For coaches, access to classrooms isn't straightforward and is far from guaranteed. Access is a prerequisite for coaching, yet there are many barriers beyond a coach's control, making their job difficult to impossible. In this article, the authors detail how five administrative and structural forces shaped coaches' access to teachers' classrooms.…

Principal support is critical in promoting teacher retention, which has continued to be a challenge in elementary schools in the United States. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to ascertain how principals described their strategies for retaining teachers at elementary schools in a large, urban-suburban school district in the Eastern…

Schools today require many individuals to work together to attain learning goals since no school functions without broad, active involvement of all community members. In addition, successful school improvement efforts operate well when there is a coherent vision for student achievement. While principals are aware of the need to include disparate…

Many universities, colleges, and independent schools face the reality of geographically expanding alumni bases, likely combined with constant or decreasing budgets for alumni activities. Well-intentioned colleagues understand the potential power of a geographically diverse alumni network but do not always grasp the time and complexity associated…

This paper discusses the ambiguity which characterizes the role of the reading consultant in the public school. Instead of assuming the quasi-administrative role which is traditional, the consultant should be made a special administrator with power equal to that of the building prinicpal; he or she should fully understand the forces operating…

One of the largest school districts in the United States hired at least one consulting teacher for each elementary school with a high proportion of low income, minority students. These consulting teachers assisted in the implementation of two academic programs--the All Schools Achieve Program (ASAP) and Systematic Strategy Instruction (SSI).…

A telephone survey of each state's mental retardation/developmental disabilities agency was conducted to assess the scope of public residential facility staffing nationally. Results revealed that every state had at least one large state operated residential facility, with 247 such facilities nationally. The national bed utilization rate was 4.92…

Few chief executive positions rival today's academic presidency in the complexity, unpredictability, and stress-producing nature of the job. This article describes how board members can sustain the well-being of those who hold down today's demanding academic presidencies. Initiatives boards can consider include: (1) appropriate personal staff; (2)…

This literature review highlights the large amount of research needed on the role of educators within school districts in planned educational change and knowledge utilization. After first defining knowledge utilization as the use of information (from research or practice) in educational products or ideas, the author identifies three factors…

The publication suggests some guiding principles through which the Youth Development Program (YDP) director and his staff can fulfill their roles without dominating the program and threatening youth participation. An overall approach for working with youth, the human development approach, emphasizing the development and support of responsibility…

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…

This issue of "Idea Exchange" which focuses on the volunteer in education programs includes a variety of materials related to volunteer experiences and viewpoints: (1) a handbook for volunteer coordinators which discusses the coordinator's role, the recruiting and interviewing of volunteers, and the essentials of volunteer placement and…

This paper reviews a New Haven, Connecticut school intervention project as a model for replication in other schools. The functions of a school advisory committee, parent participation, a mental health team, and a social skills curriculum are described as the principal components of the project. The need for preservice as well as inservice training…

The purpose of this guide is to describe implementation strategies for the establishment of a career information center in a large urban high school with particular attention devoted to the administrative arrangements and staff roles involved in such a center. Developed out of the author's experience in the New Brunswick, New Jersey career…

This companion document describing roles and responsibilities of school-community support group members, five other companion documents, and an inservice guide comprise a series developed for assisting disabled persons in their transition from school to work. Consumers interested in this document include administrators, teachers, students,…