This newsletter defines common law negligence, discusses recent trends in common law negligence, cites litigation, and establishes guidelines to assist school administrators in the avoidance of such tort action. The success or failure of a negligence suit most commonly turns on one of three factors: duty, breach of that duty, and proximate cause…

One of a series of practitioner-oriented newsletters, the document provides elementary school principals with strategies for developing a school discipline code. The article recommends: (1) developing a written statement of school discipline policy; (2) launching the discipline policy at the beginning of the school year; (3) ensuring that…

Three separate newsletter issues examine the issue of sexual harassment on college campuses. Part I contains a general introduction to the topic and two articles. The first of these discusses the definition of sexual harassment by the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the courts, the EEOC guidelines on conduct of a…

One of a series of practitioner-oriented newsletters, the document provides elementary school principals with information about school discipline and Public Law 94-142 (The Education for All Handicapped Children Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973). Focusing on the impact of this law on general education classroom teachers and…

There are no simple answers to the tricky business of managing conflict within organizations. Almost every conflict is a unique case with its own issues, participants, dynamics, and consequences. Still, it appears possible to differentiate between organizations that handle conflict productively and those that do not. Successful organizations view…

Improving communications between administration and staff members is an urgent, ongoing need. Schools should adopt a communications philosophy in conjunction with continuing communication effectiveness. These evaluations must have clear and understandable objectives, mainly to pinpoint communication strengths and weaknesses. All essential…

There are two currents of social studies reform. One involves the search for an appropriate social studies core and is spearheaded by state governments and scholarly organizations. The second reform movement flows toward a social studies curriculum based on urgent domestic issues and the realities of global interdependence. The cross-purposes of…

Fulfilling the role of the community college president requires that a balance be maintained between internal constituents (e.g., students, faculty, administrators, and support staff) and external constituents (e.g., politicians, members of coordinating agencies, business leaders, trustees, alumni, and special interest groups). When the president…

Data from seven California elementary schools suggest that effective instructional leadership is both multidimensional and sensitive to school socioeconomic status (SES); in low SES schools, it involves direct supervisory activity and attention paid to school climate. Twenty-six reference notes are appended. (MLF)

An examination is made into the eroding financial health of intercollegiate athletic programs, especially at the Division I level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), that was determined to have come about as a product of standard practices and policies. The question posed is, if Division I college sports have become a large…

This report is comprised of brief summaries of various research-based and theoretical concepts and techniques--taken mostly from business management--that might improve educational administration. The topics discussed include (1) a list of successful business practices identified by the book, "In Search of Excellence"; (2) Theories X, Y,…

A bargaining process, begun over 10 years ago, is based on problem-solving rather than on adversarial confrontation and uses elements of participative management. It has resulted in outstanding benefits for two school districts. Called "Theory Z bargaining," the process follows a procedure based on each side treating the other with…

Legal problems that colleges and universities might avoid are identified. Colleges are being sued over a broad range of legal issues and are expending money for legal and court fees, settlements, and judgments. Legal problems include right of admission to particular colleges, the right to stay in school, questions of faculty promotion and tenure,…

Suggestions for principals to decrease school bus vandalism are presented. Guidelines are offered for the improvement of bus conditions, reorganization of the transportation system, establishment of a bus driver training program, and student involvement in an antivandalism campaign. Cooperation and regular meetings between students, parents,…

For many students in the 1990s, school is no longer a safe environment in which they feel free to learn. This brief is intended to dispel myths about peer sexual harassment and clarify the new realities of the phenomenon in schools. The brief also conveys the message that school administrators have a duty to foster a school environment based on…