The social structure of the school with its norms, values, beliefs, and practices ostracizes some students. By studying the behavior and motives of students who kill at school we will be better positioned to understand the role played by school officials and other students in creating an environment that ignores fundamental differences among…

The fabric of educational leadership is changing. Murphy (2001) has suggested three new metaphors for educational leaders: moral stewards, builders of communities, and educators for school improvement. However, shifting priorities and contradictions between these metaphors could result in fragmentation within the field. This article discusses…

School bullying is often considered to be the fuel behind school violence. In a recent report by the Families and Work Institute, students reported that is was the small things, such as teasing, which often triggered serious episodes of violence. On the school campus, between 20 to 30% of the students report frequent involvement in bullying…

Cultural diversity in society is reflected in schools but it is seldom taken into account as an influential variable in the personal and social development of students. School culture transmits specific socio-cultural values (those of the dominant group), excluding other cultural features that are not in accordance with it. Certain educational…

This article presents the report of a survey conducted to study the following four issues: (1) how the marketization of education for migrant children came about; (2) the basic school situation, including distribution, operators, conditions, curricula, and general characteristics; (3) teachers and teaching at the schools, including teaching…

This brief document offers ten principles of effective school design. They are: (1) Clear Focus and High Expectations for staff and students are defining features of an effective school; (2) A Rigorous Instructional Program provides equitable opportunities to learn and enables every student to master challenging content, skills, and learning…

Imagine someone telling you that, within three years, new teachers would leave the profession for which they trained so hard. That is what is happening to 30% of today's promising new teachers who are not given the mentoring, direction, and professional development that is so desperately needed to keep them focused and enthusiastic. To handle this…

Middle level educators can't always define it succinctly, but they know courageous, collaborative leadership when they see it. Examples of courageous leadership can range from a cancer-stricken teacher who inspires a whole school, to an educator who makes little strides by modeling the art of "hanging out" for students for whom social interaction…

Planning is essential to creating safe schools and it is required by the Federal No Child Left Behind legislation (U.S. Department of Education, 2004) and implemented via district local education action plans. The implementation of these plans involves continuous monitoring and reevaluation of information pertinent to each campus. As such, this…

After a theoretical analysis of the concept of organizational citizenship is elaborated, we complete an analysis of the characteristics of school organization that promote citizenship behaviors. We assume that the leadership of the principal is critical in such an endeavor as well as the trust that colleagues have in each other and the extent to…

In this article, the authors describe their efforts to improve the performance of their middle school students on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA). As middle level educators, they knew that in addition to addressing the curriculum, they also had to address the psychological needs of their students. To administer a standardized…

This article presents a case study of an elementary school situated within a prestigious school district that has undergone rapid demographic change in recent years. The authors explore how the school has accommodated growing numbers of linguistically and culturally diverse students while at the same time struggling to maintain district standards.…

A study examined technology refusal within the context of applied academics and, specifically, the applied biology and chemistry curriculum used in Pennsylvania. It identified school cultural factors that acted as barriers to technology implementation and developed a framework for inservice education of secondary agricultural and science educators…

This study examined the perceptions of experienced teachers who had taken on formal roles as mentor teachers. Case studies were developed for each of 10 participants, of whom 7 were neophyte mentors. Each mentor was interviewed four times throughout the school year, while their mentees were each interviewed twice. Mentors were also observed in the…

This paper reports on case studies of eight student teachers in Andalusia (Spain) intended to identify and understand the development of their pedagogical approach and the factors affecting their socialization processes. Five factors affecting the socialization of students during practical training were evident in all the cases. These factors…