While the Amish are an established cultural group in the United States, Amish children are relatively ignored as a cultural and language minority group in public schools. Little information is available to the educator wishing to understand these children. Teacher education programs do not prepare teachers to deal with the language and experience…

School climate is a term used to describe how people feel about their school. The following 10 factors are described: (1) a supportive, stimulating environment; (2) student-centered; (3) positive expectations; (4) feedback; (5) rewards; (6) a sense of family; (7) closeness to parents and community; (8) communication; (9) achievement; and (10)…

A study examined the perceptions elementary school students hold toward writing and writing instruction, and questioned whether these perceptions vary by the kind and nature of instruction provided. A total of 96 students in grades three and four in a large midwestern middle class school took part in the study. The students were divided into two…

A study examined the educational and vocational barriers and opportunities reported by 788 disabled adult clients of the Pennsylvania Office of Vocational Rehabilitation who matriculated in postsecondary education in Pennsylvania between 1980 and 1986. Thirty-six percent (244) of the surveys were returned. Half of the disabled adults matriculating…

Data were obtained from six high schools in the Northwest during 1984 and 1985 to determine the variation in students' reports of the frequency with which they skip school and cut classes. The study was guided by the advice of school administrators and a theoretical model of the influences or levels of participation in work organizations. Evidence…

Policy Analysis and Simulation System (PASS) is an interactive microcomputer model that can be used by educational administrators, policy-makers, and planners to simulate and forecast, under conditions of environmental uncertainty, the impact of strategic policies on the projected trends and goals of educational performance. PASS generates…

Data from the High School and Beyond study--restricted to over 800 regular public school students from a population of 18,684 who completed test batteries in both their sophomore and senior years--are analyzed in this report. Included in the cluster of 12 school variables are school policies, school resources, and school practices. The…

In the attempt to improve achievement test scores, schools may overlook affective activities and events as well as processes and procedures that influence students in positive ways. The self-fulfilling prophecies held by teachers, administrators, and others for their students and the self-concepts the students hold for themselves are two major…

Statistics indicate that between 1977 and 1981, the number of graduate degrees in engineering awarded to members of minority groups in the United States constituted only 2.3 percent of the total number of master's and doctorate degrees awarded in the field over that period. A major reason for the relatively small number of minorities with advanced…

A final report is presented on a summer institute designed to introduce teachers to concepts and techniques for understanding and addressing problems of school climate and teacher stress at four levels: (1) the individual professional; (2) the school arena; (3) the classroom; and (4) the individual student. Sections of this report present…

This report describes and assesses the effectiveness of activities conducted by the University of Toledo (Ohio)/Springfield Local Schools Teacher Corps Project. On-site staff development activities provided for elementary and secondary school teachers are described: (1) two credit-bearing courses on alternative education programs for mainstreamed…

In fall 1981, three Teacher Corps interns worked with high school students to improve their abilities in content area reading. The interns worked directly with content area teachers and their students on a tutorial basis, each intern assuming responsibility for an identified content area--social studies, mathematics, and English. The interns made…

In an examination of the implementation of educational change, a discussion is presented on the purpose, meaning, and context of change. Consideration is given to the value of change, its benefits and feasibility, and the capacity for implementation. In the second section of the paper, 14 factors related to the implementation of change in schools…

This paper is intended to help program developers to initiate or refine school-based, self-contained delinquency prevention programs. These programs are limited, short-term efforts to minimize delinquent behavior among youth by creating school situations in which the factors that contribute to delinquent behavior are reduced. Designed as an…

To help relate management ideas and knowledge to educational administration, the author reviews the major theories and findings from the last 20 years on managerial leadership and discusses their relevance for school principals. He first summarizes findings from three approaches: the traits approach, emphasizing managerial motivation and skills;…