In simple and readily available form, this handbook provides boards of education with the laws and regulations governing central school districts, union free schools, and city schools. It should save both time and unnecessary mistakes and give the board an understanding of the legal framework on which the school rests so that the board can proceed…

Briefly reviews findings from the school effectiveness literature and suggests local strategies and policies that will stimulate school reform. Thirteen characteristics of effective schools are discussed as model guidelines for action; four general policy recommendations are made. (RH)

Examines the implementation of the comprehensive school reform package enacted by the Illinois legislature in 1985. Reform initiatives have produced little controversy in the educational community. District superintendents use the reform law to effect their own, local reform agendas. Superintendents respond to reform pressures by adopting…

Foster a strong superintendent-school board relationship centered on quality teaching and learning! This book helps current and future superintendents and school board members develop an effective governance team that prioritizes quality teaching and learning. Designed for practicing and aspiring superintendents and school board members, this…

This is the fourth in a series of reports from Reality Check 2006, an ongoing set of tracking surveys on education issues. Reality Check surveys attitudes among public school parents, students, teachers, principals and superintendents on a regular basis. In surveys on education, it is not uncommon for the public, parents and teachers to see…

Rural school districts where ethnocentrism, traditionalism, primary group preference, and social conservatism form the dominant value system could be contributing to their own ineffectiveness through their patterns of personnel selection. This study investigated the influence of rural values on components of personnel selection and the tacit…

In this project a product to aid educational leaders in the process of communicating in crisis situations is presented. The product was created and received a formative evaluation using an educational research and development methodology. Ultimately, an administrative training course that utilized an Image Repair Situational Theory was developed.…

The purpose of this study was to determine the current status of and need for acceptable use policies (AUPs) for students' use of the Internet in Alabama school systems. Alabama superintendents were questioned using an electronic survey that could be returned via e-mail on an anonymous Internet site. Primary questions were: (1) What is your level…

Intended as a practical legal guide for Texas educators and lawyers, this book contains three major sections dealing with several chapters on various school law topics, each prepared by Texas attorneys. Section 1, "School Boards and Superintendents," includes chapters on school board members authority and relationship with staff, the…

This document provides information about staffing patterns within U.S. public-school systems for use by education leaders, policymakers, and community members. This information, presented for the 2001-02 school year, answers questions, such as Why is information about staffing ratios important? How many people currently work in public schools? and…

This report documents a study that examined the current financial picture of public education in 2003. Data for the study were collected from 188 surveys of selected school superintendents in Indiana, Illinois, and Texas. The superintendents were asked how the financial condition of their state and their school districts compared to a few years…

A new, validated survey instrument, SPEAR (Superintendents' Professional Expectations and Advancement Review), asked top executives about their opinions, skills, perceptions on a range of career concerns, and future interests. Of the nation's 13,500 school superintendents, a random sample of 2,979 was selected, segmented by district size. The…

This bulletin documents the personnel, activities and conditions at the schools, medical facilities and cooperative stores in Alaska, and legislation pertaining to the work of the Bureau of Education in Alaska. Part I, General Summary, presents: (1) The Alaska field force; (2) Medical Relief; (3) Cooperative stores; (4) Reservations; (5)…

Twenty-five States reported to the Bureau of Education that some sort of concerted effort was made during the biennium toward improving and adapting State courses of study to the needs of rural schools. It is reported that progress has been made in the following categories: (1) The tendency on the part of State departments to assume increased…

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of the school board/superintendent relationship on academic achievement in one Texas school district that serves high-poverty, majority-minority students. Previous studies identified successful school systems with school boards and superintendents who functioned as a true leadership team.…