AASL's new integrated standards are designed to empower leaders to transform teaching and learning. The new "National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries" reflect an evolution of AASL Standards, building on philosophical foundations and familiar elements of previous standards while featuring the…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to set out an argument for a way to design, implement and manage IS with an emphasis on first, the learning that can be created through undertaking the approach, and second, the learning that may be created through using the IS that was implemented. The paper proposes joining two areas of research namely,…

One approach to student behavior that may be particularly useful in exclusionary settings is school-wide positive behavior supports (PBS). Increasingly, evidence shows that PBS is an effective approach to student behavior in regular public schools (Sugai & Horner, 2005). While the data on behavioral systems in exclusionary schools are…

Staff development specialists worked with elementary school personnel to improve school morale by gathering information to assess the current climate, establishing task forces to deal with the problems, and training staff members in techniques for ameliorating the problems. (MLF)

School-wide positive behavior support (SWPBS) has been identified as an effective and efficient method to teach students prosocial skills. It requires both effective behavior support practices and systems that will support these changes, including data-based decision making among the school leadership team. There are many practical and systemic…

Describes the Birmingham (Michigan) Public Schools' morale-boosting program. First the superintendent established a district communications team (composed of administrators, teachers, and noncertified staff members) to plan morale-building events. The district also hired a consultant to work with staff and students to improve specific aspects of…

When remedying deficiencies disclosed by national educational reform commissions, school districts must be as concerned with quality as with quantity. In response to a demand by 17 school districts to study their schools' effectiveness, Emporia State University's College of Education (Kansas) has developed an assessment model and initiated a…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to measure the effectiveness and practical utility of an organizational learning intervention for an organization that was not progressive, was not specifically chartered as a learning organization, and was situated in an urban, culturally diverse, and under-privileged community. Design/methodology/approach:…

Identifies educational management issues (staff management, professional-parent relationships, institutional effectiveness, the management/policy interface, and the role of the British Educational Management and Administration Society), considers current attitudes and practices, and proposes future directions. Stresses career development and…

This training manual complements the textbook "Violence in the Schools: Developing Prevention Plans." The curriculum introduces students to the democratic process by involving them in the development of a prevention plan for treating the problem of violence in their school. The manual guides trainers in designing and implementing teacher training…

While studies of school climate abound, conceptual frameworks have been ambiguous, and parent perceptions of climate are seldom considered. This paper describes a school improvement model employed in four rural Maine school districts in which (1) a school climate assessment is designed collaboratively with school staff; (2) the assessment is…

Noting that educators agree that involving parents in their children's education improves students' school performance, this paper offers strategies that teachers, schools, and districts can use to help parents feel welcome as partners in their children's education. The strategies discussed in the paper are for educators to: communicate frequently…

Based on the assumption that staff development is an essential element in changing school climate and must be collaborative and participative, this program also incorporated the theory that raising participant expectations will improve school climate. The University of Toledo and the Springfield Local Schools in Holland, Ohio, in 1979-80 jointly…

This article identifies and discusses schoolwide staff development which differs from the traditional model and is based on three principles: shared responsibility, teacher empowerment, and community growth. A model teacher-run faculty development program is described. The 10-component program operates at the McCallie School (TN). (IAH)

Outlines some of the ways urban conditions affect urban schools and the implications for urban focused staff development. It is argued that these conditions limit the effectiveness of traditional models and approaches to staff development, requiring staff developers to include in their focus broad, systematic changes. (GLR)