In this article, I serve as a secretary for the critical policy analysis presented by hundreds of teachers, parents, students, and community members during 19 public hearings on school closures in New York City. In testimony at hearings, community members rejected the narrow, statistical approach they felt the Department of Education was using to…

Communities across the country are grappling with different approaches to improving their schools. Introducing or expanding charter schools is one of the approaches that states and school districts have considered or implemented. Charter schools serve more than 5 percent of public school students nationwide and make up close to 7 percent of all…

Does the world really need another report? What "more" could be said that has not already been said? Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL) asked themselves the same question and launched a major year long effort to capture what is currently known about what it takes to ensure the success of all students, especially…

Describes the Educational Opportunity Program of Northern Illinois University's adaptation of an administrative planning decision making program called the Delphi concensus seeking process. (MD)

Defines the concept of the synergistic model of organizational structure. The primary components of the model are cooperative action and job integration, which have as a direct result the increased energy in staff members using the model. (MD)

Outlines findings on decision making from a recent survey of high school principals and middle management executives. Provides five recommendations for improving administrative skills. (MD)

This book offers administrators a reliable guide to creating a document that evidences performance. The book tells what the administrative portfolio is and how it can be created and used. Part 1 contains 12 chapters on creating and using the administrative portfolio: (1) "Changing Roles and Expectations of Academic Administrators"; (2) "The…

A model of proactive planning is presented in this paper which incorporates the latest research findings related to: (1) environmental scanning (external); (2) long-range planning (internal); (3) strategic planning; and (4) educational management. Proactive planning as it occurs in the private sector is analyzed and valuable lessons which can be…

Shows ways principals can encourage teachers to use the findings of educational research in their classrooms and help their schools develop their own specific research. (MD)

Understanding that line relationships involve decision-making and that staff relationships do not, and knowing which relationships in the organizational framework belong to which set at which times are critical to the smooth operation of an organization. This article discusses these relationships and their impact on educational organizations. (PGD)

Discusses the new information possibilities available to educational administrators, pointing out that the most useful role of computers is to provide meaningful data to improve decision making. Outlines a three-phase approach to computerizing school districts. (MD)

Discusses the implications of a planning and decision concept, "Ideal Displacement." Cautions administrators that the process by which alternatives are developed, weighted, and selected has a profound impact on the quality of the decision. (MLF)

Guidelines to facilitate the assessment and development of educational leadership decision-making skills are presented in this paper. Included are a review of traditional and contemporary concepts of the decision-making process, identification of appropriate techniques, and an analysis of four contemporary decision-making models by Thompson,…

Effective school management requires managers who succeed in carrying out the organizational goals of their schools, utilizing the following leadership skills: planning (deciding how to accomplish the organization's goals); organizing (doing the necessary preparation); staffing (filling positions with the right people); directing (motivating staff…

This book is designed to help new or aspiring secondary school administrators to go beyond theory and into practice to successfully face the many situations that administrators encounter on a daily basis. It can also be used to assess the preparedness of entry-level administrative candidates. The first section of the book contains evaluation and…