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Strategic planning is complex (Dodd, 2004), and when managed well, it requires deliberate incorporation of evidenced-based data and the collaboration of key stakeholders. Thus, it is essential that the planning process includes the integration of data that are collected regularly and that both internal and external professional partners have the opportunity to reflect upon and respond to these data in systematic ways. This paper presents a viable process for accomplishing the effective drafting of a strategic plan. It includes the following components: (a) an assessment system, which drives continuous improvement and includes feedback from professional partners, alumni, and program completers; program level goals based upon performance candidate and enrollment data; departmental goals based upon alignment with institutional goals and program goals; and goals established at the faculty level, as articulated through college-wide committees; (b) an organizational schemata in the form of a data matrix that streamlines and reports upon the goals as established by all constituencies; (c) a schedule of meetings among upper leadership, as represented through the administrative council and chairs of college-wide committees; and (d) a final faculty retreat and meeting scheduled to allow for presentation and reflection upon all data in the matrix, to collaboratively articulate clear and measurable goals and objectives for the strategic plan. The following are appended: (1) A Diagram of Internal and External Reporting Systems and Stakeholders Providing Input into the College of Education Strategic Plan; and (2) 2006-07 Data Matrix of Goals (table).

This paper presents the case study of an attempt to bridge the gap between teacher and administrator preparation programs at Auburn University, Alabama, while engaging students in authentic learning situations at the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Lee County. The Boys and Girls Club of Greater Lee County serves 600 youth during the school year and another 750 in the summer months at 2 locations. Each of two classes, a doctoral level educational administration class and an undergraduate educational foundations class, engaged in projects that allowed university students to gain unique insights into the needs of the children and the community while providing necessary services to the clubs. The clubs in turn provided a learning laboratory for the students and professors. Many lessons were learned through the project. It was found to be essential to identify and consider agendas for the clubs and the college so that everyone could benefit. It was also important to keep the community involved and aware of the collaborative efforts. The project provided professional development opportunities for club staff, increased opportunities, such as tutoring, for club members, and increased learning experiences for college students and professors. (Contains 10 references.) (SLD)

This paper describes the design and function of Louisiana's statewide student-level database, the Student Information System (SIS). In Louisiana the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education adopted the dropout definition of the National Center for Education Statistics for use by all Louisiana public schools in the 1989-1990 school year. In 1993, the state implemented the SIS, and in 1994-1995 the state began reporting dropout statistics extracted from the SIS, bringing state dropout reporting into compliance with federal dropout definitions. The SIS consists of individualized records on the nearly 800,000 students enrolled in Louisiana public schools statewide. The SIS makes it possible to track all students through identification numbers (usually the Social Security number) and record suspensions and expulsions as well as dropouts. Examination of the past 5 years of dropout statistics indicates a sharp increase in Louisiana's dropout rate between 1994-1995 and 1995-1996. This dramatic increase is due to systemic changes in the procedure used to collect and report data. The SIS now is an effective and sophisticated method for tracking the movement of students through the public education process. An appendix contains definitions for SIS entry and exit codes. (Contains 3 figures and 11 references.) (SLD)

This article presents the insights gained by individuals involved in designing and implementing an evaluation system for a coalition of Professional Development Schools (PDSs) in rural Alabama. The article begins with a brief overview of the history of PDSs, with a particular emphasis on issues related to establishing quality indicators and judging effectiveness. It discusses concerns about evaluating PDS efforts. Next, it presents a detailed description of the context and discusses how the system has been used to reform, inform, and transform both institutions and professional relationships. In discussing how to create a comprehensive system for evaluating PDS efforts, it looks at the background and context of Auburn University's PDS efforts, discusses the creation of quality indicators, and examines the design of the evaluation system. The article explains how to use evaluation for future growth and concludes with a set of assumptions to consider when designing a PDS evaluation system. (Contains 27 references.) (SM)

This paper examines the principalship in Alabama. It focuses on the "individual role conception" of the principalship as perceived by those in that role and investigates whether gender affected these perceptions. For the research, principals were asked to provide personal demographic and professional information and to respond to three open-ended questions: What are the three greatest challenges you faced as a starting administrator in this position? What are the three most significant ways in which your presently held position is changing or has changed in the last 5 years? What do you consider to be the five most important skills a new administrator in your position needs to possess? A survey was developed and sent to all principals in Alabama (N=1303). Findings from 514 principals were used for this study. The findings suggest that external pressures, particularly those related to state mandates, the budgeting system, and accountability measures, have increased stress, paperwork, and workload. Male and female principals perceived their roles in similar ways. However, women viewed the tasks before them and the ways in which they must deal with them in a more global manner than did males. For example, they identified the need to make the facilities more inviting because they recognized the impact of "deteriorating facilities" on morale. Women thought in terms of developing a broad base of skills rather than only dealing with a particular task or issue. (RJM)

The past decade has been filled with widespread calls to institute systemic change in schools. This paper shares insights gained from one program that shifted from a traditional organizational view of educational leadership preparation to an inclusive approach that emphasizes community building. The Educational Leadership Program drew on four theoretical frames: Sergiovanni's notion of community, Senge's five disciplines and systems approach to change, Hargreaves' concept of reculturing, and Sarason's call to revise education and the roles of educators. During formation of the program various concepts were emphasized: all knowledge and people are to be respected; everyone is a self-directed, life-long learner; the fields of practice and theory are integrated; and bonds between people create a sense of belonging. The text details how external networks were expanded, how curriculum and instructional strategies were revised to support the model and the mission, how community was enhanced through cohorts, and how activities were used to enhance communication among and between various groups. After 4 years, participants were able to create a conceptual framework in which they brought together a diversity of voices to create a mission. Some of the many challenges in creating such a model are discussed. (Contains 46 references.) (RJM)

A composite behavioral indicator of high school effectiveness was developed that measures the degree to which schools strike a balance between the press for academic excellence and the need to keep all students actively engaged in schooling. This proposed "participation" indicator is based on behavioral outcomes with demonstrated relationships to student achievement: attendance, discipline, and dropout. The study, based on a sample of 310 public schools, used the State Department of Education assessment program (in a moderately sized Southern state) and the state education performance indicator program to construct both achievement and participation school effectiveness indexes. School effectiveness was then assessed using the achievement index alone, the behavior index alone, and both together. The application of these indexes resulted in differing effectiveness classifications for the sample schools. The next planned phase of the research will visit outlier schools to gather qualitative information about how well the indexes reflect actual conditions. The newly developed participation indicator has the potential to enhance school effectiveness research. (Contains 6 tables and 22 references.) (SLD)

This study surveyed college faculty about the establishment of professional development schools (PDSs) to raise the status of teaching as a profession and transform teacher education. A total of 58 faculty attending a conference sponsored by the Holmes Group Initiative on the development and implementation of PDSs completed a survey on the problems they had encountered in establishing PDSs, strategies they had used to overcome these problems, and the benefits of engaging in these endeavors. Ten categories of problems were identified: time constraints, conflicting demands, logistics, lack of commitment, lack of shared vision, mistrust, funding, external factors, rewards, and traditions. Various strategies were used to overcome these problems. The benefits identified in the establishment of PDSs included improved teaching and learning environments, personal and professional development, enhanced research opportunities, and improved relationships. Individual problems, strategies, and benefits are discussed in light of enhancing the development of PDSs. (Contains 18 references.) (MDM)

This action research project was undertaken to evaluate the difference between the instructional theory as espoused and as practiced by a graduate teaching assistant. The study took place in an elective pharmacy course, involving 3 class sessions and 25 students. The qualitative research methodology consisted of identifying the espoused or ideal theory using self-reflection, journaling, and dialogue with colleagues. The ideal theory identified was "practical": the instructor intended to involve students in the learning process and in the evaluation of the methodology employed. Once this ideal theory was identified, qualitative and quantitative data dealing with the instructional theory as practiced were gathered and compared with the ideal theory. Findings indicated a gap between the ideal espoused theory and the theory in practice. Several reasons, both organizational and personal, for the gap between these two theories were identified. Appendices include session evaluation forms used to collect data, written comments, and results of student evaluation for training lesson. (Contains 11 references.) (Author/ND)

Louisiana is one of the few states that uses indicator data to produce school report cards for statewide distribution to parents. The system, the Progress Profiles Program, produces report cards that must be accessible, meaningful, and understandable to a lay audience. An evaluation of the 1991-92 report cards was undertaken in 1993. In Phase 1 approximately 2,000 parents and 6,000 faculty members were asked about the readability and utility of report card information. Responses from 291 parents found them generally positive about the report cards, but doubtful that they would have real impact. The 2,139 teachers were less uniformly positive than were the parents, and more than 40 percent thought that publishing report cards would not help improve the quality of education. Teachers found the report cards less informative than did parents. Revisions based on opinions from four focus groups include individualized formats for elementary, secondary, and K-12 schools, with additional explanatory text, better design, more information about indicators, and revision to an eighth-grade text level. Four exhibits present study findings. Attachments present high school and all-grade school report cards. (Contains 4 references.) (SLD)

Louisiana is one of the few states to produce and distribute school report cards to public school parents statewide. The state undertook a formal evaluation, here reported, of the "1991-92 Report Cards." In Phase 1 a random sample of roughly 2,000 parents and 6,000 faculty statewide was surveyed by mail with a 30-item questionnaire rating the readability and utility of information on the school report cards. Four focus groups, two with parents and two with teachers, were conducted in Phase 2 to follow up and enlarge on initial findings. Parents were generally positive toward the concept, but were somewhat less optimistic that the program could have a real effect on the quality of education. The further the focus shifted from the child's own school, the more pessimistic parents became that the School Report Cards could actually help improve education. Teacher responses showed a similar pattern, but teachers were less uniformly positive than parents. Using survey results and feedback from the focus groups, the state has made substantial modifications to the format of the 1992-93 report cards, including: (1) individualizing formats for elementary, secondary, and K-12 schools; (2) adding explanatory text to each indicator; (3) simplifying tables; (4) presenting both frequencies and percents on most indicators; and (5) rewriting text to an eighth-grade, rather than the former 13th grade level. A sample report card and the survey are attached. (Contains 4 references.) (SLD)

An evaluation of 11 university grants funded by the Louisiana Department of Education's Office of Special Education Services (OSES) during the 1989-90 academic year is presented. The methodology used was based on an evaluation format adopted by the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education for evaluating Louisiana Education Quality Support Fund projects. The evaluation process included the following steps: (1) analysis of grant applications; (2) development of interview protocols; (3) site visits; (4) completion of Project Objective Management Forms (POMFs); (5) collection and analysis of Mid-Year Reports (MYRs) from project directors; (6) completion of Project Summary Evaluation Forms based on information from the POMFs and MYRs; and (7) production of narrative summaries for all projects. This paper includes summaries of the formative and summative evaluations as well as a critique of the overall OSES process for monitoring and evaluating these projects. Results from the summative evaluation were generally positive, although there was considerable variance across programs and categories. Six areas of weakness were uncovered through the formative evaluation, and recommendations were provided in these areas. (Author/TJH)

Research indicates that leadership is an important element in student and school success (Darling-Hammond, et al.2007). This has been a factor in calls to implement extensive changes in how principals are recruited and prepared (Murphy, 2006). An essential element in this redesign is assessing the students that enter and graduate from it. Assessment is a comprehensive process by which members of an academic community analyze data and use that information to revise programs to assure student success. (Kochan and Locke,2009). Most student assessment efforts in educational leadership programs have been program specific, dependent upon faculty interest and expertise, and have not been not a part of the research agenda of the field as a whole. During the last decade there have been calls from groups within and external to these programs to urge them to create comprehensive student assessment programs which will help determine who is admitted to the program; measure progress throughout matriculation; evaluate student abilities at program completion; and assess leadership skills and practice after graduation. This paper describes: (1) the factors that hinder and facilitate assessment; (2) the hopeful signs and cautions concerning assessment; and (3) the implications of student assessment in leadership programs for future research.

Argues that the work of Jurgen Habermas offers a means of blending modern and postmodern elements in the field of educational administration. Discusses Habermas' guiding principles, which include: (1) consensus can always be challenged; (2) power must be equalized among those communicating; and (3) the only force that should prevail is that of a better argument. (Contains 74 references.) (NB)

This book reports results of a study of the efects of quality of worklife programs and related forms of worker participation on unions and the collective bargaining process. Chapter 1 describes the evolution of worker participation in unionized settings and summarizes basic propositions in models of joint union-management change. In chapter 2 five case studies illustrate the dynamics of worker participation processes. Chapter 3 reviews the experiences of two major national unions and their industries--the United Steel Workers and seven major steel companies and the United Automobile Workers and General Motors and Ford Motor Company--with worker participation processes scattered across multiple plants. Each case illustrates the challenges involved in linking workplace participation programs to the broader, more centralized collective bargaining structure and the broader strategies of the union and employers involved. Chapters 4 and 5 analyze through survey and interview data the views that rank and file members and local labor leaders hold toward worker participation. Chapter 6 draws on data from interviews, speeches, other public documents, and selected internal union documents to present the views of key national labor movement leaders on worker participation. Chapter 7 highlights implications for the labor movement and the U.S. industrial relations system. (YLB)

The 1980s have been a period during which important private experiments with innovations have occurred in employee participation, work redesign, and the introduction of new technologies and new systems of production. It is now time to move beyond the experimental stage. The following four interrelated policy initiatives should guide public efforts to promote diffusion and institutionalization of workplace innovations: (1) establish a national database for measuring the diffusion of innovative practices and evaluating their economic and social consequences; (2) update labor law to remove the barriers to labor-management cooperation and innovations; (3) integrate support for workplace innovations with broader human resource, labor market, and economic policies; and (4) provide the political leadership needed to produce a positive climate within which innovative labor management relations can flourish. These initiatives are necessary because there is no reliable estimate of the extent to which employee participation or work redesign principles have diffused across the U.S. work force; growing evidence indicates that current law is undermining workers' and union representatives' confidence in the fairness of the law and heightening labor-management tensions; and diffusion is not likely to occur without strong national leadership and the commitment of financial resources to build support for the innovations. (77 references) (CML)

Educators design school restructuring efforts based on their beliefs about the changing global society; pressures of the business world, community, and parents; and perceived societal needs. A recent survey shows that school children's greatest concerns are divorce, money and finances, and family discord and violence. Children's voices, not statistics or adult perceptions, should guide school restructuring plans. (MLH)