Before committing to the expense of consultancy, the college administrator needs to consider several basic questions: "what is the problem?" and "what is keeping the staff from solving the problem?" Certain kinds of problems are more likely than others to benefit from consultant expertise. (MSE)

Consultants and higher education clients have worked together for many years. The rapidly changing landscape of American higher education has produced continuing evolution in consulting practice and in the areas consultants serve. To use consultants effectively, institutions must learn about themselves, the consulting process, and available…

Instructional supervision, despite the lack of evidence for its value, can potentially help improve instruction and promote educators' professional growth. To realize this potential, schools should analyze their supervisory practice according to these four premises: (1) that each school district and each school has unique organizational…

This paper describes the development, operations, and effectiveness of the Principals' Computer Network (PCN)--an experimental program created (1) to allow principals to use their schools' microcomputers to access other principals' solutions to common instructional management problems; (2) to enable principals to request suggestions from their…

Eight steps to help manage time are discussed: analyze time, identify time problems, self-assessment, set goals and priorities, develop action plans, carry out plans, face time problems, and analyze each day. Telephone tricks and ways to manage meetings are described. (MLW)

The problem analysis technique can help colleges understand students' salient needs in a competitive market. A preliminary study demonstrates the usefulness of the approach for developing strategies aimed at maintaining student loyalty and improving word-of-mouth promotion to other prospective students. (Author/MSE)

Guidelines for college staff who have been assigned a new role of planning are presented. Advice for assessing the situation at the campus and developing a planning strategy is offered, and a framework for analyzing the planners' role, institutional needs, and planning activities is suggested. A bibliographic "roadmap" for the field of…

Outlines a five-step process to help school and community members in planning the initial phases of a new school: (1) establish a realistic planning timeline; (2) select a design team with diverse perspectives; (3) develop a sense of team/community among design-team members; (4) develop a vision for a new facility; and (5) select an architect.…

This manual is designed for superintendents, principals, teachers, and interested community members who are conducting self-evaluations as prescribed by Ohio Minimum Standards for Elementary and Secondary Schools. Its objective is to provide districts with direction to engage in self-evaluation studies using assessment instruments that promote…

Guidelines for planning and operating a Senior Colleague Advisory Network (SCAN) team visit are presented, based on the experiences of participants in the American Association of State Colleges and Universities' (AASCU) SCAN project. Guidelines for the institution cover: determining the need for a consulting visit, the need for presidential…

Elaborates on the article "Synthesis of Research on the Effectiveness of Intellectual Skills Programs: Snake-Oil Remedies or Miracle Cures?" by Sternberg and Bhana. Encourages the development of a theory that could provide a guide to the infusion of thinking instruction into any area of inquiry. (IW)

This self-help guide explores the many factors involved in implementing an effective program of protection for schools. It provides direction and answers to the many questions posed by crime and violence in schools by translating certain principles of security into applications for the campus setting. The guide explains the various protection…

Needs identified by special education teachers and school administrators (n=76) in nine school districts concerning implementation of life-centered career education (LCCE) included increasing administrative commitment to LCCE, involving teachers in developing and delivering LCCE instruction, and increasing intraschool and interagency coordination…

Although evaluation plays many roles in schools--support for administrative decision-making, curriculum improvement, staff development, public relations, instruction, counseling, diagnosing problems for students and staff, planning--recent studies of school district evaluation practices indicate that little overall consistency exists in the form…

The following considerations are of major importance to the persons who act as technical assisters for the Long Range Plan for School Improvement (LRPSI) in Pennsylvania: (1) long-range planning should be viewed as a deliberative and participative process; its steps should not be considered in isolation from each other; (2) comprehensive needs…