Community organizing for school reform is a growing national phenomenon, as young people, parents, neighborhood residents, and faith-based institutions struggle to improve the quality and equity of public schooling, particularly in urban school districts. Now a decade old, community organizing projects are influencing local public schools in…

In order to be effective in today's society, the elementary school principal must possess cognitive knowledge, technical educational skills, and an ability to successfully coordinate individual, group, and organizational goals and needs. (LH)

Changes in trainee selection, administrator education program structure, and the full usage of in-service school personnel and professorial staff could lead to significant and much-needed improvement in the quality of American school principals. (LH)

The research and opinions reported in this article make a strong case for the principalship to include instructional leadership in its role definitions. (Author/LH)

Evidence suggests that a middle school organizational design has some administrative advantages over the traditional junior high school program because of the more unified social and academic atmosphere. (LH)

As educational leader of the school, the principal must take the initiative to develop strong community support through a public contact system and through the accurate assessment of student needs. (LH)

How the school's chief administrator--the principal--works with people on a daily basis is the primary determinant of the overall success of the school. (Author/ LH)

This essay explores the importance of the classroom environment on teaching and learning, and suggests a framework for conducting further research in the field. (LH)

While the principle of successive approximations (learning as a series of small steps) has its difficulties in application, it is an effective technique for improving teacher skills in observing student behavior and in changing that behavior. (MJB)

Four major theoretical approaches to increasing classroom work involvement (Behavior modification, understanding individual causal dynamics, influence interventions, and ecology of behavior) are examined. The ecology of behavior approach, felt to be the most potentially useful, examines factors in the classroom environment enabling high work…

Practical applications of educational theory on peer groups to classroom management are discussed. (MJB)

Possible bases for student influence over teachers are examined. Since teachers cannot avoid being influenced by students, it is important for them to consciously select the kinds of influence efforts to which they will respond. (MJB)

The teacher who is concerned to help students with basic skills and at the same time worried about quashing motivation through prescribed exercises and drills should offer students real choices among activities. (MJB)

The establishment and governance of teacher centers, their function and potential, is discussed from both positive and negative viewpoints. (JD)

Racially mixed programs designed to encourage good relationships between black and white students as well as expand their cultural lives are described. (JD)