A model is presented for developing a comprehensive building plan to improve student performance. The goal-planning process provides a 3- to 5-year written plan identifying major school goals, objectives, activities, resources, evaluation criteria, and monitoring methods. The process ensures ownership of the plan by the teachers and principal of…

The Mississippi State Department of Education Dissemination Program undertook a five-year plan from 1980-1985 to develop a coordinated, comprehensive statewide dissemination system for public school improvement throughout the state. The major objectives of the project were to develop the following: (1) a system for collecting, storing, retrieving,…

This paper examines relationships between measures of educational interest group strength, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the National Education Association (NEA); characteristics of state education agencies (SEA); and selected indicators of educational policy centralization. The more specific purpose of this study is the discovery…

On May 21 and 22, 1987, a conference on educational reform was held in Greensboro, North Carolina, attended by almost 200 North Carolina educational leaders and prominent newspaper editors, along with educational experts from outside the state. The conference consisted of six major presentations and four reaction panels, along with small group…

This document is one in a series of publications designed to assist local school districts in the management of their personnel procedures. This document provides assistance to districts by providing guidelines for staff development and retraining. Discussed in the publication are (1) the need for retraining; (2) retraining policy (federal and…

A survey was conducted in August and September 1983 to ascertain the perceptions of state leaders regarding censorship of K-12 instructional media center (IMC) materials during the 1982-83 school year. Of the 53 surveys sent to persons involved with state-level library media programs, 42 responses representing 41 states and one territory were…

This paper describes the complex environment of federal, state, and independent agencies within which school districts operate, and suggests how these agencies, with their demands and resources, can contribute to school improvement when local decision-makers use them for this purpose. Features of these external governance and support systems are…

This paper presents the State of New Jersey Board of Education's evaluation of the Operation School Renewal (OSR) Program, a multi-year assistance program involving the urban school districts of Trenton, East Orange, and Neptune Township (New Jersey). Goals included the following: (1) attendance improvement; (2) reduction of disruptive pupil…

This analysis of the changing balance in who controls the schools contends that local authorities have been slowly losing authority to the states. Moreover, within the local districts, the central offices are assuming more control in such matters as curriculum content and state testing programs. The paper begins with an overview of recent…

Although most attempts to effect school reform have been initiated from the top down, an alternative paradigm of educational reform has emerged: the idea that educators in schools must become empowered agents in their own school improvement processes. This paper explores this new paradigm, arguing that schools are both the objects and arenas of…

This reference guide, designed for school board members in the state of Alaska, provides overall information about school boards, board members, and board meetings, as they are defined by Alaska state legislation. The first section, "An Overview of Your School Board," provides general definitions, an overall description, and the formal…

Faced with declining enrollments and increased costs, Iowa's Corwith-Wesley and Lu Verne School Districts are seeking solution through utilizing provisions of the Iowa Code which allow for co-curricular sharing and dissolution of one school district with attachment to another. Beginning in 1980-81, the two small districts are sending grades 7-9 to…

This paper attempts to match identified large-scale social trends (derived from the popular book "Megatrends" by John Naisbitt) to possible state education agency (SEA) policy positions. The first part of the analysis explores possible implications of these "megatrends" for SEA policy development. The trends discussed show…

As a means of encouraging the formation of school-sponsored, citizen advisory committees, the Illinois Citizens Education Council embarked on a 3-year research and development project. This publication describes this project and thereby serves as a guide for organizing and using citizens' education advisory committees. Specific objectives of the…

This study examines the extent to which the New York City public school system enables high-risk students to gain access to the kinds of programs and services most appropriate for them. The report is limited to programs in alternative settings, including those operated by the Board of Education and those operated under private nonprofit auspices.…