Using examples drawn from extensive observation of schools in Nebraska and the Northwest, two authors (one with less enthusiasm than the other) counter current widespread criticism of today's schools and students. (JM)

Briefly describes a program used in the Hazelwood School District in Missouri. (JM)

The Richland Northeast High School in Columbia, South Carolina, finds an after-school detention program and a student supreme court to be successful in handling discipline problems. (JM)

Describes a program at Stone Middle School in Melbourne, Florida. (JM)

Portrays athletics programs as educationally valuable and useful for instilling values. (JM)

Reasons principals give for leaving the principalship involve job conditions more than personal or community circumstances. Diminished authority contributes to the attrition rate. From a random survey of 4,766 secondary school principals, just under 10 percent (446) indicated they had decided to leave the principalship in 1979. (Author/LD)

The role of the principal is a complex one, tied to shifts in the school population and changing public demands. This article takes a look at the future of the principalship. (Author)

Outlined here are the major objectives and components of zero-base budgeting, along with suggested steps for implementing key aspects of it in schools. (Author)

Describes (with sample questions) interviewing techniques, format, and follow-up for selecting qualified teachers. (LD)

Giving reasons for terminating employees can enhance the credibility of administrators among teachers and the public. The legal and policy review presented here can help administrators with the task of formally evaluating teachers. (Author/LD)

Minimum competency testing programs may discriminate against handicapped students. Action must be taken, this article warns, to assure that such programs do not emerge as an exclusionary practice that will require years to overcome. (Author)

Specifically explains procedures and techniques necessary to be in compliance with the Individualized Educational Program of the Handicapped Children's Act. Also describes principal's role in mainstreaming handicapped students. (LD)

Many of the problems facing secondary schools today can be solved, this paper says, by negotiating learning contracts with students. Presented here is a model for shared accountability. (Author)

Identifies eight competencies needed to implement a school public relations program and reviews some of the basic ideas associated with each competency. (Author)

This interview with the retiring executive director of the National Association of Secondary School Principals, Owen Kiernan, explores his views on a variety of education-related topics including principals and leadership, the voucher system, competency testing, teacher training, and general philosophies of education. (LD)