Recommends an eight-step program for school districts seeking first-rate teachers, including (1) determining desirable staff characteristics, (2) broadening recruitment strategies, (3) honing selection procedures, (4) completing preemployment paperwork and placement decisions, (5) beginning orientation immediately, (6) setting up support systems,…

Substitute teachers are often not as effective as they should be, considering that they generally oversee 5 solid months of a typical student's K-12 education. The Ashland (Ohio) City Schools developed a questionnaire to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of their substitute teacher program. The result was an in-depth manual and improvement of…

Suggests that school systems "audit" their communication system to assess their communication needs. Provides two tests that audit a school system's environment and its community. The test results indicate whether the system's communication program should emphasize formal or informal communication methods. (RW)

Instead of relying on standardized test scores and interdistrict comparisons, school systems must develop a more powerful, timely, and local approach to accountability that is truly client-centered and focused on results. Accountability requires giving successful teachers the freedom and opportunity to take effective ideas beyond their own…