Using the experiences of individual school districts, such as the Yonkers (New York) Public Schools, the author provides advice on how a board should carry out a reduction in force (RIF). She stresses the need to develop a written RIF policy and recommends involving staff and the community in the policy development process. Issues the policy…

Data on teacher absenteeism in the U.S. as a whole as well as in specific states and districts indicate that the problem is serious and growing. A review of research findings on more than 15 factors affecting teacher absenteeism shows that time of year, levels of faculty agreement and community support, teacher interdependence, and requirements…

The third part of a 10-part series, this report was compiled by the Educational Development Center at Wilkes College. The series deals with various aspects of the treatment of delinquents and is intended as a summary of research findings in each of the areas treated. Each report was prepared by a scholar-practitioner and is presented in a way that…

There are four steps in obtaining test data, each requiring planning and decision-making: assembling students, administering tests, scoring, and recording scores. In assembling students, two cautions are in order. First, for norm referenced tests, students in the treatment group should take the test at the same time of the year as the students in…

In its successful program to prevent and control violence, vandalism and misbehavior by students on school buses, the Salem (Oregon) school administration utilizes a four-step reporting and followup process. Should an incident occur, the first step is mailing of a misconduct notice to parents. This notice is followed by a warning letter. If…

Many administrators and faculty members across the country have initiated antivandalism campaigns in their schools and introduced curriculum designed to educate students about vandalism. The assumption is that if students can be educated about vandalism--what it is, what it costs, and who pays for it--they may gain more positive attitudes towards…

A program has been written for the interactive computer graphics facility at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute that is designed to assist the user in learning the mathematical technique of convolving two functions. Because convolution can be represented graphically by a sequence of steps involving folding, shifting, multiplying, and integration, it…

This quarterly newsletter covers educational issues affecting schools in WestEd's 4-state region (Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah) and nationwide. This Summer 1999 edition contains a lead article entitled "Reading for Understanding: A Modern Urban Success Story," which describes a course in "academic literacy," developed…

This Spanish- and Portuguese-language bulletin is a follow-up to No. 15 (PS 030 558), which examined some Effectiveness Initiative (EI) projects. This issue presents some beginning efforts to reflect on what has been learned through EI and to draw conclusions. The articles cover the results of EI projects from such angles as their relations with…

The 10 articles in this 1997 issue cover a wide range of research. Each of the articles addresses one of the seven questions: "What do we know about leadership capacity and how is it built?""How do we work with those enrolled in leadership preparation programs to enable these future leaders to build leadership capacity in schools?""How do we…

This theme issue explores the connection between service learning and standards-based education. In the lead article, "Service Learning and Standards: Are They Compatible?" (Brian Loney), an educator applies his extensive experience with Active Citizenship Today, a successful social studies service-learning program, to a representative set of…

This publication reviews a public-engagement program entitled "Calling the Roll: Study Circles for Better Schools." The program, which was implemented with help from the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, called for policymakers to interact with the public in study circles in Arkansas and Oklahoma. The report relates what the…

This issue of "Network News" takes a look at emerging P-16/K-16 partnerships and data systems. The first article, "P-16 Data and Accountability Systems," by Hans L'Orange and Rick Voorhees (an adaptation of a policy brief) looks at data being used for accountability within P-16 systems and provides some general characteristics…

The Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education's (ACPE) Institutional Relations Review seeks to provide the postsecondary schools in Alaska with information that pertains to the daily involvement with the Alaska Student Loan Programs, Institutional Authorization, Compliance Audit functions and other related subjects. This first edition also…

The Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education's (ACPE) Institutional Relations Review seeks to provide the postsecondary schools in Alaska with information that pertains to the daily involvement with the Alaska Student Loan Programs (ASLP), Institutional Authorization, Compliance Audit functions and other related subjects. Four issues were…