Developed and evaluated productivity measures using Productivity Measurement and Enhancement System approach in five organizational units. Used measures to give group-level feedback, group goal setting, and group incentives. Found that feedback increased productivity 50 percent; feedback plus goal setting and incentives increased productivity 75…

Describes a Sonoma County (California) school district's peer coaching program designed to meet the needs of new, probationary, and experienced teachers. The program succeeded because participation was voluntary, the training empowered teachers and improved their coaching skills, and teachers continued to meet as a group and learn from each other.…

To identify the cultural elements in school principals' problem-solving processes and the differences between experts and their more typical colleagues, this study interviewed 22 elementary principals. From their responses to brief, hypothetical case problems, a problem-solving model was constructed. Differences were most evident in responses to…

The new principal should not plan or implement major school changes during the first month. The first-year principal's initial areas of concern should be to understand the school's political and organizational environments and to obtain a clear notion of how to run a good school. Includes one reference. (MLH)

No or poor orientation can reduce new employees' effectiveness and contribute to dissatisfaction and turnover, costing the company money. The orientation programs of large companies such as Disney, Texas Instruments, and Corning Glass are successful due to high expectations, supervisor and senior management involvement, anxiety reduction, and…

To help school administrators plan for the future and maintain a course of educational advancement, this article explains the four elements of good leadership practice: courage, character, communication, and caring. (MLH)

New trustees who begin their board service with incomplete explanations or unrealistic expectations might find their tenure unsatisfying. After hearing the unvarnished truth-in-expectation, the new trustee will walk into the board relationship with eyes wide open. (MLW)

Investigated possibility that positive aspects of bereavement exist. Findings from 49 college students who recently experienced death of close family member revealed significant inverse relationship between grief and existential meaning. Most reported positive change in life goals, and these individuals had significantly higher existential meaning…

By warning new teachers of predictable traps and preparing strategies to rescue them if they fall in, the principal can help them survive the critical first year. Some pitfalls facing new teachers are setting standards too low, wasting time on chores, assuming too much responsibility, seeking student approval, and failing to prioritize…

Investigated interaction effects between goal instability and social support with 113 first-year college students. Results revealed that academic and personal adjustment were mediated by an interaction between college students' goal instability levels and social support found in the university environment. (Author/NB)

Describes an Illinois high school teacher mentoring program designed to promote interactions between new and experienced teachers, share research on effective instruction, and disseminate information on school policies and routines. This article summarizes program development stages for use of administrators considering similar programs. (MLH)

Faced with upcoming administrator retirements, school districts must quickly induct novice administrators. This article compares the benefits of mentoring (pairing the novice with a respected, experienced administrator and moving the novice toward higher productivity and effectiveness) and shadow consulting (placing an expert with the novice to…

Describes Success for All, a Chapter 1 project aimed at preventing academic deficits, recognizing and intensively intervening when necessary, and providing students with a rich curriculum fostering enhanced skill development. An important element is using tutors to promote students' reading success. The program has benefited the nation's most…

Describes components of an academic learning center's program to help nontraditional college students adjust to the demands of university life. (SR)

Uses case studies of 20 assistant principals from 11 school districts to explore connections between position orientations and career mobility. Categorizes position orientations as upwardly mobile, career oriented, "plateaued" or "shafted" (through nonpromotion or lack of sponsorship), alternative career oriented, or downwardly mobile. Discusses…