Describes Interplay, a program to help problem kids develop the confidence they need to become active learners. The idea is to create a sense of cohesive group identity, using activities that help children respect each other, support each other's learning attempts, and accept each other's mistakes as necessary steps in learning. (MLH)

In many states, school nurses are responsible for too many children; their numbers are dwindling when disabled and chronically ill students desperately need their services. Tennessee has the highest student/nurse ratio (10,000 to 1). Only 6 states meet the recommended 750 to 1 ratio. School-based clinics could ameliorate this problem. (MLH)

An interagency truancy prevention team tries to look at the family as a whole and then work together to solve problems. Five agencies comprise the network: (1) school system; (2) juvenile and domestic court services; (3) police juvenile division; (4) department of social services; and (5) city/county mental health counseling services. (MLF)

At the American Association of School Administrators' 124th annual meeting in February 1992, participating superintendents pursued improving public schooling design to achieve the results that communities are increasingly demanding. After detailing obstacles to success, speakers laid out workable solutions involving total quality management,…

Because curriculum guides tell only what should be taught, administrators should compile a "curriculum map," describing what was actually taught, by asking teachers for the information near each semester's end. Curriculum maps can be used to track and prepare students, allocate resources, set staff goals, resolve conflicts, and improve…

An Elmira, New York, elementary school resolves its playground disputes by allowing students to settle most of their own disagreements with the help of upperelementary students trained as conflict managers. Adult supervisors stop fights and give disputants a choice: discuss the problem with the principal or the conflict managers. Kids invariably…

An inschool suspension program at a Pennsylvania school district is described. Students spend suspension time completing classroom assignments under strict teacher supervision in detention halls. (TE)

To reach out to homeless and castoff children, educators must understand how street life affects youngsters' classroom behavior and learning ability. Many homeless and runaway youth come from backgrounds that include unstable families, early deprivation, and abuse. Tips for overcoming barriers to educating such children are outlined, along with…

A research psychologist at Princeton (Ohio) City Schools attributes district success to a polished management by objectives (MBO) approach helping educators set priorities, stay focused, and meet educational goals. Steps for determining district needs, developing objectives, and monitoring progress are provided. Schools have flexibility to tackle…

The Wilkinsburg (Pennsylvania) School Board's decision to hire Alternative Public Schools, a private company, to manage a failing elementary school has alienated the teacher union and many town residents. If teachers lose their court challenge, Turner School will become the only U.S. public school to be both privately staffed and managed. (MLH)

Award-winning Colorado Springs Superintendent Trevor Burnley has dedicated his energies to the "kid business"; he recently adopted his two young grandchildren and works diligently to keep schoolchildren away from the eight-ball. Faced with a slashed budget, he had to cut staff and freeze salaries, earning teachers' resentment. He…

A recent United States Supreme Court ruling requires that school staff with contagious diseases be treated like other handicapped employees who may be "otherwise qualified" to continue work under reasonable accommodation. Compulsory education laws are facing court challenges in several states, as parents seek more flexibility in…

A large California school district provides on-the-job management training at building and central office levels for 10 promising school employees (including teachers) annually. Trainees develop 15 administrative competencies through hands-on experience and exposure to 4 activities: working with mentors, district seminars, training sessions, and…

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

When youth lack a value system, violence becomes an acceptable activity with no need for accountability. The traditional close-knit family that taught youngsters right from wrong and expected them to act accordingly has disappeared. Ameliorative school programs in South Carolina and Chicago are described. A sidebar describes Robert Coles's 1989…