Describes how teachers and administrators at one school developed Inservice Ideas for Teacher Encouragement (INSITE), a series of high-interest, low-budget inservice training programs that draw from existing resources including the current expertise and interests of staff members. Programs addressed both personal and professional development…

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…

Four classic publications that offer guidance and inspiration to teachers are reviewed: (1) "Teacher in America," by Jacques Barzun; (2) "Excellence: Can We Be Equal and Excellent Too?" by John Gardner; (3) "Anti-Intellectualism in American Life," by Richard Hofstadter; and "To Profess with a Passion," a "Time" magazine article. (PGD)

Describes a staff development program used at Corbett Middle School in Gresham, Oregon, that introduced learning style theory and in subsequent years focused on helping teachers implement teaching methods that applied the theory effectively and creatively. The program's goals, processes, support services, and evaluation are discussed. (PGD)

Advises on selecting and obtaining hardware and software for automating several daily school business management functions. Suggests methods for "scrounging" equipment at low cost and explains why outside expertise that might be required for operating mainframe computers is not necessary for operating modern microcomputers. (PGD)

Examines the extent and nature of America's need to know whether the nation's educational outlook is improving, considers the contributions of the Scholastic Aptitude Test and the National Assessment of Educational Progress to the information effort, and proposes a more effective testing system to be administered by the Census Bureau. (PGD)

According to studies using the Degrees of Reading Power system for estimating readability, most high school graduates cannot read at a level enabling them to understand much of what they read in newspapers, periodicals, work-related documents, or many high school texts or tests. (PGD)

Reviews the range of data gathered by the National Assessment of Educational Progress in 1984 concerning the reading and writing levels of 11th-graders. Discusses observable trends, differences between white and minority student scores, student perceptions about their reading and writing skills, and implications of the data for educational…

Analyzes the organizational values and other elements that make up institutional cultures, and discusses how these cultures shape the behavior of people in the institutions. Provides administrators with practical strategies for creating effective school cultures within their own institutions. Stresses the importance of positive traditions and…

The Teaching Performance Observation Instrument enables evaluators to measure teachers' use of 25 specific teaching practices that research has identified as effective. These practices fall into five broad categories: (1) management of instructional time, (2) management of student behavior, (3) instructional presentation, (4) instructional…

Discusses development of the six components of any sound performance appraisal program: (1) explicit job descriptions, (2) definitions of key areas of responsibility, (3) criteria for performance appraisal, (4) methods for data collection and analysis, (5) written procedures, and (6) legal review of all procedures. (PGD)

By using the curriculum, teaching methods, student evaluation processes, human relations skills, and classroom management techniques in addition to verbal praise and token rewards as sources of reinforcement for student behavior and learning in the individual classroom, principals and teachers can enhance the school's educational environment. (PGD)

Asserting that informing parents about the discipline policies and procedures in their children's schools will reduce misunderstandings and inappropriate expectations and encourage parent participation, this article outlines specific methods principals can use to communicate discipline information to parents. (PGD)

Peak II is a successful school-within-a-school alternative learning experience for underachieving ninth-graders attending Longs Peak Junior High School in Longmont, Colorado. The voluntary program involves team teaching, an academic focus, group and individual counseling, guest speakers, field trips, group social activities, and afterschool…

Reviews the range of thought concerning the extent to which the student's educational experience should be formally structured and externally imposed or informal and structurally controlled by the student. Recommends allowing students to make choices to the extent that they are comfortable and learning remains functional and effective. (PGD)