Compares 1960s and 1970s research findings positing a strong academic-achievement/socioeconomic-status correlation with 1980s school-effectiveness research and recent studies advocating whole language, cooperative learning, and multiage grouping. Since there's research to support numerous practices and beliefs, educators must resist fads, quick…

A review of the physical development of college and university campuses over 40 years looks at themes evident in each decade and identifies some constant underlying principles: the timelessness of a well-ordered campus; characteristics fostering collegiality, communication, and interaction; and qualities that give each campus a unique sense of…

Presents tips for creating a successful schoolwide newsletter by using desktop publishing software applications. Provides examples of information to include in a library media center newsletter. Discusses readers' needs, layout and format, graphics, news leads and headlines, and visual images, as well as various newswriting and editing techniques.…

Provides practical guidelines, prepared by the American Federation of Teachers' new Lessons for Life campaign, for developing effective school discipline policy. Classroom management, effective discipline codes and policies, and code enforcement are addressed. (GR)

New technologies are undermining traditional jobs and making workers responsible for creating their own. To prepare students for a high-tech marketplace, educators must reengineer the organizational design of learning. The Mayo Demonstration School of Science and Technology in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is helping students manage their own time, design…

Discusses assessment management in music education, explaining that assessment management plans include assessment methods that are reliable, valid, and authentic, the development of an assessment schedule and assessment reports, and using results to evaluate the overall music program. Provides selected resources, the components of a plan, and…

Explains that there are five components for achieving the ideal band tone (balance, blend, acoustics, sonority, and chord voicing). Presents information on each component. Provides seven suggestions helpful in developing band tone, such as explain and establish goals for the band's tone, practice for tone, and choose music to optimize tone. (CMK)

Considers the various benefits of utilizing the World Wide Web for instructional purposes and discusses the three types of software (a Web page editor, a file transfer program, and a Web browser) needed to create websites. Offers eight tips on building an effective Web site. (CMK)

This article examines issues related to school violence and disruption. It discusses the sociocultural context within which school violence occurs, balancing educational rights within an orderly school environment, and the role of students with disabilities in school suspensions. Violence prevention initiatives and guidelines for parents and…

This reprint of an article on using grade advancement as a method for meeting the needs of some intellectually or academically gifted students is preceded by a commentary that concludes that popular sentiment and negative folklore supporting grade advancement are unfounded. Grade advancement guidelines are provided. (Contains references.) (CR)

A study involving 11 non-medical professionals and 17 parents of children with autism resulted in the following guidelines for sharing a diagnosis of autism, including establish a family-friendly setting, understand the family's needs, use good communication skills, provide a list of resources and interventions, discuss prognosis, provide hope,…

This article offers guidelines for determining equitable, accountable, and effective grading practices and policies for all students that balance the need for a common set of standards and the individual needs of the students. Purposes of grading, grading systems, and effective instructional practices that support grading processes are discussed.…

An upstate New York superintendent shares strategies to ensure good board-administrator relations. Superintendents should stress the primacy of serving students' interests and maintaining a respectful culture, set goals, treat board members equally, work for the majority, refrain from socializing, and evade noneducation-related disputes. (MLH)

Explores five common types of instructional feedback--written, conferences, audio, video, and computer. Provides a description drawn from the literature, and offers several guidelines for using each format in education and training. (AEF)

Offers guidelines for selecting picture books for library media centers. Topics include artistic media, with examples of titles for each type; elements of design, including color; style; layout; the story itself; quality of paper and binding; intended audience; selecting with specific teachers and students in mind; and recommendations from…