In response to a survey that showed two-thirds of the teachers queried had nothing positive to say about faculty meetings, the authors provide a brief list of steps a principal can take to make meetings more productive and less of a chore for teachers. (IRT)

Describes a five-meeting cycle which enables a high school English department to cooperate in making constructive curriculum changes. (DD)

Certain aspects of decision theory provide guidelines for the principal who wants to manage meetings more effectively and avoid unnecessary ones. (Author/WD)

Presents various ideas and suggestions for day care directors. These include reasons for executive failure; profiles of communicator effectiveness; ideas for retaining donor gifts; descriptions of qualities of outstanding consultants; and suggestions for using power effectively and holding effective staff meetings. (BB)

Based on the premise that schools can learn from business, this article identifies eight characteristics presented in the book "In Search of Execellence" that can be effectively used in school management. (MD)

Whenever educators gather to achieve a common goal, every participant should arrive with a sense of purpose and leave with a feeling of accomplishment. This book explains how to make meetings more efficient and effective. It outlines: (1) the correlation between excellent meetings and excellent results; (2) how to plan, open, conduct, and follow…

A study of teacher perceptions of more or less powerful teachers found that powerless teachers see themselves and other teachers as less influential, experience meetings as less open and participative, and feel they have a smaller amount of total influence in the schools than do powerful teachers. Includes a reference list. (MD)

Describes a one-hour simulation used in methods courses at the University of Texas at Austin, to provide secondary teacher candidates with insights into the administrative functioning of a school and their future roles as department and school staff members. (SJL)

Teachers prefer that staff development be continuous, relevant, and integral to their jobs. A systems approach to staff development contains three basic components: planning, implementation, and evaluation. The proposed model emphasizes how interdependence of these components can be achieved through the use of feedback which facilitates system…

Proposes a faculty retreat as an opportunity to approach decision-making through consensus-building strategies. Identifies four decision-making stages and outlines techniques to be used at each stage. (JM)

This manual is designed to assist paraprofessionals and teachers in forming a strong instructional team dedicated to helping Chapter 1 students succeed in the regular school program. Paraprofessionals often arrive in Chapter 1 classrooms with little or inadequate training. In addition, Chapter 1 and regular classroom teachers working with teacher…

Quality circles attempt to satisfy both task and personal needs through staff involvement in solving work-related problems. This paper summarizes quality circle theory, applies it to school settings, and suggests a framework for introducing the process to educational institutions. After briefly defining quality circles, the article presents two…

Public relations efforts require more than press releases and good publicity. All school staff members, not just the "professionals," play a critical role in disseminating accurate information about schools. This article provides a school PR quiz for administrators and suggestions for improving staff meetings, internal staff communication, and…

In recognition of the limitations of isolated decision making, teamwork has emerged as a preferred approach for educating students both with and without disabilities. The Vermont Interdependent Services Team Approach (VISTA) process described in this manual offers ways to think about and implement many of the tenets of collaborative teamwork to…

Small community or vocational colleges often face the problem of trying to run quality academic programs with adjunct or part-time faculty who have little contact with the regular faculty and little say in policy-making. The Utah Valley Community College writing program, which successfully combined regular and adjunct faculty in planning and…