Frequent five-minute visits focused on specific "look-fors" can give principals valuable information about what's working--or not working--in their schools. A program of brief but frequent classroom walkthroughs has become an increasingly popular strategy in recent years for informally supervising teachers and observing classroom activities. But…

This guide explains the essential elements of high-quality reading programs and provides suggestions for raising reading achievement in the elementary and middle grades. It is designed to promote the development of the principal as an instructional leader and focuses on the principal's role in the implementation of an effective reading program.…

This publication is designed to provide schools and school districts with help in addressing the challenge of recruiting and retaining excellent substitute teachers. It includes information on a variety of school district approaches to hiring, compensating, and supporting substitute teachers. Districts that provide training in classroom management…

The often-competing issues that accompany high-stakes testing pose challenges for even the best and most experienced principals. For example, time allotted for teaching test-taking skills and practice is sometimes "stolen" from science and social-studies courses. Some parents are concerned that students are missing out on a critical part of their…

Articles in the Research Report series published in each issue of "Principal" typically focus on things principals can do to develop effective schools and classrooms. Recent topics have included math instruction, ways to support new teachers, and the role a child's sense of emotional well-being can play in enhancing learning…

The ability to read is critical for a child's future learning, and it opens the doors to social and economic advancement. Unfortunately, 17% to 20% of children in the United States encounter significant difficulties in learning to read. Although not all reading disabilities can be traced to obvious risk factors, such difficulties occur in…

Class-size reduction (CSR) has been a complex and contentious issue for the last quarter century. Although the small-class concept was adopted because it appealed to common sense, research over time has revealed a mix of confounding variables, instead of a definitive conclusion. Some CSR efforts, such as Tennessee's Project STAR and Wisconsin's…

Staffing patterns in American public-school systems are presented in this report of the 2000-01 school year. The report addresses the following: why information about staffing ratios is important; how many people currently work in public schools; what proportion of these are teachers, administrators, and support staff; current staffing patterns in…

This report synthesizes the findings of four studies that focused on school districts as the center of focus for school-improvement efforts. The studies did not examine school systems that had been high performing for a long time; rather, they took their data from districts serving high percentages of students who typically struggle but were…

This annual survey presents salary and wage data on 23 professional and 10 support positions in the following categories: central office administrators, school building-level personnel, classroom teachers, auxiliary professional personnel, and support personnel. The positions selected represent the full scope of public-school employment. The data…

This document provides information about staffing patterns within U.S. public-school systems for use by education leaders, policymakers, and community members. This information, presented for the 2001-02 school year, answers questions, such as Why is information about staffing ratios important? How many people currently work in public schools? and…