This study developed a systematic approach for examining effects of policy decisions on student outcomes and assessed collective bargaining's impact on public school effectiveness and cost. Teacher unions' influence was gauged by modelling the educational process and examining responses of teachers, students, and administrators to the education…

The School District Questionnaire described in this paper evolved from the Orangeburg (North Carolina) School District's plans to implement programs for improvement. The content-based questionnaire, which provides the school district with specific attitudinal feedback from parents, can be used for both pre- and posttesting following implementation…

The suggestions presented in this publication are designed to assist principals in improving school effectiveness through a well-planned, well-executed program of staff supervision and curriculum development. The document is organized into four major areas. First, the need for the principal to provide strong curriculum leadership through…

A study group was formed to investigate effective elementary guidance programs. The group asked all elementary guidance counselors in Kentucky to nominate effective programs in the state. The names of exemplary programs in five other states were also requested. Open-ended interviews were conducted with principals (N=26) and/or counselors (N=22)…

Information from the 1988 annual forum of the Association for Institutional Research (AIR) is presented. The focus is on interests, roles, and responsibilities of AIR members. Speakers focus on the theme of promoting quality through leadership, looking at the important role of managerial leadership in the development, implementation, and…

Among the results of two complementary studies on the effectiveness of Arizona secondary vocational education were the following: (1) the vocational students were more satisfied with school than the nonvocational students; (2) the vocational students felt better prepared for work; (3) the 12th-grade nonvocational students scored significantly…

This study assessed patterns of instructional leadership sources. The instrument, Sources of Instructional Leadership (SOIL), was based on instructional leadership and effective schools literature. It dealt with the management of instructional resources, and related to one of six leadership functions: organizing, coordinating, developing,…

The school effectiveness experiences of urban public school systems in America serve as a pivotal means of developing understanding of the potential for success inherent in school improvement strategies. The school effectiveness movement began in the mid-1960s with researchers such as Coleman, Jencks, and Jensen. Aggregated quantitative data…

This study focused on the relationship of seven characteristics of effective schools (instructional leadership, environment, expectations for student achievement, schoolwide instructional goals and objectives, classroom practices, monitoring of student progress, and home-school relations); six demographic variables (school size, student…

In fall 1984, the Jefferson Parish (Louisiana) School Board established a Principals' Instructional Leadership Development Project to focus on the correlates of effective schools and develop a project designed to improve principals' leadership characteristics. This paper describes the two-year project, which developed a model emphasizing…

Despite the proliferation of school improvement projects and school effectiveness research during the 1980s, there have been very few methodologically rigorous, large-scale, widely published school effectiveness studies. As a result, the research base is thin and needs to be updated. This paper presents a brief history of the Louisiana School…

The following papers that reflect on problems facing teacher education are included in this monograph: (1) "Toward a New Model of Teacher Education" (Henry J. Hermanowicz); (2) "Recent Research on the Beliefs of Teachers and its Importance for Teacher Education" (Robert H. Mayer); (3) "The Dialogue of Democracy: Its Form, Content, and Implications…

Drawing from the experiences of Delgado Community College (DCC) in Louisiana, this manual offers guidance on choosing and implementing an institutional planning system. Section 1 offers introductory comments on planning, educators' reluctance to embrace the management systems of the private sector, and the growing recognition of the importance of…

Based on a systems approach to management and organization, the Instructional Leadership Model identifies leadership tasks in clusters under school planning, staff and program development, and evaluation. A summary of analysis of research on effective schooling characteristics and leadership tasks supports the model and provides parameters for…

An extensive search of the literature and existing programs was undertaken to identify instruments that were being used to measure school effectiveness. Twenty-four instruments are currently available and are critiqued in this publication. Each critique reports the format and components of the instrument, its intended purpose and uses, reliability…