While microcomputers may be easy to acquire and put into use, advance consideration of some pertinent issues will ensure that they are used successfully for planning and management support. (Author/MLW)

Learning to see reality at multiple levels provides instructional leaders with several advantages (e.g., being adaptive and solving problems before they occur, being creative by choosing a different future, and being generative by bringing forth something new). Four distinct levels of reality in systems thinking are: events encountered on a daily…

This resource shows how a portfolio can help administrators and principals engage in the reflection and continued growth necessary to create improved schools and learning. It contains hands-on, practical information on how to develop and use the portfolio to document growth, demonstrate the accomplishment of goals, and enhance performance and…

Modernization or reconstruction programs can be coordinated by developing a relocation plan for each school site. A relocation plan is a detailed outline of the proposed work to be accomplished in a planned sequence to accommodate the educational needs of the school during the project. (MLF)

Interviews with 12 senior administrators (8 college, 2 business, 2 hospital) who kept a journal for a year or more revealed 3 major journal-keeping functions: sorting through administrative chaos; generating solutions to problems; and documenting the past by recording details of decisions, personal data, responses to situations. Implications for…

Union and school board representatives studied basic negotiating techniques at a five-day workshop. Improved relations and cooperation were the result. (MLF)

Interest-bargaining involves focusing on the issues, segregating each issue, and assigning interests by each side to these issues until a mutually satisfactory option is reached. Cites effectiveness of interest-bargaining in 60 California school districts and an endorsement from the New York State School of industrial and Labor Relations at…

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…

Colleges can improve their chances of hiring an appropriate consultant by knowing what they wish to accomplish; knowing what results to expect; identifying possible consultants; choosing an individual with expertise in the primary area of concern; arranging and understanding the consultant's presentation; and remaining flexible during the…

Researchers received 256 ideas from 141 Long Island, New York, school districts that had resulted in cost savings. From these, 75 were classified into 10 areas and printed in booklet form. Cites examples in financial management, transportation, risk management, personnel practices, facilities management, purchasing, support services, and food…

Computer-based problem-solving examinations in immunology generate graphic representations of students' search paths, allowing evaluation of how organized and focused their knowledge is, how well their organization relates to critical concepts in immunology, where major misconceptions exist, and whether proper knowledge links exist between content…

"Collaboration" appears to be a popular trend in business and education as it is discussed more and more frequently in publications. One of the problems associated with collaboration is the lack of clear definition among similar terms such as cooperation, team effort, and partnerships. This paper briefly reviews the literature related to the…

Suggestions on how to navigate the difficult transition from teacher to administrator are presented in this book. Chapter 1 discusses the stages of change that translate into the stages of grief and loss and the sense of unpreparedness new administrators face. New communication patterns are explored in chapter 2, followed by a discussion of time…

This monograph describes a number of successful solutions that have been used in schools involved in school improvement planning. Problem-solving strategies used by schools across the United States to address various situations are described, in which each school focused on student achievement and teaching learning for all students. The practices,…

Guidelines to facilitate the assessment and development of educational leadership decision-making skills are presented in this paper. Included are a review of traditional and contemporary concepts of the decision-making process, identification of appropriate techniques, and an analysis of four contemporary decision-making models by Thompson,…