Information is presented to help elementary principals manage and facilitate staff development, drawing upon research concerning effective schools, educational change, and leadership. Requisite knowledge and skills are proposed for principals, with recommendations provided for using staff development to effect school improvement. (SM)

A mentoring program for both gifted and nongifted low- or under-achieving students in grades three-six was developed to improve students' academic standing and self-esteem. Mentors and mentees discuss difficulties with school or social relationships, become involved in special projects, etc. The program has also improved bonds among faculty…

A grass-roots collaboration between high school and college foreign language teachers has brought together a "natural constituency" for professional development and communication. The steps followed by this group may facilitate the process for others. (Author/MSE)

Exploration of the ways in which early childhood education administrators and teachers perceived organizational practices indicated that there were significant differences between administrators' and teachers' perceptions, with the administrators consistently more favorably rating the organizational climate. (Author/CB)

In a number of states, legislatures are successfully opposing governors on budget cuts that would adversely affect colleges and universities, even in states where relations between academics and politicians have been strained recently. (MSE)

There is good reason for college fund raisers and business officers to collaborate on common financial interests. Communication is a key element of such cooperation. Other needs include agreement on accounting and reporting of institutional finances, agreement on stewardship of gifts (particularly with restrictions or endowments), and common…

It is proposed that the need for collaboration between physicians and nurses is increasing with new health care needs and delivery systems, and that practitioners and educators must help improve the relationship. The phenomenon of collaboration, reasons for promoting it, barriers to achieving collaborative relationships, and change strategies are…

Suggestions are offered to help department chairs make faculty development an overall professional approach rather than a separate program of activities. They include the following: make development your main job, emphasize planning, and examine your formal reward system. (Contains eight references.) (LB)

Misunderstandings between a university's attorney and its public relations office can arise because of differing goals, schedules, rules of evidence, and levels of respect accorded them. Cooperation can be fostered by forging a bond before a crisis arises, sharing expertise, thinking ahead, remaining flexible, and analyzing successes and failures.…

Examines the roles of subject matter experts (SMEs) and instructional designers and discusses distinctions between the two. Three reasons to distinguish SMEs from instructional designers are explained: the learning process, knowing versus communicating, and allocation of resources. (LRW)

A program to improve the quality of work relationships among managers and staff of group homes for the developmentally disabled includes three strategies: (1) adding people to the employee's social network; (2) improving skills for maintaining networks; and (3) training network members to be more supportive. (SK)

A discussion of recent changes in college administration focuses on the growth of nonacademic administration, the changing social and economic environment, new management concepts, leadership challenges, and openness and judicial review. It is concluded that administrators must articulate their fidelity to the institution's central purposes and to…

Uses the philosophical concepts of MacIntyre and Aristotle to argue that experiential education (including adventure therapy and other specialties) is evolving into an independent professional practice and, as such, must deal with ethical issues and define standards of excellence. (SV)

The student affairs division at Nebraska Wesleyan University was studied from the perspective of organizational culture, focusing on two factors: organizational climate and the superior-subordinate relationship. Interviews with the director and division staff revealed the importance of mutual support to the division's success. (MSE)

Approximately 230 Louisiana principals and assistant principals were surveyed about social networking behaviors and topics discussed with other administrators. There were no differences by location, except that rural administrators discussed student discipline less often than other administrators. Among rural administrators, there were no…