Educators in Indiana's Duneland School District found the transition from elementary schools to a newly organized middle school unacceptably difficult for both the students and their parents. After assessing student and parent preconceptions of the middle school as revealed in their responses to questionnaires, the middle school principal…

Describes an Illinois high school teacher mentoring program designed to promote interactions between new and experienced teachers, share research on effective instruction, and disseminate information on school policies and routines. This article summarizes program development stages for use of administrators considering similar programs. (MLH)

During the 1990 fall semester, Department of Educational Administration and Secondary Education at Arkansas State University initiated a project to identify and address needs of the region's beginning school administrators. Needs were identified in school finance, school law, staff relations, student discipline and motivational techniques,…

To help transfer students adjust more readily to new schools, several activities are advised, including a guided buddy system, a counseling plan, and teacher introductions--all based on information gleaned from a new student checklist. (MLH)

Drawing on selected literature about education in seven east Asian countries that have shown remarkable economic development since World War II, this paper considers how the nature of the curriculum might have contributed to these nations' economic growth. The systems are highly centralized, with a curriculum component promoting national goals.…

Subjects that in middle schools are considered "exploratory" should not be abandoned because of increased emphasis on the basics. Through creative scheduling, these "encore" subjects, such as music, have strengthened and enriched the Great Falls (Montana) middle school curriculum. Success in music is likely to improve students'…

Reviews current teacher induction practices in Ontario, Canada, and considers the relationship between school-system level programs and broad-scale government policy. Uses a policy analysis framework to examine induction interest and activity from 1988 through 1991. Discusses these findings within the 1993 policy context. School systems must…

The author outlines a career employment model for hospital nurses and addresses the issues and challenges in the orientation and inservice education component of the model. (CT)

In Sweden principals are faced with societal demands requiring school systems to move from rule-oriented management to goal-oriented management. Principals can no longer rely on authority derived from position but must instead cultivate a credibility based on competence. Goal-oriented leadership is practiced on three levels: the political (the…

Nearly 2 million new teachers are projected to enter U.S. schools in the next decade. Currently, 30% of beginning teachers leave during their first five years. To support new teachers, schools should carefully consider novices' teaching schedules, cooperate with university training programs, and provide mentors. California's state-supported…

This booklet sets forth the responsibilities and challenges facing Illinois school board members. As the first section on general responsibilities shows, the school board takes action only as a body and speaks only through the written record of its meetings. Individual members lack the authority to commit the school board to a particular action,…

Nurse-intern programs, facilitating the transition from student to staff nurse, have flourished. The author presents a study of these programs, revealing how they are structured as well as areas of common concern. (Author)

This article describes examples of five orientation programs for new college faculty (presemester centralized, presemester mandatory, during semester decentralized, during semester centralized, and adjunct faculty). A summary of results and costs considers attendance, value for individual faculty members, and value for the institution. (DB)

New teachers often enter the profession expecting to accomplish what the veteran teacher has been doing for years, with equal success and equal lack of support. A survey of South Carolina school districts shows that curriculum, instruction, and classroom management techniques are omitted from many teacher induction programs. Ameliorative…

The development of processes for considering student achievement data in the evaluation of teaching is discussed. As an alternative to the inappropriate and indefensible use of standardized test scores, the project on Expected Student Achievement (ESA) of the Kentucky Career Ladder Commission considered a management by objectives, or goal setting…