Recommends effective leadership strategies that principals can use in informal day-to-day activities to complement formal program efforts. To succeed, three commitments are necessary: establishing instructional leadership as a priority, identifying appropriate daily activities, and patiently and persistently progressing toward stated objectives.…

Instead of confining interschool competition to athletic teams, schools should consider highlighting their students' academic prowess with academic contests. A number of national programs are reviewed, including the Academic Olympiad sponsored by Utah State University and involving seven cooperating school districts in northern Utah. (MLH)

Argues for and gives ideas of how to involve more students in the activities of middle schools. (IRT)

Guidelines are offered here for school practitioners to follow in order to safeguard themselves against tort action, which can arise from student accidents occuring during school activities, on or off campus. (Author)

At the 1990 NASSP Convention, the Smaller Secondary School Committee sponsored a session to encourage administrators of small and rural schools to share their successful activities for improving community relations. Schools can schedule conferences for times convenient to working parents, sponsor community dances, mail school newspapers to the…

Explores whether student activities in middle schools (1) contribute to students' educational progress and (2) should be afforded the same critical scrutiny as academic curricula. Results of a junior high school survey indicate that student activities enjoy a high degree of support and can be a powerful vehicle for achieving intended learning…

In response to the prevailing attitude in American education today demanding higher academic standards and greater student achievement, this article lists 25 programs designed to increase academic excellence while still promoting a positive learning environment within the school. (DCS)

This article describes a school district's programs that build relationships between the schools and the local senior citizens, including a grandparent program, developmental seminars, and a prom for senior citizens put on by the students. Also described are some keys to making such programs work, and the benefits. (DCS)

Homeroom "power" (the capability to affect students' feelings, attitudes, or behaviors) varies by meeting frequency and length, amount of student turnover, faculty members' length of assignment with one group of students, and number of allotted tasks. Homerooms can be revived to promote a communitarian spirit and serve students' need for…

Considered the areas of cooperation between the principal and the assistant principal necessary for effective school administration. (RK)

To examine the effects of advancing ninth graders to some form of high school, a suburban Midwestern school district was studied for ninth graders' perceptions of the senior-high environment, noting also their participation in school activities and the use of controlled substances. (JW)