The number of deaths caused by the use of heroin or prescription pain killers nationwide has increased annually over the past decade with some of the most rapid growth occurring in the nation's most rural areas. This qualitative study examines the responses of districts and superintendents to this growing health crisis in twelve rural school…

The Ashland University's superintendent licensure program had not been revised and updated for the last several years. With all of the educational reforms in the first part of this new millennium, there was a pressing need to redefine and develop the overall program and courses embedded in it. An action plan was set up to carry out several steps…

The purpose of this study was to examine the factors contributing to a successful transition into the role of a new superintendency in Texas. A triangular designed mixed methodology with a convergence model was employed. The setting was urban, suburban, and rural school districts in Texas. The participants were superintendents of public school…

As one part of a broad reform package, the 2011 Indiana General Assembly passed Senate Enrolled Act 001 (Public Law 90), a bill that significantly changed the way Indiana teachers will be evaluated and compensated. An earlier Center for Evaluation & Education Policy (CEEP) policy brief, "Revamping the Teacher Evaluation Process"…

Background: Despite effective solutions to reduce teen birth rates, Texas teen birth rates are among the highest in the nation. School districts can impact youth sexual behavior through implementation of evidence-based programs (EBPs); however, teen pregnancy prevention is a complex and controversial issue for school districts. Subsequently, very…

Given today's high stakes accountability for student success and the responsibility for ensuring a faculty of highly qualified teachers, the role of school administrator is significantly more demanding and complex than in the past. In these challenging times, the issue of administrator shortages in school districts has intensified. Trend data…

The relevance of administrative preparation programs has been questioned. The questions center around how well programs are preparing school leaders to deal with the myriad of requirements placed in front of them (i.e. demands relate to issues of accountability, changing demographics, aging professionals, demanding publics, and school…

Two sets of administrators (principals and superintendents) were asked if selected inservice education programs were being implemented currently in the respondents' schools and school systems and, secondly, what their perceptions were of the need for selected inservice education programs in the next five years. The study requested responses of a…

A survey was conducted by the Kansas State Department of Education to ascertain the present status of foreign language instruction in the secondary schools and to learn the opinions of district and building administrators and of teachers regarding future program direction and areas in which assistance may be needed for better program…

This report is described as a detailed account of the history and development of the Metropolitan Applied Research Center (MARC) Academic Achievement Plan (AAP), describing the process and events which lead to its failure. The AAP is described as a blueprint for a system of educational changes to be developed and implemented by the Board of…

The purpose of this study was to clarify the role of the local vocational director and area vocational center administrator in local education agencies. Through this role clarification, it is hoped that training programs can be more accurately geared to the development of competencies necessary to carry out the functions of the positions. The…

In a 1979 survey, the majority of the 73% responding superintendents and 38% responding school board chairmen in 269 randomly chosen small school districts across the nation indicated that program evaluation activity occurred in their districts and that evaluation information was generally desired by and available to the school board.…

This national study of school-university collaborations indicates that there is no single formula for collaboration, although specific common obstacles are likely to appear and specific common factors are likely to contribute to successful programs. Data were drawn from questionnaire responses from 68 school superintendents and 128 university…

Data collected by the Education Division staff regarding school administrator training needs indicated that expanded or improved training is needed and that ideas on how to provide this training without extensive new resources must be shared. Several plans and policy options are described and discussed. (MF)

This study examines local, ongoing inservice practices and programs for school board members in Pennsylvania in order to devise a program that local districts can adapt or adopt in response to their own needs. Following a brief introduction, a summary describes how data for the study were gathered by means of a series of interviews and…