This report describes a study of the perceptions of central-office supervisors. The purpose of the study was to determine the perceptions of central-office supervisors regarding emerging supervisory practices within a decentralized context. The study further sought to determine the role central-office supervisors perform in exemplary school…

Most information systems classes focus on the study of hardware, software, data, communication, procedure, and employees. Employees usually are divided into end-user, IT people, and management. There is a need to teach classes in information systems directly related to the progress of the human as the most important component in any information…

This second annual report details North Carolina's performance and progress since 2000 in the five goal areas: high student performance; every child ready to learn; safe, orderly, and caring schools; quality teachers and administrators; and strong family, business, and community support. Over the years, North Carolina's education system has…

The Early Childhood Development Communique articulated a commitment to increasing positive outcomes for children from birth to age 6 in Canada. Noting that owners and boards of child care programs are charged with providing a quality service to young children and their families, this discussion paper articulates the owners' and boards'…

Student mobility (students moving from one school to another for reasons other than being promoted to the next school level) is widespread in the United States. This Spanish-language Digest examines the research on the academic consequences of mobility for elementary school students and discusses what schools and parents can do to mitigate the…

The authors comment on incentive systems that impede serious scholarly work on teaching and learning. The hallmark of academic freedom is the opportunity it affords faculty members to pursue innovative or unconventional scholarship. Over the past decade or so, teaching initiatives in higher education are gaining visibility, innovation is on the…

This document presents an executive summary of the 96-page "Leading Learning Communities: Standards for What Principals Should Know and Be Able To Do," a guidebook for those who care about creating and supporting quality in schools. It is an operating manual for school leaders that features new strategies to help principals structure and support…

The 1991 book "The Effective Board of Trustees" presents a model of governing board effectiveness, based on an empirical study of 22 private liberal arts and comprehensive colleges. Since the book was published, various nonprofit organizations, including seminaries and theological schools, have used this model in presentations, educational…

This paper maintains that the most influential management models for higher education derive from the corporate sector and that this crossover effect promises increasing board of trustee activism in the academic world. Corporate boards have come under increasing public pressure to be more responsive and responsible for active management. In turn,…

This paper helps community partners envision a system of community schools and understand the changes needed to make it a reality. Information in the paper is adapted from a study by the Consortium on Chicago School Research at the University of Chicago and the Center for Reinventing Public Education at the University of Washington. The study…

This book is intended to help managers coach individuals and groups; assess current performance; develop a coaching plan; keep track of whether their coaching is having the right effect; and learn how to motivate and communicate effectively. Chapters 1-3 establish what coaching is; who can coach; and who can be coached. Chapter 4 lays coaching out…

A study examined rural school administrators' perceptions of their jobs and how academic achievement and school climate were affected at rural schools that shared principals, compared to rural schools that had their own principal. Sixteen rural school administrators from across the nation were interviewed about their perceptions of their jobs, and…

The concept of school culture offers principals and other leaders a broader framework for understanding problems and relationships within the school. School culture can be defined as the historically transmitted patterns of meaning that include the norms, values, beliefs, and myths understood by members of the school community. Researchers have…

Many urban school districts face persistent problems of low student achievement, high staff turnover, and demands for greater accountability. Confronted by such problems, Jefferson County (Kentucky) Public Schools and the Corpus Christi (Texas) Independent School District participated in a multi-year project to strengthen instructional leadership…

This report is the work of the Citizens' Commission on Civil Rights, a bipartisan group of former federal officials with responsibility for equal opportunity. Part 1 contains three chapters: (1) "Introduction"; (2) "Executive Summary and Review"; and (3) "Recommendations of the Commission." Part 2 contains the…