Principals must structure their schools' learning environments with high expectations for achievement and behavior and for positive student-teacher relationships to ensure safer, more inclusive, and higher achieving schools. Personalizing high schools as to size, groupings, schedules, tutoring, and conflict mediation is essential. (Contains 27…

School administrators' uses of subjective understandings and common language to gain and maintain power and predictability in their environments are described. Micropolitical theory, with a focus on language, is utilized to understand administrators' knowledge of the assumptive worlds of their subculture, and how these assumptive worlds constrain…

This document includes four papers presented at a symposium, based on a synthesis of five years of research--on the interaction of role groups and factors in the change process that are critical for school improvement in elementary and secondary schools. The papers identify elements of the change process crucial for the success of proposed changes…

American public schools enroll some 9.5 million students at the middle-school level and approximately 6 million students with disabilities at the K-12 levels. This research digest briefly presents highlights from two reports of studies that examined what is known about principals who lead middle-school and disabled student populations and what…

This study investigated attitudes concerning inclusive education among teachers and building administrators (principals and vice principals) in Ohio. Sixteen grants were awarded to educators in 28 public schools to support their efforts in conceptualizing and implementing inclusive education. Inclusive education was defined as any educational…

Developed over a 2-year period, this manual is a guide for school district officials in developing fair and consistent hiring procedures. Section 1 is a brief compilation of the federal laws and regulations governing hiring practices in the public elementary and secondary schools. It includes legislation relating to civil rights, fair employment…

This document includes a research review and commentary on the role, career, and work of assistant principals; an overview of theories and concepts useful to studying the administrative career in education; and propositions regarding professional training practices and personnel policies in education. Results of a review of the research on the…

How educational leaders can be prepared to carry out their responsibilities in an effective and sensitive fashion is explored in the context of an urban, diverse school environment by describing the Assistant Principal Leadership Academy of the Ysleta Independent School District, El Paso (Texas). The Academy is a unique professional development…

This research brief examines staffing patterns within U.S. public school systems. Specifically, it answers the following sets of questions: (1) Why is information about staffing ratios important? (2) How many people currently work in public schools? What proportion of these are teachers, administrators, and support staff? (3) What are the current…

The creation of multiple small schools from a single comprehensive high school elevates the necessity for many, rather than few, to assume leadership for various functions associated with helping each school to thrive. The nature of this effort calls for a view of leadership that moves away from reliance on administrative hierarchies and toward a…

This article captures how a web-based course, designed as a part of the School Leadership Grant Program, meets some challenges of leadership training and development. The content, structure and discussion board exercises of the sample course are designed to provide more reflective and practical opportunities for leader-learners to develop…

This report provides information on selected characteristics of certified public school employees between 1980-81 and 1990-91. Information on certified personnel in 1989-90 was not available. Certified employees are grouped into function areas such as teachers, principals, guidance counselors, etc., based on each person's primary work assignment.…

Most school districts do not have a full time human resources administrator to conduct interviews and this important task most often becomes the responsibility of the building principal or a department head. Here is a guide designed for hiring employees, both professional staff as well as non-professional, in public, parochial, or private schools.…

The purpose of this document is to present, in summary fashion, statistical information on the status of public education in Miami-Dade County. Information is provided in the areas of organization, educational programs and services, achievement, and other outcomes of schooling. Also included are multi-year statistics on student population,…

The purpose of this document is to present, in summary fashion, statistical information on the status of public education in Miami-Dade County. Information is provided in the areas of organization, educational programs and services, achievement, and other outcomes of schooling. Also included are multi-year statistics on student population,…