College mergers have taken many forms and created a variety of legal relationships. Suggestions for those new to the experience include these: informed personal leadership of trustees and presidents may be crucial; difficulties should be recognized from the outset; and the process should begin with studied choice and in friendship. (MSE)

Arguing that administrators can help establish a more constructive atmosphere in their school districts by offering sincere praise whenever possible, the author provides a list of do's and don'ts that will contribute to the perception that the praise offered is genuine. (JBM)

Investigates administrative metaphors and the school principalship in the current literature. Three metaphors--maintenance, survival, and vision--are explored through participant observation of the behavior of five principals. (MLF)

Discusses six elements that make a good school: (1) consensus among staff members of purposes for which school exists, (2) strong sense of power among staff members to bring about change, (3) positive community support for school programs, (4) awareness of instructional leadership, (5) view of school learning in broad context, and (6) positive…

Describes the Principals' Project, designed to provide information to elementary school principals about basic science skills, the principal's role in providing leadership, the characteristics of good elementary science programs, and what research says about elementary science. Discusses conferences conducted for principals by science educators on…

Summarizes results of a survey included in the Deans' Network study of doctoral programs in education. Deans of 37 research-oriented schools of education granting doctorates were interviewed on the purpose of the doctoral program, its governance, status, finances, evaluation, and relationship to the university. (MJL)

Four social studies teachers are interviewed to find out what they think about current social studies issues. Topics discussed include what teachers, administrators, the public, professional organizations, and colleges can do to improve instruction; the most important course content; teachers' vulnerability to political pressure; and major…

To date, there has never been an empirical study that has examined the actual activities of rural principals on behalf of improving mathematics education. This monograph presents the results of the first study of rural principals' engagement with mathematics education "reform." This study posed three research questions relating to rural…

An ever-increasing proportion of high school students in the United States today aspire to graduate from college. Yet statistics indicate that the percentage of college students receiving bachelor's degrees has remained relatively constant over the past 25 years, that it now takes on average 6 years to get a four-year college degree, and that…

According to Erlandson and Bifano (1987), teacher empowerment is a vital dimension of the school's organization. Lieberman (1989) defined teacher empowerment as "empowering teachers to participate in group decisions and to have real decision-making roles in the school community" (p. 24). Furthermore, Summers (2006) addressed the need for…

Underserved students (low-income, underrepresented minority, or first generation to attend college) do not attend college at the same rate as their white, middle-, or upper-income peers, and research suggests that this discrepancy is due in large part to the lack of opportunity for underserved students beginning in middle school. This briefing…

Just as the pool of qualified teacher applicants is shrinking and attrition rates are soaring, new standards are making entry into the teaching profession more difficult. Teachers can make sure their school system doesn't get caught in the crunch by implementing the approach from this visionary guide. Daniel A. Heller describes a top-to-bottom…

In developing the 1999-2000 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), a special effort was made to include questions that would help determine the extent to which the characteristics of professional development policies and practices were consistent with the emerging consensus on the key features of professional development as described by Hawley and…

This brief paper on the inclusion of students with disabilities summarizes the history, terms, and legal requirements. The relevant section of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is cited followed by a brief review of the mainstreaming movement of the 1970s and the regular education initiative in the mid-1980s. Regulations governing…

Schools are realizing that carefully collected and analyzed data represent the key to educational improvement. This digest outlines the most useful types of data to drive the school-improvement process, steps that must be taken to collect and analyze data, the role of administrators in guiding the data-driven reform process, and results that can…