A review of the relationship of law and academe covers the legal implications of social and educational change, the dichotomy between public and private and between secular and religious institutions, and preventive legal planning. (MSE)

Evidence suggests that the usual classroom practices don't work and must be replaced by something more active and involving. Group-inquiry, an untraditional approach to the classroom, is described. Small groups examine central problems of the subjects under study, then a consensus is reported to the class. (MLW)

The principal authors of a new book, "Profiling Excellence in America's Schools," state that leadership is the single most important element for effective schools. The generic skills of leaders are flexibility, autonomy, risk taking, innovation, and commitment. Exceptional principals and teachers take their leadership and management roles…

There is more and more external control of classroom content and processes. This external control is being vested in legislative and administrative bodies, which are more apt to turn the school over to managerial and industrial needs. Teachers should take organized action to defend their right to control the classroom. (RM)

Laments the discrepancy between the process approach to reading and writing instruction advocated in research and the skills approach manifested in homework assignments. Decries the unsatisfactory role this kind of homework forces parents to assume. (HTH)

Five elements contribute to success of the NASSP assessor training program: (1) participants are totally involved; (2) preparation supports the overall training design; (3) preselection and orientation of assessor trainees ensures qualified participants; (4) training models assessors' subsequent role; and (5) follow-up training at individual…

Each state is accountable for the quality of its postsecondary educational program. However, most states have either delegated this responsibility to nongovernmental accrediting agencies or chosen not to exercise their full authority in this area. (MLW)

Immediate actions in any number of areas are required if those involved in teacher education are to restore their credibility and to prepare effective teachers for the future. Eight "imperatives" are identified and explained in detail. (JMK)

Sixty-five percent of the 499 U.S. colleges and universities surveyed have a practicum program. Age, size, and purpose of the programs, faculty issues (e.g., supervision, liability insurance), and student issues (e.g., course selection, grading) are discussed. If practicum is to survive, it must assume a more formal academic structure. (RM)

Peruses Adler's Paideia Proposal and its use of excerpts from Dewey's writings on democracy, focusing on the meaning of democracy. Analyzes Adler's and Dewey's views from a traditional philosophic standpoint (neo-Thomistic versus experimentalist), contrasts them from an educational philosophic vantage (perennialism versus progressivisim), and…

Describes the cornerstones of Ron Edmonds's advocacy on behalf of school children: commitment to equality, a belief in the educability of all, and the schools' responsibility for actively promoting equality and educability. Sees a continuing need for greater system-wide responsibility and for the development of output measures of school…

As a response to Joyce Killian's article in the same issue of "Educational Leadership" (EA 513 318), this article discusses the increased staff development responsibility placed on administrators as a result of the necessity for an appropriate environment and opportunities for promoting voluntary technological growth. (Author/DCS)

Discusses the significance of the Equal Access Act for schools. Deferring policy decisions can be risky, so school boards should establish a clear and concise policy in compliance with the act and prepare for possible ramifications of equal access. (TE)

Additional advice is provided, in conjunction with the foregoing article, on coping with legal constraints to school publications urging voter support for an upcoming bond issue. (TE)

Constitutional rights of free religious expression, religious discrimination, individual and institutional academic freedoms, and the legal authority of accrediting agencies emerging as issues in the accreditation of religiously affiliated law schools are discussed in the context of recent litigation. (MSE)