Participants in Educorps, a network of retired superintendents, travel throughout New York State to dispense hard-won advice to fellow school executives. During Educorps's first 20 months, 200 consultants have helped 60 school systems tackle financial planning, curriculum development, and public-relations issues. Services are free, minus…

Aurora (Colorado) public schools followed 10 suggestions to win a recent bond election, including starting a year before the election, analyzing community relations, establishing a citizens' committee and an election task force, developing resource materials (including fact sheets), setting a timetable, seeking out "yes" votes, and…

Political acumen has become survival skill for school leaders. By staying abreast of developing social issues and anticipating local action, school executives can orchestrate community effort, take lead, and develop plan featuring broad citizen involvement. Advice is provided for playing new game and becoming less isolationist. Sidebars show how…

Based on his own experience, a school executive counsels against using a hard sell in promoting a bond issue, since Washington State public disclosure law requires that school levy material printed and distributed by the school system be strictly limited to factual information. (TE)

Provides a step-by-step explanation of a method that will help administrators decide which school to close and simultaneously provide evidence that the decision was made logically, prudently, and objectively. (Author/IRT)

On a systemwide level, spin control means defining the issues and formulating an agenda for addressing them. On a personal level, school executives should develop a communications style that stresses honesty, updated information for everyone, wise choice of issues, appropriate responses to criticism, openness to expert advice, willingness to share…

A training program used successfully in more that 40 school systems consists of an intensive 5-day workshop involving lectures, role-playing exercises, simulated negotiations, and indepth discussions about bargaining issues. (MLF)

Additional advice is provided, in conjunction with the foregoing article, on coping with legal constraints to school publications urging voter support for an upcoming bond issue. (TE)

Advises superintendents to increase school visibility by writing a weekly newspaper column that communicates important school information, discusses school issues, recognizes educators' outstanding accomplishments, corrects false impressions or misinformation, and presents the human side of schooling. Several tips are provided for planning,…

To launch a successful levy or bond issue, school leaders must check with school attorneys or professional associations regarding limitations on marketing activities, allow sufficient campaign time, actively cultivate the press, and involve officers of all district parent organizations. Administrators should arrange for teachers, board members,…