In response to pervasive problems of low income, anticipated loss of employment in the textile industry, high dropout rates, high crime rates, and poor relationships among municipalities, Gaston County, North Carolina, has developed an innovative set of processes for promoting cooperation and facilitating leadership techniques. The Gaston System…

Principals and superintendents often make decisions about the purchase and allocation of computer hardware and software without consulting individual teachers; however, teacher participation is necessary for successful implementation of all phases of computer programs. Initially, computer literacy training should be made available to both…

Following an introductory discussion by E. J. Josey that provides a perspective on college and university libraries, the following essays are presented: (1) "Academic Library Planning--Definitions and Early Planning Studies in Academic Libraries" (Stanton F. Biddle); (2) "Academic Libraries and Academic Computing--Rationale for a…

To help school administrators, an introduction and 12 chapters analyze employee morale and motivation and provide both experts' and practitioners' suggestions on how to improve them. The information was gathered from a national questionnaire survey of over 300 educational leaders, school visits, telephone interviews, correspondence, and a…

One of the organizational characteristics used in the Minnesota School Effectiveness Program is a positive school climate, which includes collaborative planning and collegial relationships. This module begins by identifying four types of collegial practices that characterize successful schools: (1) frequent, continuous, and increasingly precise…

Effective evaluation of educational software is a key issue for successful introduction of advanced tools in the curriculum. This paper details to developing and evaluating a tool for computer assisted learning of science laboratory courses. The process was based on the generic instructional system design model. Various categories of educational…

This four-part learning module was designed to assist educators in evaluating their leadership style and professional interactions with others. After defining leadership, Part I discusses task analysis and illustrates its use in educational settings. Then, the module lists the personality traits identified in research as important to successful…

Three articles discuss management of library technical processes personnel. The first article focuses on the employer employee relationship and communication; the second explores management trends, including participative decision making, personnel evaluation, management by objectives, and the collegial system; and the third focuses on the…

Through means such as parent choice, participation in a home visitor program, and work with a church group, "hard to reach" parents can become involved in the following aspects of education: (1) decision-making; (2) home-school coordinated activities; (3) advocacy; (4) school support; and (5) parent education and support. (BJV)

Describes a pilot project by a regional library system in central New York State to implement systematic planning activities in rural public libraries serving populations under 5,000. Motivations for the adoption of innovation and key elements in the decision making process during implementation are examined. (CLB)

Before any school reforms can be enacted, an atmosphere of collegiality within the profession must be created that integrates both the need of school administrators to coordinate policy and of teachers of exercise individual initiative. Appended are 70 references. (MLF)

Recommendations for chairs of college-level foreign language departments include: being supportive of the department; communicating fully and openly with faculty and staff; promoting grantsmanship; and encouraging staff and faculty. Recommendations for deans working with chairs and department heads include: consulting frequently and communicating…

A historical analysis of the ways in which representatives of the business and professional communities were able to control the development of a city school system, based on documentation from the 1920's to the late 1960's in the Cincinnati, Ohio, school system. (Author/DCS)

In the positive theory of public bureaucracy, the prevailing view is that the structure of public agencies is designed from the top down by political superiors. Faced with bureaucrats who may disagree with them on policy and who are advantaged by private information, superiors choose rules and procedures to try to ensure that agencies do what they…

This paper defines active citizenship as a fundamental aim of democratic society that enables all citizens to participate as fully as possible in cultural, economic, political, and social life. Adult education is recommended as a forum for promoting active citizenship and, since participatory democracy is learned through practice, should be an…