Places questions about parent involvement in the following four categories: (1) coproduction or partnership, (2) decision making, (3) citizen advocacy, and (4) parent choice. Discusses these categories, identifies examples or models, and offers recommendations for action by parents, policymakers, and practitioners. (LHW)

Projects successful in involving parents in their children's education include the following: (1) parents' reading with children; (2) letters to new parents; (3) library visits and booklists; (4) monthly suggestions for involvement; and (5) newspaper "promise" ads for students and parents to sign. While programs may seem "gimmicky," they engaged…

Recent research suggests that principals can improve the content and delivery of staff development programs by selecting practical topics, involving teachers in topic selection and presentation, keeping teachers' experience levels in mind, emphasizing ongoing staff development processes, avoiding lecture-based programs, and encouraging personal…

The high schools in Framingham, Massachusetts, use the Framingham Interagency Rehabilitation Model as an alternative to taking students accused of first-time offenses against major school discipline regulations to court. The process involves a quasijudicial hearing, court followup of student progress, and cooperation among several school and…

Provides a review of the literature on human behavior in disasters and gives insights about what people do with and without training, organization, and control. It also points to the need for such preparations. The nature of the milieu in which emergency management must take place is examined. An emergency management model is included. (CT)

A 1983-84 Alberta study examined the job satisfaction of senior high school principals and its relationship to these principals' perceptions of their influence, their effectiveness, and their school's effectiveness. The selected indicators and best predictors of these variables, and associations with demographic variables, also were identified.…

Offers administrative ideas for childcare directors. (HOD)

Discusses the nature of middle management activity in light of observations of manager's work and examines his or her information gathering, storing, retrieving, and communicating habits. The managerial process and activity, memorandums as a source of action, reading, and receipt of information by the middle manager are covered. Eight sources are…

Nine reasons that training programs do not succeed (for example, limited training resources, reasons for training unclear, critical nontraining factors ignored, management support is lacking, role of supervisor not recognized, little preparation or followup) and five training success factors (value, focus, power, mass, duration) are presented. (CT)

If a superintendent resigns, school boards should consider hiring a retired outside superintendent during the interim period. Advantages include relief from the pressure to replace the outgoing superintendent, proven expertise, "free" outside consultation, a smoother transition, and avoidance of conflict. An on-staff interim chief can be…

Argues that before all members of an organization can be taught how to write plain English, the highest levels of management must make it clear by their active participation in the program that clear communication is their highest priority. (DF)

There are no easy solutions to the problem of building an outstanding basic skills program for handicapped children. This article analyzes reasons why children fail, describes the characteristics of outstanding schools and explains how teachers and administrators can achieve excellence. (Author/CB)

Recommends an organizational strategy for improving the effectiveness of secondary school assistant principals. Outlines skills needed by assistant principalship and provides selection and evaluation criteria. Describes an internship program to provide opportunities for individuals to pursue assistant principalships. (KH)

The principal assigned the task of transforming a "disruptive" junior high school into an effective middle school describes problems encountered and steps taken in the areas of staff development, shared power, the accountability system, human relations, academic enrichment activities, and articulation and improvement of attitudes toward the…

A review of research shows that, while supervisory job prescriptions focus on classroom observation for the purpose of improvement of instruction, job descriptions differ from the prescription and there is a gap between the classroom supervision that occurs and the supervision prescribed in the literature. (FL)