision making. The "teacher professionalism" view maintains that empowerment enhances instruction and learning, the "bureaucratic centralization"…

The Massachusetts Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth prepared its first annual report on various issues of concern to homosexual youth. The Commission seeks to work on prevention of youth suicide, violence prevention, and prevention of problems faced by young homosexuals in schools and the family. The Commission sought information from a series…

In June 1993, the Quebec Commission d'evaluation de l'enseignement collegial (CEEC) was created to conduct evaluations of the assessment of student achievement and quality of college programs of studies in the province. This report presents CEEC guidelines for evaluating institutional policies for the evaluation of student achievement (IPESA's).…

This article provides school council members in Texas public schools engaged in site-based decision-making (SBDM) with information about creating successful preschool programs for language minority children (LMC). It is intended to help the councils make decisions as to how they can: (1) ensure that language minority children have access equal to…