Although educational research can provide a framework for viewing teaching, one should be cautious when transforming these results into criteria for identifying effective teachers in general and master teachers in particular. Problems arise concerning definitions, causal ambiguity, linearity, student growth measures, context, and research purpose.…

Provides an imaginary tour of a typical high school of the 1990's, where we find libraries without books, halls without lockers, stadiums without bleachers, teachers without unions, and an almost nonexistent dropout problem. Most of these "advances" are attributed to high costs and computerization progress. (MLH)

Schools adopt extended year calendars for various reasons, including fuel conservation and improvement of educational opportunities for students. This article describes a program in Jefferson County (Colorado) established to alleviate overcrowding in a large suburban school district that failed to pass bond issues for funding new schools. (MLH)

Because academic success alone does not ensure success in society, schools need to teach fundamental social skills, such as following instructions, accepting criticism or a consequence, accepting "no" for an answer, disagreeing appropriately, greeting someone, making a request, and getting the teacher's attention. Proper social behavior is not…

Small high schools on a limited budget do not have to sacrifice a theater program. An innovative teacher/director can use basic materials to develop an outstanding program based on units within the language arts curriculum, minicourses, staged readings, or productions of original plays. Recent research supports dramatics in schools. Includes 13…

Offers advice on preparing for job interviews, highlighting materials to take along, interview conduct, types of interviews (normed, locally structured, unstructured, and committee), interviewing techniques, types of questions, and disqualifying questions. (MLH)

Using a specific case, this article reviews some common areas of contract and tort law applicable to principals and employment practices in public and private schools. The question/answer format treats contract validity, negligent misrepresentation, and constitutionality issues involved in a case based on unfulfilled hiring promises. Includes four…

Effective principals agree on what should be occurring in the classrooms in their schools, according to investigators who queried principals in 202 schools identified as "effective." The most important characteristic of teachers, they responded, is to be task-oriented. (CJH)

Asserts that, in the quest for educational excellence, the highest quality opportunities must be provided for all students. Recommends looking at some of the European nations' educational systems for ideas about guidance methods that place students into appropriate educational programs. (CJH)

Can educational reform ever be achieved without some kind of catalyst to give the movement meaning and focus? The combining of human, technical, and financial resources through school study councils, with the proper leadership from principals, can bring together diverse units at multiple levels in education. (CJH)

Argues that too much instructional time is being wasted in today's classrooms and cites some of the most common time-wasters, along with possible remedies. (CJH)

Describes how one inner city school involved its teaching staff in developing a plan to improve the learning environment. A "building action plan" was developed to serve as the framework for the school improvement process. (CJH)

Recent research findings relating to time-on-task have had little effect on school practice. One cause was reducing the findings to an oversimplified statement that equated more time with more learning. Offers ways that schools can increase time-on-task. (CJH)

Traditional school administrative policy often establishes the structure and organization of the school first; from this structure, the program and curriculum then follow. By contrast, a case study is offered of an educational change as support for the reverse sequence, whereby the school program can be the determiner of school organization. (CJH)

Increasingly, researchers are acknowledging the importance of administrators in the school improvement process. The results of one research conference that focused on the high school are reported. (CJH)