A graduated step model for rewarding better teachers with higher salaries is presented. Advancement is based on demonstrated competence. (MD)

The Mt. Diablo district increased principal participation in decision-making by creating four revolving principal-directorships to improve the decision-making process and administrator morale. The district also created a decision-chart that outlines who has decision-making authority. (IRT)

Data indicate that principals' unions will continue to grow because principals see the bargaining table as a place to improve their lots and their professional positions. As an alternative, management teams are a sound idea but might not work in practice. (Author/IRT)

When conducting teacher evaluations, the wise principal acts within union contracts and board policies, asks teachers for self-evaluations, carefully plans classroom visits, observes correctly, takes accurate notes, considers videotaping teachers, deemphasizes ratings, makes postevaluation conferences meaningful, and offers teachers a chance for…

A rural Colorado school district moved from confrontation to collaboration through interest-based bargaining. Trained negotiators on each side present important issues, but no solutions. Group members work together to uncover facts, develop solutions and alternatives, and analyze each proposed solution's benefits and consequences. Finally, the…

Describes five tactics that striking teachers use against superintendents and school boards. Notes their effect on administrator resignations and school levy defeats, and lists three ways administrators can build mutual support, including sharing strike experiences, getting professional associations' support, and establishing statewide networks of…

A superintendent narrates the events preceding a strike in his district, and the steps he took to prepare for and weather the strike. (IRT)

Specific numbers on layoffs are difficult to secure. A survey of the American Federation of Teachers' 51 largest affiliates indicates that only a small percentage of teachers were laid off last year. However, 50 percent reported reductions in programs or increases in class size; 25 percent reported wage freezes; and 10 percent reported higher…

Highlights of the National Education Association's (NEA) annual meeting include endorsement of a "learning lab" plan whereby each state designates at least one school district as a learning laboratory where teachers can experiment and take the lead in reshaping public education. (MLF)

When dealing with a real dispute based on conflicting goals rather than a misunderstanding, it is better to avoid multiple rounds of "clarifying communication." A better approach is to solicit the opposite party's concerns and critiques, thereby eliciting a sequence of constructive responses until agreement has been reached. Examples are provided.…

Outlines five myths used as arguments against teacher merit pay. While teacher preparation, salaries, and evaluation are essential elements of performance pay plans, they should not be isolated from related issues. Includes a sidebar on problems the Fairfax County (Virginia) merit pay plan is encountering with the teacher union. (MD)

The Wilkinsburg (Pennsylvania) School Board's decision to hire Alternative Public Schools, a private company, to manage a failing elementary school has alienated the teacher union and many town residents. If teachers lose their court challenge, Turner School will become the only U.S. public school to be both privately staffed and managed. (MLH)

The American Federation of Teachers' (AFT) annual meeting stressed school restructuring, schools within schools, in which groups of teachers work within the system to change the system. The delegates passed a number of resolutions that called for extending current services or initiating new ones. (MLF)

Lee Etta Powell, the new superintendent in Cincinatti's (Ohio) schools, believes that teachers should participate in the issues affecting the running of schools. She expects her administrators to bring in teachers, parents, and other community members to advise and respond. (MLF)

Union and school board representatives studied basic negotiating techniques at a five-day workshop. Improved relations and cooperation were the result. (MLF)