Most special education administrators do not get the chance to network regularly with professional peers to discuss job challenges and strategies. School-district special education directors routinely juggle complex, difficult, time-consuming, and emotion-laden job demands, but when things get tough, they usually find themselves solving problems…

This study examined the perceptions of teachers and administrators with regard to AVID (Advancement via Individual Determination) teacher leaders. The purpose was to compare whether teachers and administrators agree on the types of attributes needed for teacher leaders involved in implementing AVID as a school reform effort. Results revealed that…

The objectives of the Pennsylvania School Improvement Program (PSIP), funded by the National Institute of Education from 1976 to 1980, were to help schools analyze basic skills needs and improve student performance through the use of research-based programs and techniques. The data uncovered the need to improve instructional management, improve…

Describing a task force as a planning and problem-solving group within the school, this article outlines problems encountered in school-based planning efforts and ways to make future attempts more successful. (Author/JM)

Describes the Middle-Management Center at Tulane University, which through simultaneous research and action seeks to develop the problem-solving capabilities of principals. (JG)

Explores the similarities and differences among three thinking skills programs that help students analyze and evaluate their own problem-solving skills. (MLF)

A multimethod approach identified barriers and facilitators of action research training as a method to help teachers create school improvement. Content analysis of action research plans developed during training of 14 school leadership teams indicates the importance of technical research skills and the provision of time as a resource to those…

The New Jersey Education Association's School Effectiveness Training is helping to solve the problems of urban schools. The NJEA approach--developing building-wide consensus, planning, and commitment to make the instructional process work--is not only taking root in New Jersey but is spreading to other states. (Author/SJL)

This monograph presents a theory of helping practice for groups that aim to facilitate a sustained capacity for problem solving in urban public schools. The theory is based on information gathered by the Documentation and Technical Assistance project (DTA) of the Center for New Schools (Chicago, Illinois), in the process of observing experiences…

Instructional supervision, despite the lack of evidence for its value, can potentially help improve instruction and promote educators' professional growth. To realize this potential, schools should analyze their supervisory practice according to these four premises: (1) that each school district and each school has unique organizational…

This paper describes experiences of the Documentation and Technical Assistance Project (Chicago, Illinois) in helping schools to improve their problem solving capacities through the use of cognitive frameworks (shared meanings that people use to interpret their world). The paper discusses two projects that illustrate how shared frameworks have…

Contrasts two models for bringing about school improvements: the Dissemination Efforts Supporting School Improvement (DESSI) model, and the school-based, problem solving approach, and notes that each recommends an implementation plan, ongoing staff development, and a focus on academic goals and instruction. (JC)

This book shows school professionals how to develop and use the knowledge and skills needed for effective professional collaboration, including team meetings, parent conferences, co-teaching, and problem solving with colleagues. The publication provides pedagogical aids including advance organizers, chapter objectives, and practice and application…

A collaborative approach to solving school problems in Maryland emphasizes planned change through organization development processes. Organization development, a process of planned improvement in overall functioning, strives for sustained capacity in problem-solving by communication, goal-setting, conflict resolution, and commitment. The…

Describes a districtwide effort to select and implement a computerized system that could compile and maintain student census data, in addition to redesigning the district's school bus routes to better accommodate a growing student population without increasing the number of buses in service. (JG)