NASSP Bulletin

Let's not forget the purpose of education in a democracy and the role that activities play in our schools, warns this writer, who reminds critics of student activity programs that such programs are an integral part of education.

The principal and the adviser should have a clear understanding of student, school, and staff responsibilities in regard to student activities. NASSP's legal counsel reviews the recent cases on the following pages.

A high GPA may be earned without learning a great deal about other human beings, warns this writer, who looks at the cor relation between success as an adult and involvement as a stu dent.

Here's a model to use when developing a course for student leaders, as well as sample outlines for basic and advanced leadership courses.

Student activity programs in schools are in jeopardy, says this writer, who provides an agenda for ensuring that such programs retain—or regain—their appropriate position in the school.

Too often, only the negative news about young people garners media attention. This writer offers some tips on how to ensure that the good news receives its fair share of exposure.

Your school and your students can reap many benefits from a community service program. After outlining the benefits, the author suggests the steps to take in starting a program.

Principals know what the studies have recommended to improve secondary schools, but do they know with any accuracy what their publics are saying about the recommendations? This article will help principals to know more exactly what their publics are thinking about the reform movement and at what level they are willing to support the recommendations.

School administrators are inescapably philosophers, says this educator, who suggests that the really interesting question is whether their philosophies are "good." He outlines the charac teristics of good philosophy derived from research on schools.

Attempting to grasp the horns of this oxymoron, the writer first discusses what teacher excellence means and then explains why excellent teachers are not in great supply. Not wishing to leave readers without a solution, he suggests the steps to improve the situation. Readers are invited to comment on these suggestions.

Knowing how to learn and knowing what's important to learn are skills that must be taught to all youngsters, conclude these writ ers, who believe more content is not sufficient—students must become more effective and efficient learners.

Educators in one state went to the source to combat the problem of college freshmen who are not prepared for college-level math ematics. They established a speakers bureau and sent professors into the schools to discuss the importance of a solid foundation in mathematics directly with the students.

Multi-level classes, which have become a permanent fixture in many schools, are often difficult to effectively evaluate, says the author, a former foreign language teacher. She offers some guidelines for administrators who are evaluating multi-level for eign language classes.

Many school districts have adopted competency test schedules and administrators have begun working on procedures to smoothly implement this new aspect of the education program. But administrators also need to consider the needs of special education students in their competency test plans, says this author.

Nonpublic schools exist for many reasons, says this writer. These include the pursuit of religious, cultural, and vocational goals. They also may include discriminatory goals, which, he cautions, must be corrected.

The problems associated with middle and secondary schools are neither new nor unique. Through a two-year pilot program, one junior high school made a significant step toward improving academics, morale, and student/parent involvement—a step that earned the school national recognition.

One of the key ways of determining one's suitability for teaching is through the experience of student teaching. For many prospec tive teachers, however, too much of their training is aimed at the "what," not the "how" of teaching. This writer called on his 23 years in education in formulating the following advice for teacher trainers and teachers to be.

Here's how one school district's innovative approach to staff development improved morale, lessened the burnout rate, and saved the district money.