The role of principal as supervisor and evaluator of teachers is central to instructional leadership, and this means direct involvement through classroom observation and interaction with each teacher. Principals often neglect this role, with lack of time usually given as the reason. There are other reasons: Interacting with teachers about their…

The six issues of this newsletter for academic year 1992/93 typically include one or more lead articles; the columns "Research Watch,""ERIC Tracks," and "Teaching Assistant (TA) Forum"; Case Studies; and Case Study Responses. Major articles and columns included in this volume are: "Cooperative Learning as a…

This document consists of the two issues of "SET" published during 1989. Each SET issue consists of a packet of brief reports, leaflets, pamphlets, etc., all reporting on educational research and designed for private study, staff-meetings, in-service courses, or small group discussions. (LL/ND)

This document consists of a complete run of "SET" from 1992 through 1996 inclusive (10 issues). Each SET issue consists of a packet of brief reports, leaflets, pamphlets, etc., all reporting on educational research and designed for private study, staff-meetings, in-service courses, or small group discussions. (LL/ND)

Although there has been a paucity of research on what effective secondary school principals do, two recent studies offer some clues. A 1983 report by William Firestone and Bruce Wilson asserts that a high school principal may best be able to influence the school through bureaucratic and cultural linkages. Bureaucratic linkages are formal enduring…

A number of spelling strategies are available to help students who do not have a good visual memory. Phonics is a valuable tool in the early grades. Many students benefit from studying word families. Mnemonic devices and tactile methods are also useful. Spelling gains importance when students write, although both the purpose for writing and the…

These journal articles examine the issues of evaluation and art education. In (1) "Self Evaluation for Secondary Art Students, Why Bother?" (Margaret Scarr), the article recommends that involving students in assessing their work contributes to learning. (2) "Evaluating for Success" (Arlene Smith) gives practical suggestions for…

The items featured in this annotated bibliography touch on several aspects of the multifaceted class-size debate. Allen Odden reviews the literature and contends that class-size reduction should be used "sparingly and strategically." C. M. Achilles and colleagues examines two different class-size situations and find student test…

Five recent studies included in this annotated bibliography highlight the diverse facets of an effective principal evaluation system. A technical report by Jerry W. Valentine and Michael L. Bowman includes a clinical instrument for assessing teachers' perception of principals' effectiveness. In a second report, Daniel L. Duke and Richard J.…

Improving communications between administration and staff members is an urgent, ongoing need. Schools should adopt a communications philosophy in conjunction with continuing communication effectiveness. These evaluations must have clear and understandable objectives, mainly to pinpoint communication strengths and weaknesses. All essential…

Guidelines for evaluating responses to requests for proposals (RFPs) for state-level educational assessment programs are presented. The guidelines articulate key choice points, options, and considerations by state (and district) testing directors as they solicit services for large-scale assessment from commercial testing companies. Focus is on…

Homework policies and guidelines are the topics outlined in this article. Homework policies should address the amount of homework and amount of school time available to do the homework. Guidelines for grading homework are also discussed. It is recommended that teachers should prepare a written description of homework practices for the principal.…

"In Brief" focuses on K-12 mathematics and science research and implications for policymakers, educators, and researchers seeking to improve student learning and achievement This brief highlights the learning gains of 240 elementary students involved in a long-term study in Madison, Wisconsin and their remarkable ability to reason with arithmetic…

Providing the early childhood (EC) community with a timely, actionable information about the Illinois State Board of Education's early learning initiative, "Little Prints" is a newsletter highlighting best practices among EC programs, representing the interests of and issues of EC professionals engaged in the education and care of…

Among the many reasons why college and university costs are rising are factors internal to the institutions which hold down productivity. Most efforts to improve productivity usually fail because they do not introduce new energy or information from the outside. In order to improve productivity, formal, non-quantitative evaluation should include a…