Recently, reports on the crisis of the American high school have appeared. Members of the National Association of College Admissions Counselors are high school guidance counselors and college admissions and financial aid officers who work directly with students and families as they move from high school to postsecondary education. As such, they…

The role of the principal as the key decision-maker, problem-solver, and agent of change at the school site is discussed in this paper. A review of the recent literature indicates the major ways in which this role may be enhanced to bring about school effectiveness. The first section discusses the skills necessary to be a principal in today's…

At the 1986 American Educational Research Association (AERA) convention, findings were presented from 14 schools that had implemented the "Reaching Success through Involvement" (RSI) strategy, which requires (1) the use of a comprehensive school assessment process; and (2) formal and informal participation of student leaders. The present…

School principals are an important factor in the improvement of American schools. Key findings of two studies show that principals are the most significant people in the educational change process. Outlined are seven important steps involved in the process of instructional improvement that will take place only if committed and knowledgeable…

This study outlines and demonstrates a methodology for identifying effective schools using a random sample of student data generated by the operation of a school district's Instructional Accomplishment Information (IAI) system. (IAI systems are designed to provide school districts with information for reviewing and planning their instructional…

This paper analyzes the importance of goals for the development of effective schools in general and for minority groups in particular. The first part of the paper reports on a study of the preferred goals of four minority groups in Nova Scotia and how they compared with the goals of the province's Department of Education. The study found that (1)…

Open communication among administrators, teachers, and students leads to a more effective learning environment. Teachers who are treated fairly by administrators will pass this sensitivity and humanity on to their relationships with students. Administrators can take a number of steps to establish a communication forum and a school climate that…

It has been postulated that in effective schools, there is less variability in student achievement according to socioeconomic status. This study was to investigate the amount of variation in student scores for effective and ineffective schools. Data were utilized from all 500 Pennsylvania school districts. The variance in student achievement was…

Analysis of two studies related to academic achievement (Atkinson, Lens, and O'Malley, 1976; Entwisle and Hayduk, 1978) and of the effective-schools literature provides a picture that helps us to understand why the ability of poor children is not reflected in their school performance and what schools might do to remedy this situation. The…

When remedying deficiencies disclosed by national educational reform commissions, school districts must be as concerned with quality as with quantity. In response to a demand by 17 school districts to study their schools' effectiveness, Emporia State University's College of Education (Kansas) has developed an assessment model and initiated a…

The characteristics and activities of schools with positive public images were identified in order to guide other schools in their efforts to reestablish effective relations with their communities. Recent polls reflect a serious decline in the public view of education, and the resulting confidence gap has created much difficulty for American…

The Staff Development for School Improvement Project (SDSI) combined the resources of Wayne State University with 19 schools from 15 school districts in the Detroit (Michigan) metropolitan area. The university provided a facilitator to guide each school through the following six-step change process: (1) awareness, readiness, and commitment; (2)…

The usefulness of the value-added model in assessing community college effectiveness, especially for nontraditional students and programs, is examined. A case study in which community college students beginning with low academic qualifications transferred into a university shows that they performed well compared to students starting at the…

Four elements relating to effective educational leadership are summarized. How effective leaders use goals, staffing, the environment, and motivation/reinforcement are discussed. Most of these elements are supported by research literature taken from studies done on effective schools or effective teaching. (Author)

A discussion of recent developments and research on school improvement efforts precedes a review of information needs for broadening the data base on implementation and evaluation of innovative school improvement programs for handicapped and nonhandicapped students. A table matches effective classroom learning environments and expected student…