Through a case study of one gifted child, this article explores the themes of being in charge of oneself and one's environment, and of attempting to assimilate dangers in the world around them. Efforts to cope with and understand danger, from natural disaster to daily life, are closely examined. (PB)

To achieve excellence in education, school leaders need to dispel five myths concerning educators' talent and commitment, higher teacher salaries, societal influences on schools, tough educational standards, and the free market or voucher system. The key is visionary leadership based on openness to change and educator empowerment. (MLH)

Efforts to empower teachers will be aided by parallel attempts to strengthen principals and other supervisors' ability to perform their job better. Principals need to be specifically trained in using personal power to help empower their teachers. Further research is needed concerning the exercise of power in schools. Includes nine references. (MLH)

A creative writing program for disadvantaged women in Chicopee, Massachusetts, is described. The program's effects in empowering the women resulted in the women making a number of specific changes in their lives. Reasons for the workshop's success are discussed, as is the power of the arts to effect social change. (DB)

Describes changes in the self-esteem of learners in a General Educational Development (GED) class. The purpose of this action research was to improve practice and learner outcomes. (Author)

Efforts to replace teachers with technology have uniformly failed. Machines are only tools. Good classroom tools extend the teacher's power to create a rich learning environment. If the teacher perceives the tool as master or misconstrues its use, its potential will never be realized. Strategies for computer use must focus on purpose and derive…

The Parental and School Choice Interaction (PASCI) study is investigating how English secondary schools are responding to an environment characterized by heightened competition and increased parental choice and how school decisions affect parental choice decisions. Plans to study four consumer empowerment models (competitive market, personal…

Empowering teaching strategies encourage leadership, critical thinking, problem solving, and collegiality and discourage passivity, isolation, and subordination. Empowerment prepares nurses for professional practice in hospitals. (SK)

Although parents are eager to play all roles at school from tutor to decision maker, they are hindered by lack of support from educators. Superintendents, school boards, principals, and teachers must rethink the definition of power and control. Real power means that all stakeholders, including parents, make decisions together to meet students'…

Distinguishes among six strategies of community change, identifies citizen participation as only one of several approaches, and challenges practitioners to fit the strategy to their situation and determine which is most apt to empower their community. (Author/JOW)

Evaluates the Ohio Reading Recovery Program as a way to redesign teachers' work, empower teachers and affect the core technology of teaching. Analyzes data collected by a survey consisting of open-ended questions and categorical response items, using the restructuring paradigm. Discusses implications for school restructuring. (28 references) (MLH)

Discusses common problems that occur when trying to implement total quality management. Offers suggestions on changing the culture of an organization. (JOW)

National Issues Forums enables citizens to teach themselves about issues and encourages reflective action and informed public policy. The Tennessee Home Economics Association used the forum approach to involve students in environmental discussions and develop leadership skills. (SK)

Principals' leadership is crucial to urban schools' attaining goals of equity and excellence. Suggests that principals commit their schools to the belief that every child can learn, communicate this vision, put it into action, and be an example and resource for staff and students. (CJS)

To discover who is in charge and ascertain principals' perceptions of their own decision-making autonomy, a short questionnaire was sent to a random sample of 2,559 elementary and secondary school principals in the 11 southeastern states. Respondents believed they have enough autonomy over instructional personnel, subject matter, and instructional…