Many guidelines for school improvement have emerged from recent research and experience. The connected issues of school improvement and staff development are explored. Guidance for staff development as a part of school improvement is delineated. (DF)

Looking back in history may help teachers revitalize their teaching. Books written in the past offer effective strategies to be used in today's classrooms. Several of these books and their philosophy of education are explored. (DF)

Critiques four recent reports on the status of education in America: "A Nation at Risk,""Action for Excellence,""Making the Grade," and "High School: A Report on Secondary Education in America." Emphasis is on the reports' agendas for the social studies. (RM)

Provides a synopsis of effective schools research and how the findings are being implemented in other schools. (HTH)

Argues the need for leadership at the state level as a necessity in improving educational quality. (FL)

The author argues that it is time to move beyond definitional activities in research related to effective schooling. Four new challenges to researchers are suggested: indicators of effectiveness; extending effectiveness to new contexts; staff development; and information processing. (MT)

The author recalls his thoughts on his address to graduating high school seniors in Karval, Colorado. He concludes that, although Karval students perhaps lack skills necessary to the information age, they have learned more important lessons in their warm and supportive community. (PB)

Focuses on principals as change facilitators, on other staff members who facilitate school improvement ("second change facilitators" and on what these two groups do together and separately. Concludes with considerations for policy making, for training of all school improvement leadership personnel and for future lines of study into facilitating…

When compared with regular schools in the same district, fundamental school students performed as well as or better than regular school students; fundamental schools rated better on learning climate, discipline, and suspensions; and there were no differences in student self-concept. (Author/BW)

Outlines criteria needed in effective performance evaluation systems for principals. (MD)

An elementary school's dramatic gains in achievement test scores are attributed to four steps: realization that a problem existed; arrival at a consensus regarding the purpose of schooling; development of a plan of action; and implementation of six improvement strategies through teamwork, with principal, teacher, and parent playing clearly…

British comprehensive schools have been criticized by the left for failing to provide equality for everyone and by the right for sacrificing academic standards for equality. Such simultaneous criticisms suggest that the schools have been assigned either impossible or contradictory objectives, but have managed to achieve a reasonable compromise.…

Profiles of 100 top executive educators selected for their excellence in administering their schools by an independent panel of jurors. (MLF)

Recent studies by the University of Texas Research and Development Center for Teacher Education, based on visits to 22 high schools across the nation, suggest that high schools are better than they are usually portrayed as being. If current efforts to improve them are to succeed, however, clearer change strategies are needed. (JBM)

Knowledge and values for good citizenship are communicated through explicit subject-area curriculum, such as social studies, health, and language arts, and through the implicit models and practices embedded in a school's system of human rights protections and discipline practices. This paper presents the conceptual framework, and a few very early…