A formal induction and mentoring (I&M) program is critical for supporting and developing novice teachers as they enter the K-12 classroom and has been found to improve teacher retention, teaching practice, and student outcomes. Districts across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts are required to offer induction and mentoring programming to their…

Improving school climate takes time and commitment from a variety of people in a variety of roles. This document outlines key action steps that school leaders--including principals, assistant/vice principals, and building leaders--can take to support school climate improvements. Key action steps are provided for the following strategies: (1)…

Improving school climate takes time and commitment from a variety of people in a variety of roles. This document outlines key action steps that instructional staff--including teachers, paraprofessionals, and others in the classroom who provide instruction or assistance--can take to support school climate improvements. Key action steps are provided…

Improving school climate takes time and commitment from a variety of people in a variety of roles. This document outlines how family members--including guardians of students--can support school climate improvements. Key action steps are provided for the following strategies: (1) Participate in planning for school climate improvements; (2) Engage…

Student-Based Budgeting (sometimes called Weighted Student Funding, or Fair Student Funding, depending on the district) differs fundamentally from the traditional funding model, which distributes resources to schools in the form of staff and dollars designated for specific purposes. Student-Based Budgeting (SBB) allocates dollars to schools based…

"Data Wise: A Step-by-Step Guide to Using Assessment Results to Improve Teaching and Learning" presents a clear and carefully tested blueprint for school leaders. It shows how examining test scores and other classroom data can become a catalyst for important schoolwide conversations that will enhance schools' abilities to capture…

This guide is intended for school leaders who want to create partnerships with families and community members in their schools. There are many reasons to want to increase family and community engagement. First and foremost, family and community engagement helps students achieve. In addition, creating partnerships allows for the pooling of…

Administrators can help teachers follow six steps to gain the skills and confidence to use computers in the classroom: (1) familiarization with microcomputers, (2) understanding classroom computer applications, (3) acquiring parent and community support, (4) finding appropriate software, (5) introducing computers to students, and (6) evaluating…

Pitfalls presented in this guide to introducing microcomputers into school curricula include treating the change as magic, rushing to gain publicity, and changing by administrative fiat. Steps outlined to avoid such pitfalls include developing board policy and administrative procedures, acting on committee recommendations, and establishing a…

This presentation was meant to identify for principals some of the issues surrounding the education of the handicapped by the use of questions and answers that include citations of selected federal court cases. Issues discussed include history of the education of the handicapped, problems related to handicapped student identification and testing…

In this digest the functions of an administrator in gifted and talented education are explored. Administrators are seen to have responsibilities in awareness of the students, in community, and the curriculum. Among specific tasks outlined for administrators are developing plans for continuing identification of gifted students, ensuring that…

Key steps in deciding on a new career program include having a program planning model, identifying a planning officer, gathering the necessary planning data, conducting a feasibility study, and understanding the institution's program approval process. (Author/MSE)

This guide presents information elementary school administrators need to develop and maintain good early childhood education programs for 4- and 5-year-olds. It also presents the curriculum principles that are relevant to both early childhood programs and the elementary grades. The guide will help principals and administrators recognize good early…

This guide, requested by principals across the nation, is intended to help them successfully implement Reading Recovery in their schools. The guide is organized by topics that experienced principals have said are important to ongoing program operation. To help access information quickly, a detailed table of contents is provided, as well as an…

The "School Administrator's Guide to Implementing Language Programming" serves as a starting point to plan for and implement language programming. It provides a general overview; suggests practical strategies for working with students, parents, teachers and the surrounding community; and includes details on areas to address in selecting…