School climate improvements rely either on changes in the school's culture or changes in perceptions of the climate held by the school's employees and clients. To maintain and develop a culture that is supportive of school effectiveness, it is important to monitor the influence of the school's climate on student outcomes. The National Association…

Author's personal reactions toward recent interest in school effectiveness research are presented. Observes that, while there is much information on effective schools, each situation is highly dependent upon individual circumstances. (MD)

Discusses the promotion of self-esteem and development of self-educating students as important components of the educational process. (MD)

Presents results of a New Mexico school survey that found the quality of education improved in schools as enrollment declined. (MD)

This document discusses the SPECTRA+ approach to education transformation, an effective arts education methodology that changes the way students, teachers, administrators, and parents think in order to create an environment conducive to learning. It establishes conditions that promote learning as a lifelong endeavor. The five major components of…

A school's academic performance can be bolstered through instituting modest programs that don't require drastic institutional changes. Describes some simple program changes that were effective in a Utah middle school.(MD)

Most school improvement begins outside the school, but the greatest promise for school reform with the most potential for lasting changes comes from within the school itself. (MD)

This paper presents the traditional public school as a multiheaded turtle in a shell of established procedure suspended by public patronage over a boiling cauldron of threat and uncertainty, hoping to avoid swinging cleavers of changing socioeconomic conditions. Leadership by creative, proactive administrators who can utilize vision,…

The purpose of this guidebook is to assist education agencies and organizations--which include state education agencies or state departments of education, school districts, and schools--in the development, maintenance, and standardization of effective Web sites. Also included is a detailed examination of the procedures necessary to provide…

Describes one department's experience with curriculum development through the formulation of a departmental mission statement reflecting the shared sociological goals of faculty and students. Discusses the process of achieving consensus, the actual mission statement, and the curricular and program implications of such a process. (KO)

The first section of this monograph describes research trends and major issues in the arts education field, such as: (1) some of the major arts education advocacy pieces; (2) current policy and practices in arts education; (3) current trends in arts education research; and (4) building a case statement for arts education based on research. The…

Teacher salary schedules are essentially an automatic device establishing pay in terms of degrees, credits earned, and number of years teaching. An alternative solution is the use of position classification, a systematic method to evaluate and pay work forces equitably. It involves gathering accurate information about each job, choosing a process…

Discusses the changes made by the North Carolina General Assembly in the state school system with the Basic Education Plan (BEP). The plan focuses on curriculum, class size, spiral curriculum, and competency examinations. Reports that the BEP views the arts as basic to education. (GG)

This guide to 25 Northeastern schools honored by the United States Department of Education Secondary Recognition Program in 1982-83 profiles the schools from the states of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, and Rhode Island. Each school is profiled through a description of the school, the community served, selected programs and…

Using the development of Third World countries as a metaphor for individual school development, this article describes a method used for eight years in a British secondary school to support internal school development initiatives. Emphasis is placed on internal communication and collaboration and on obtaining outside support rather than outside…