In the past, school and college administrators relied heavily on advice from colleagues, largely because they had an internal orientation toward their work. As the social, political, and economic influence of external forces became more apparent, they learned to value input from a range of stakeholders. Robert Taft, former governor of Ohio, is a…

The term "Community Relations" is descriptive of the way of life for a school administrator in a small district where administrators are closer to the public. Community relations is more than just a steady stream of news releases or articles published in the annual town report. Community relations is (1) the total effort that an…

A former superintendent and principal believes community relations is an extremely important responsibility of today's school administrators. A model is presented for a good community relations program. (Author/MLF)

Naysayers should realize test scores show schools better than ever; public education is a bargain for all taxpayers; schools serve community and are safe places that do more for all children than before. Recent study shows that businesses use more supervisors than does public education. School and community are same. In sidebar, Dennis Birr…

Develops a two-part scenario involving a principal's failed attempt to convince a reporter to do a "good news" story about his school and a damaging story later written by the reporter about the principal's unwillingness to disclose details of an event that might reflect badly on the school. (JBM)

"Alinsky methods," designed for confrontation, can include packing meetings, requesting marathon sessions, and using dramatic advertising. Developed by Saul Alinsky for oppressed people, the methods can be mitigated by 10 administrator actions, including building openness and trust, having good legal and public relations advice, and…

The ability of the superintendent to communicate ethical leadership to the community and demonstrate a positive relationship with the board president and the board of education has considerable influence on communities' perceptions of the quality of educational programs and the academic achievement of children. This investigation employed…

A national study of superintendents reveals that most superintendents (89.6 percent) consider their relationship with the community to be very important, and most (63.5 percent) spend a great deal of time on that relationship. There is a positive correlation between the importance superintendents assign to their relationship to the community and…

It was the intent of this study to examine student discipline problems in twenty-one high schools on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. Literature was reviewed concerning the youth revolution as it affects students in Hawaiian public schools and concerning discipline problems unique to Hawaiian public schools. Data were collected through a…

The materials in this manual are designed to help workshop leaders prepare for and present a workshop for school board members on how to contribute to improved communications between the school organization and the community. The workshop covers one process board members and superintendents can use when determining how to communicate school needs,…

This paper addresses the issue of community relations through a presentation given by the four members of the school board and administration of a medium-sized school district in Salem, Oregon. Community relations is defined as two-way communications between a school district and the public. Public feedback is necessary for improvement of…

This module, one in a series of competency-based administrator education learning packages, focuses on specific professional competencies needed by vocational education administrators. The competencies upon which these modules are based were identified and verified through research as being important to the success of local administrators of…

This collection of articles is designed to help metropolitan school principals meet the challenges of their positions. It is especially concerned with how principals can contribute to effective education for students of markedly heterogenous backgrounds. The authors deal with such issues as the principalship and metropolitan administration, the…