1994 ANNUAL REPORT.

Dream the Impossible Dream for All of America's Children

AASA's Mission

The mission of the American Association of School Administrators, the organization of school system leaders, is to support and assist these and other education leaders to achieve the highest quality education for all learners through personal, professional, organizational, and leadership development and advocacy for public education.

BUILDING A FOUNDATION FOR LEADERSHIP

This was a year of growth, change, transition, and excitement. In fact, 1994 found the American Association of School Administrators putting on a new suit of clothes. At no time in its 129-year history has our association been so poised for greatness.

In March, on the retirement of Rich Miller, I became AASA's executive director. The Executive Committee, our governing board, made it clear that AASA should step directly into the arena of ideas, attract the national spotlight, and build a foundation for leadership that will take us well into the new millennium.

Since joining AASA, I have visited more than 30 states, speaking with education and government leaders, reporters, editorial writers, and a host of other people. One major accomplishment was a 17-city news media tour, a whirlwind of interviews that made it possible for us to deliver new thinking about education through newspapers, television programs, radio talk shows, wire services, and magazines.

Through regular columns in our AASA newspaper, Leadership News, articles we've prepared for other publications, and testimony on Capitol Hill, AASA has been at the forefront of ideas and is fast developing an even stronger voice for the schools and educators of our nation.

During 1994, AASA sharpened its focus. Among the many demands we face, three are receiving our greatest attention: improving the condition of children and youth, preparing schools for the 21st century, and enhancing the quality of school leadership. Already, we are bringing these major objectives to life.

We also have reorganized our staff around two major functions, information and influence. A third function, integration, provides the internal support needed by the other two.

Here are some of the many ways AASA has served its members, education, and the children of our nation during 1994. We have:

* Taken first steps in organizing a national crusade for children;

* Focused meetings of our Executive Committee and the organization on issues ranging from school prayer and preparing students for the 21st century to Goals 2000: The Educate America Act;

* Presented powerful testimony that led to final reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act;

* Produced highly acclaimed publications and audiovisual programs: How Our Investment in Education Pays Off, Getting Parents Involved in Their Children's Education, Alternatives to Tracking and Ability Grouping, Sexual Harassment, Site-Based Management and Decision-Making, and Trans forming America's Schools;

* Hosted AASA's 126th annual National Conference on Education in San Francisco under the theme, "Education for All...America's Promise;"

* Taken the initiative in finding common ground with opposition groups;

* Begun formation of an Academy of Leadership; and

* Offered a new felonious assault policy for members who lose their lives to violence (two school superintendents were assassinated during the past two years).

Because of a tight economy, our association continues to face financial challenges. In 1994, we drew from our reserves to cover less-than-expected growth in membership and registrations for our national conference. However, AASA remains a strong organization with unlimited vitality and a focus on the future.

The schools of our nation are better than most people think, yet they are not as good as they need to be. If we hope to secure the future of our nation and sustain our democracy and free-market economy, we must systemically transform our schools. Doing so will require outstanding leaders who can connect the people and the resources that will ultimately lead to an even better education for children.

AASA is at the forefront of change. Our more than 17,000 members serve in communities across the nation and in other parts of the world. They are heroes who sacrifice in so many ways to guarantee an even better life for future generations. AASA exists to lead and to encourage and sustain these champions, who each day give selflessly to ensure an even better tomorrow for people everywhere.

Please review this annual report, which highlights hundreds of ways AASA has served education during 1994.

Paul D. Houston

Executive Director

Professional and Organizational Development

The National Academy for School Executives (NASE) was created by AASA in 1969 to meet the ongoing postgraduate professional development needs of practicing school leaders. In 1994, NASE programs and services served school leaders in all 50 states, Canadian provinces, and Argentina, Egypt, Hungary, Mexico, Micronesia, Pakistan, and several Caribbean nations.

During the year, 1,600 persons attended programs dealing with various issues, such as the challenges of leadership, systemic reform, quality management, consensus building, inclusion, technology, non-graded primary schools, alternative assessment, and site-based decision making. Others participated in NASE programs through on-site events scheduled directly with school districts and service agencies.

Many NASE programs are cosponsored by state associations, enabling participants to attend without high travel costs. In 1994, NASE workshops were cosponsored by Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Several specialized programs continued to expand during the year.

* The National Strategic Planning Center, a partnership between AASA and the Cambridge Group, offers a series of training programs and facilitation services. Through the network of 19 state and province partners, these programs are scheduled locally; regional networks provide additional support and learning opportunities.

* The AASA/NASSP Superintendent Leadership Development Program, launched in 1993, expanded its activities in Georgia, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Texas. The program begins with an assessment phase based on 11 dimensions of the superintendency. A personal growth plan based on the assessment guides future professional development activities. This program is delivered only through state and regional agencies or associations.

Total Quality Initiatives and Systemic Change

Total quality management continues to be a strong interest for many school leaders, and response to Total Quality Network (TQN) services remains very positive. Because full network service (which includes a starter package of books, a bimonthly newsletter, and periodic readings) may be more comprehensive than some administrators seek, we instituted a new option this year, the "newsletter only" service. Less of an investment of time and money, the Quality Network News, a newsletter published bimonthly, still enables administrators to keep up on what's happening in quality management in education.

Surveys and telephone calls gather feedback to better understand customer needs and how customers are using aspects of the service. From this feedback, we have (1) changed how we handle rosters; (2) reinforced our view that readings are meeting their needs; and (3) compared mailing options. We will continue to refine the service to help subscribers.

We are collecting "case studies," reflective stories from practitioners, to help others learn from their experiences. The first published case study will be shared with TQN subscribers early in 1995. Case studies may be collected and available for sale later.

Another service available to TQN subscribers is the Quality Cohort, a teleconferencing group that convenes monthly. This self-selected group of committed quality implementors finds the learning and support offered by colleagues of real value.

AASA contributes to the wider field of quality management and education as well. Staff (and sometimes TQN subscribers) explore collaborative possibilities with the American Society of Quality Control, Association for Quality and Participation, and others. We have a partnership agreement with PQ Systems Inc., whose training materials we use for our Train-the-Trainer workshops. We are advising on the next Governor's Conference on Quality and Education (to be hosted by New Mexico in April), as we have for previous Governor's Conferences. We also are advising (with many practitioners) the process of adapting the Malcolm Baldrige Award criteria for education.

AASA now sponsors the national survey on quality management in K-12 schools, the only annual survey of activity in quality management in education. Researchers Julie Horine and Andy Haley conducted this survey previously with ASQC.

The National Conference on Education

In 1994, when AASA's annual convention became The National Conference on Education, the downward attendance trend was reversed. At San Francisco's Moscone Convention Center, 10,801 members, partners, exhibitors, and news media representatives discussed the transformation of public schools, met old friends, and examined the latest education products.

Conference attendees gave rave reviews to general session speakers: U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley, cultural anthropologist Jennifer James, poet Maya Angelou, Barry Lynn of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and Robert Simonds of Citizens for Excellence in Education.

State association breakfasts and receptions, the Federal Relations luncheon, and the Women and Minority Affairs breakfast attracted hundreds. Several thousand attended Mark Russell's concert on Saturday night, then capped off the evening with coffee and desserts sponsored by National Computer Systems. The typical attendee browsed in the exhibit hall aisles six times during the conference.

More than 200 educational programs, including the Conference Within-a-Conference for professors and practitioners, focused on eight areas of concern to school leaders:

* Curriculum and instruction,

* Managing schools and developing people,

* Systemic change,

* Advocacy and policy shaping,

* Governance and finance,

* School-community relations,

* Societal issues, and

* Shaping the next century's schools.

For the fifth year, AASA incorporated a special one-day program of presentations of juried papers. The focus of this year's Conference-Within-a Conference was on collaborative field-university, school-related research with direct implications for administrative practice.

Eighty proposals were submitted for review, and 57 were accepted for presentation on such subjects as the superintendency in transition, school board evaluation, implementing policy based on research, and total quality management.

Instructional Leadership

AASA's concern for leadership tasks that connect to learning and instruction took a new form this year: a new video, "Schools That Make Sense." The video challenges the ways people look at and understand schools, and offers a different way of planning for reform. The tape draws parallels between quality management and constructivist approaches to learning.

The videotape and accompanying resource materials address the fundamental question "Why?" (the assumed theory underlying what teachers, administrators, an parents do), before suggesting a new strategy for determining what to d and how to do it.

"Schools That Make Sense" suggests that to make sense of schools today, we must look through a different framework or paradigm. The public and educators firs must understand schools as sense-making organizations.

The National Curriculum Audit Center

The National Curriculum Audit Center (NCAC), begun in 1988 at AASA, offers the most rigorous examination available of the management system of a school or school district.

The curriculum management audit was developed from the financial audit model by Fenwick W. English. The process has been applied in nearly 100 school districts over the past 15 years in 26 states, the District of Columbia, and foreign countries.

The audit's five standards represent the sound management practices of any complex organization. The consistency with which the audit has been applied is assured through certification training. The NCAC trains hundreds of potential auditors each year.

During 1995, seven five-day certification programs are scheduled. Customized training around the five standards is also provided for state associations, districts, and other entities. Several customized training programs also are scheduled.

A number of related programs have been added to NCAC's offerings. These programs address aspects of the audit: policy development, superintendent/board relations, organizational structure, curriculum guide development, teacher motivation, best practices in curriculum design and delivery, authentic assessment strategies, and performance-based budgeting.

The National Curriculum Audit Center now employs three full-time staff members and anticipates annual gross revenue of nearly $800,000.

Lead auditors of the NCAC have authored a new book, he Curriculum Managementm Audit: Improving School Quality, which is used a the new textbook for certification training.

National and international presentations about the curriculum management audit are made at conferences throughout the year. Each year, the National Conference on Education includes a panel of superintendents whose districts have undergone audits. School districts that apply the recommendations of curriculum management audits gain improved curriculum and instructional practices, increased student achievement, greater productivity with fewer resources, equitable opportunities for all students, and support for bond referenda.

Communications

AASA always has placed high priority on effective communication. Highlights of AASA's communications program during 1994 included:

Introducing AASA's new executive director, Paul Houston, to the nation through development of focus points, articles, news conferences, and interviews with national media such as USA Today. This outreach included a 17-city media tour that produced newspaper, television, and radio coverage from coast to coast;

* Placing the spotlight on major directions of the association, including improving the condition of children, preparing schools for the 21st century, and improving school leadership;

* Releasing results of an AASA public opinion survey revealing that the closer people are to their schools, the better they feel about them. The study made national and international news;

* Producing outstanding publications, including How Our Investment in Education Pays Off, Getting Parents Involved in Their Children's Education, Outcome-Based Education...Issues and Answers, Alternatives to Tracking and Ability Grouping, Transforming America's Schools, Site-Based Management and Decision-Making, Improving School Culture and Climate, Quality Goes To School, and Local School Councils... Where We Stand;

* Working with the executive committees of AASA and the National School Boards Association to produce a joint publication, Roles and Relationships...School Boards and Superintendents.

* Completing a videotaped sequel to AASA's popular publication, 101 Ways Parents Can Help Students Achieve, and updating the AASA Education Facts Slide Set;

* Producing The School Administrator magazine, which again won major education publishing awards, and the association's biweekly newspaper, Leadership News;

* Serving as a primary source of information and counsel for international, national, regional, and local news media;

* Holding news conferences with U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley and National Superintendent of the Year finalists, and on issues such as outcome-based education and results of AASA's annual opinion poll;

* Providing leadership for the National Superintendent of the Year program;

* Working with the 250-member Coalition for America's Children, championing children's issues and completing a survey on the impact of a sometimes violent society on schools;

* Initiating a trilateral meeting involving educators and other leaders from Canada, Mexico, and the United States to explore the educational implications of NAFTA; beginning work on an AASA publication, Comparative Education...A New Look at the World's Education Systems; and serving on the board of the U.S. Coalition for Education for All, a follow up to the World Conference on Education;

* Completing the annual Status and Opinion Survey and Issues/Topics Survey, which provide guidance for developing products and services to meet member needs;

* Completing an "Allegiance Study," as part of market research designed to help the association target information to those who join AASA for various reasons.

* Developing marketing plans for AASA programs and activities including membership, professional development programs, conferences, and publications;

* Working with the Communications Executives Group, made up of representatives from major education associations, to share information, plan joint projects, and provide counsel for worthwhile endeavors;

* Serving on the Broadcast Group, an influential group of national education communication leaders, who provide counsel to cable and broadcast media;

* Preparing the daily newspaper and hosting press facilities at the National Conference on Education and the We Care Conference;

* Producing substantial revenue for AASA through the sale of publications and advertising.

* Providing communications and marketing counsel for the organization.

During 1995, AASA Communications will:

* Expand leadership for membership, the annual conference, professional development, and other income-producing areas;

* Produce publications such as Preparing Students for the 21st Century; How Students Have Changed; Developing, Implementing, and Communicating a Vision for Schools; Effective Instructional Management; Curriculum Management; an updated version of Religion in the Public Schools; Violent World...safe Schools; Comparative Education; Conflict Resolution; Improving Student Study Skills; Twenty Things Students Should Know to Compete in the World Marketplace; Performance-Centered Education; and Using Technology to Improve Student Learning.

* Release results of an AASA study related to Preparing Students for the 21st Century.

* Continue AASA efforts to improve conditions facing children and youth through a children's crusade, the enhancement of school leadership, and preparing schools for the 21st century.

External Relations

In 1994, AASA's Office of External Relations completed the following projects and activities:

* planned and conducted five major conferences;

* represented AASA legislatively on Capitol Hill;

* represented school administrators in five major education coalitions;

* published a bimonthly newsletter on federal legislation;

* oversaw the production of a video workshop, "Sexual Harassment: The Complete Administrators Guide," and the book, Transforming America's Schools;

* provided staff support for five standing AASA committees and the American Association of Educational Service Agencies; and

* maintained relations with administrators nationwide by speaking at 33 state and regional meetings.

The major policy thrust of the Office of External Relations concerned the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which contains nearly all the federal education programs. AASA staff argued for clear goals, increased flexibility, focus on results, and a new emphasis on staff development as the key to continual improvement. In ESEA, our staff joined the Clinton administration, the Council of Great City Schools, National Education Association, the American Federation of Teachers, and the National Schools Board Association in winning improved targeting of funds, greater flexibility, new programs in technology, and funds for renovation and repair of school facilities. AASA also won major victories in (1) shifting liability for judgments on school prayer away from administrators to the courts; (2) forcing the federal government to withdraw a new unfunded mandate in vocational education; and (3) improving the ability to discipline students served by the Individuals with Disabilities E ducation Act who bring guns to school.

AASA's legislative trademark was once again the most active and informed legislative network of any education group, the all- volunteer Legislative Corps. The best example of that effectiveness cam in the reauthorization of ESEA when congressional staff members credited AASA members participating n the We Care conference with saving the bill.

AASA kept its emphasis on helping school administrators to combat dishonest or unfair criticism of public schools by producing a new book, Transforming America's Schools, by Gerald Bracey, known for his annual "Bracey Reports" in Kappan. The book provides a hard-hitting analysis of the condition of education that arms administrators to discuss he real problems of public education.

The third thrust of External of Relations was to begin a long-term effort to improve rural schools. AASA became active in Organizations Concerned About Rural Education and began studies of how to improve services and information for rural administrators.

External Relations conducted these meetings: the We Care Legislative Conference, the Women Administrators Conference, the mall Schools Conference, the AAESA fall seminar, and a pre-conference seminar at the National Conference on Education.

Minority and Women's Affairs

The Office of Minority and Women's Affairs responds to AASA's desire to be more responsive to the needs and interests of its diverse membership.

A major project of the office during 1994 was the publication of the fifth report on Women and Racial Minority Representation in School Administration. Through this book, AASA continues its commitment and efforts to track the representation of women and racial minorities in school administration, particularly as superintendents, deputy and assistant superintendents, and principals, and to raise the level of awareness of the need for greater representation. Survey results fill a need for information that is sought by various education groups, scholars, individual school administrators, and others.

In spring 1994, the office hosted the 1994 AASA Scholar-in-Residence, Barbara Jackson, a professor at Fordham University. She conducted a research study on African-American women public school superintendents. The complete report on research done during her six-month residency and subsequent follow-up is being finished.

The office continues to identify women and minorities for appointment to AASA advisory committees and task forces, as program presenters at educational conferences, for top administrative positions in school districts, and for faculty positions at colleges and universities.

Grants, Contracts, and Awards

AASA's Office of Grants, Contracts, and Awards manages the various programs funded by external sources.

In the awards area, the year's highlights included these events:

* The Teachers Insurance Annuity Association became cosponsor of the AASA Leadership for Learning Awards. As a result, awards were given to leaders in three categories--rural, suburban, and urban. AASA recognized individuals for their significant contributions to improve student academic achievements. Honored at the 1994 National Conference on Education were: Cheryl Morris Brothers, superintendent of Happy Valley Elementary School District, Santa Cruz, Calif. (rural); Gerald E. George, superintendent of Glendale Union High School District, Glendale, Ariz. (urban); and George A. Goldstein, superintendent of Sewanhaka Central High School District, Elmont, N.Y. (suburban).

* The seventh annual National Superintendent of the Year Program, cosponsored by The ServiceMaster Company, honored Kenneth L. Moffett, superintendent of Lennox School District, bordering Los Angeles. Moffett presented a $10,000 scholarship to a senior at Sedro Woolley High School in Sedro Woolley, Wash., the high school from which Moffett graduated.

* Representatives of the 1994 State Superintendents of the Year and AASA program managers attended a meeting sponsored by The Hands Across The Border in San Carlos, Mexico, and presented a program on NAFTA.

* The American Education Award was given to retiring AASA executive director Richard Miller.

* Lillian Barna, Paul Jung, Jim Moran, Richard Rossmiller, Kelly Schlapkohl, Walter Talbot, and E.L. Whigham received AASA's Distinguished Service Award.

* An annual teacher recognition program sponsored by Sallie Mae changed its name in 1994 to the Sallie Mae First Class Teacher Awards. The program, administered by AASA, recognizes the nation's most outstanding new teachers as nominated by their district superintendents. The name changed from "First-Year" to "First Class" teachers. The program now honors one teacher per state through an expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. Each honoree receives $1,500, a $500 increase over previous years. The Teacher Tribute Award, also supported by Sallie Mae, allows outstanding first-year teachers to name the K-12 teacher who most influenced his or her decision to become a teacher.

The year's highlights in grants development included:

* Centers for Disease Control's Division of Adolescent and School Health signed a new cooperative agreement with AASA in 1994 for continuation of the AASA HIV/AIDS Comprehensive School Health Education initiative. CDC has provided more than $1 million over the first 6 1/2 years of the program, which offers training to administrators on HIV/AIDS curriculum development and health education implementation.

* W.K. Kellogg Foundation, providing $241,000; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Maternal and Child Health, providing $125,000; and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, providing $100,000, in support of the Options for Pre-Teens Program aimed at reducing teen-age pregnancy, avoidance of drug and alcohol use and other risky behaviors, and improving school performance.

* Discover Card Services Inc. funded a scholarship program for high school juniors based on the students' achievements in all aspects of their lives. In its third year, the Discover Card Tribute Award program received nearly 11,000 nominations from 50 states, the District of Columbia, and American schools abroad. This year's 398 recipients will be awarded more than $708,000 in scholarships to assist with their continuing education or training beyond high school. For 1994-95, Discover Card has increased the number of available scholarships to 477 and the value of state-level awards to more than $900,000.

Member Involvement

AASA members make key decisions and chart future directions in areas of greatest need to local school administrators through their service on advisory committees.

Three major areas of involvement are Small Schools, Suburban Schools, and Urban Schools. The role of the advisory committees in each of these areas is reflected in the summaries that follow. The activities of all other advisory committees are noted in the Committees section.

Small/Rural Schools

About 35 percent of AASA's members comes from small and rural school districts. This requires the association to give increased attention to the issues and concerns of rural education. Through its membership in other associations and collaboration and partnerships with other organizations concerned about rural education, AASA is able to expand and enhance its influence and efforts on behalf of administrators of small school districts.

AASA members and staff are represented on national committees formed to address issues relevant to rural and small schools. Members of the Small/Rural Schools Advisory Committee participated in a special conference on student records convened by the U.S. Department of Education. They lobbied members of Congress for passage of the Improving America's Schools Act, which calls for funding initiatives to support education in rural America. AASA will aggressively seek involvement in the proposed White House Conference on Rural Education.

The Small Schools Advisory Committee focused on three ongoing activities during 1994:

* Holding a successful summer conference July 10-14 in Washington, D.C. Speakers included the U.S. surgeon general and key staff of the U.S. Department of Education. The 1995 conference will be held July 9-12 in Lake Tahoe, Nev.

* Ensuring that the AASA National Conference on Education includes program sessions and activities to meet the needs of small school districts and help leaders from small and rural schools showcase successful school practices.

* Working with AASA outreach specialists and state networks to recruit and retain AASA members.

Willard Duke, superintendent of Banks School District 13, Banks, Ore., chairs the committee.

Suburban Schools

AASA works with suburban administrators to develop programs, products, and services that will serve their unique districts. Many concerns that have surfaced in urban areas are now appearing in suburban areas. The Suburban Schools Advisory Committee is addressing these issues in various ways.

The committee serves in an advisory capacity on concerns of suburban administrators. The committee convenes four times a year, twice in formal meetings and informally at The National Conference on Education and the annual Suburban Superintendents Conference.

At the fall meeting of the committee held at ServiceMaster corporate headquarters in Downers Grove, Ill., suburban administrators in the Chicago area met to share concerns related to their districts and to talk informally with the committee and with Paul Houston, AASA executive director.

The AASA Suburban Schools Advisory Committee, in conjunction with the Suburban Superintendents Conference Planning Committee, conducted a summer conference in San Diego, Calif., July 22-26. Speakers included David Pearce Snyder, Alan November, Michael Wartell, Paul Houston, Bruce Hunter, Peter Blauvelt, Maree Sneed, Michael Kirst, and Arnold Fege. The 1995 Suburban Superintendents Conference is scheduled for July 28-Aug. 1 in Williamsburg, Va.

Kent D. Matheson, superintendent of Flagstaff School District No. 1, Flagstaff, Ariz., chairs the committee.

Urban Schools

Urban administrators were heavily involved with AASA in 1994 in areas as diverse as staff development, total quality management, and legislation. Legislatively, urban administrators assisted AASA on Capitol Hill by giving testimony to House and Senate committees on education issues.

In staff development, AASA worked with the Urban Schools Advisory Committee to plan a special Future and America's Urban Schools symposium for urban administrators. The Futures series focuses on how broader social, economic, technological, and political issues are likely to affect schools.

AASA has worked with administrators throughout the country on staff development, particularly on developing standards for the superintendency.

AASA's executive director and senior associate executive director for external relations participated in meetings of the two organizations for urban superintendents, the Large City School Superintendents and the Urban School Superintendents of America. AASA is working to have the executive committees of those two groups become policy advisory committees. AASA also worked with other urban administrator to support the legislative initiatives of the Community Training and Ass stance Center, a network of urban school districts working on a common school improvement agenda.

As AASA makes pans for the children's crusade, it will work with urban administrators to improve the condition of children through legislation and increased public awareness of the plight of vulnerable children.

The Urban School Advisory Committee provided ad ice and support for positions on Title of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and other federal programs, including the new Eisenhower Staff Development Program.

The committee gave AASA a head start on the forthcoming reauthorization of the Individual with Disabilities Education Act by making recommendations to some of the most controversial aspects of special education, such as the over-enrollment of minority students, especially African-American males.

The committee also completed its sixth annual survey of urban superintendents' salaries and benefits. The survey has developed a considerable information base and has become a useful tool for many superintendents in developing contracts. The committee also worked with Government Accounting Office staff to ensure that the forthcoming national survey of school facilities will adequately assess urban schools.

Bertha Pendleton, superintendent of the San Diego Unified Schools, San Diego, Calif., chairs t e committee.

Committees

Executive Committee

AASA is governed by an 11-member Executive Committee. Nine members are elected at-large and two are appointed to represent underrepresented groups.

During 1994, the Executive Committee took leadership in the "changing of the guard" as Paul Houston replaced Richard Miller as executive director.

Houston, who joined the AASA staff at the end of March, brought new direction to the association along with fundamental changes in meetings of the governing board and in AASA's internal organization.

Those new directions include a greater focus on children, leadership, and education for the 21st century. Executive Committee agendas, beginning in 1994, placed greater emphasis on discussions of significant and timely education and association issues and featured AASA "points of pride," in addition to regular information and action items.

Association President Roland Haun's theme for the year was "Dream the Impossible Dream for All of America's Children." Under his leadership, activities of the Executive Committee included:

* Discussing, adopting, and monitoring a $10.26 million budget for 1994-95;

* Adopting a new felonious assault policy covering AASA members who are victims of these attacks at their places of business;

* Opening discussion on an AASA position on school prayer.

* Exploring issues such as Goals 2000: The Educate America Act, violence and its effect on schools, how to provide better service to members who are professors, and the association's international outreach.

* Receiving reports on AASA points of pride such as: how the association influences decisions through governmental relations activities; development of a superintendent renewal program; plans for a crusade for children; greater inclusion of women and minorities in AASA activities; a 17-city print and broadcast media tour to bring greater visibility to AASA and its new executive director; efforts to reach common ground with opposition groups; a project devoted to preparing students for the 21st century; the role of the superintendency; educational implications of NAFTA; market research; a survey on school violence; the Issue/Topics and Status and Opinion surveys; a 1994 AASA public opinion poll on what citizens think of America's schools; and the AASA publication, How Our Investment in Education Pays Off.

* Approving a "Fellow of the Academy of Leadership" program to recognize "uncommon individual initiatives to improve personal and professional leadership capabilities."

* Approving a change in Delegate Assembly meetings to make them a greater forum for discussion and debate of cutting-edge issues.

* Changing the name of the Small Schools Committee to Small/Rural Schools Advisory Committee and approving a proposal to have the executive committees of the Large City School Superintendents and Urban Superintendents Association of America serve as the association's Urban Schools Advisory Committee.

* Reconsidering the overall AASA committee structure.

* Approving the 1994 AASA legislative agenda.

* Adopting policies covering business functions of the association.

* Developing and approving a new joint AASA/NSBA publication titled, Roles and Relationships...School Boards and Superintendents, and initiating other collaborative projects with the National School Boards Association that will address character education, privatization, superintendent recruitment, use of school time, and leadership roles.

* Representing AASA and its members at local, state, national, and international meetings of school leaders. During the fall, President Roland Haun and Executive Director Paul Houston led a study mission to Russia. Earlier, Past President Robert Fox and President Haun participated in a meeting of the British Society of Education Officers.

AASA Advisory Committees

Federal Policy and Legislation Committee

The Federal Policy and Legislation Committee focused on developing and refining recommendations for the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and for federal spending on education.

The January meeting, which precedes the congressional session, enables the committee to hear from members of Congress and congressional staff about issues likely to be considered in the coming session and develop positions regarding those issues. The committee usually is assisted in its considerations by member of the volunteer Legislative Corps who have considerable expertise and interest in various federal programs. The January meeting resulted in development of the 1994 AASA Legislative Agenda, which was endorsed by the Executive Committee and made part of AASA policy by the Resolutions Committee.

The spring committee meeting provides committee members an opportunity for mid-course correction and time to consider newly emerging issues. During its spring meeting, the committee worked with the Government Accounting Office to improve a national survey of school facilities and sharpened positions on issues concerning Title I (formerly Chapter 1) and maintaining funding for Chapter 2.

James G. Merritt, superintendent of Independent School District 88, New Ulm, Minn., chairs the committee.

Instructional Leadership and Technology Committee

The Instructional Leadership and Technology Committee provides AASA with a window on the systemic needs for technology in school districts. The committee has focused on organizational uses of information technology that can allow districts to:

* connect more sources and users so they have more comprehensive and current information and more detail;

* facilitate knowledge development and exchange so that experience transforms data into knowledge, then organizational wisdom;

* enable problem-focused networks that can shorten solution response time by linking those with relevant and current expertise.

* facilitate coordinated activity by providing a common base of data and knowledge that allows individuals to operate from a shared mental model.

In August 1994, the committee sponsored an invitational seminar at the Aspen Institute in Wye, Md., "Seeking New Connections: Learning, Technology, and Systemic Change."

Raymond J. Raudonis, superintendent of Pelham School Administrative Unit 28, Windham, N.H., chairs the committee.

Leadership Advisory Committee

The mission of the Leadership Advisory Committee is to anticipate critical leadership issues and recommend systematic and continuous quality programs, products, and services for aspiring and practicing educational leaders.

Members of the committee represent key AASA stakeholder groups: practicing administrators, state associations, service agencies, and higher education. This mix of perspectives makes the committee uniquely equipped to consider the issues of leadership preparation, the ongoing development of leaders and organizations, and the changing role of leadership.

In 1994, the committee had lively and intense discussions about the new role of school leaders, specifically the changing role of the superintendent. A concept paper from the committee to AASA stressed that a new design and strategy for leadership development is needed to prepare leaders for the emerging role.

The committee also devoted a full meeting to the development and design of a new AASA program, the Academy of Leadership, to be launched in 1995.

Bert A. Hagemann, superintendent of Brookfield School District 95, Brookfield, Ill., chairs the committee.

Membership and Services Committee

The Membership and Services Advisory Committee oversees special services to AASA members relating to insurance programs, retirement planning, financial planning, the AASA Legal Support Program, and travel programs. A pension portability plan is being developed in conjunction with the National School Boards Association and should be ready for marketing early in 1995.

The committee also advises AASA in membership recruitment and retention. The committee is looking at new categories for membership, including a business membership and an international membership.

Peggy Ondrovich, superintendent of LaPorte Community Schools Corp., LaPorte, Ind., chairs the committee.

Minority Affairs Committee

The Minority Affairs Advisory Committee works to enhance minority participation in AASA activities and promote and monitor sensitivity to minority issues in education.

Activities sponsored by the committee during 1994 included:

* hosting the Human Relations Breakfast at the annual We Care Conference;

* sponsoring the resume review sessions at the National Conference on Education;

* meeting with the Executive Committee to explore strategies for developing minority leadership as a resource for AASA; and

* identifying potential groups to develop collaborative initiatives, such as recruiting and retaining minority teachers and addressing the needs of at-risk students.

The committee works with AASA staff to gain access to established minority networks in an effort to determine how AASA can better serve the needs and interests of minority administrators.

Henry Williams, superintendent of Little Rock School District, Little Rock, Ark., chairs the committee.

Principals/Site Administrators Advisory Committee

The Principals/Site Administrators Advisory Committee represents nearly 1,200 principals and assistant principals who are AASA members.

Since its founding, the committee has worked to increase the visibility of principals as AASA members, helped develop programs to meet the needs of school principals and other administrators, and supported the upward movement of site administrators.

During 1994, the committee addressed these key issues: school facilities, education legislation, charter schools, violence, parental involvement, differentiated AASA dues, school climate and culture, preparing students for the 21st century, and accessing a knowledge-centered curriculum.

At each meeting the committee provided advice fort the association on topics such as publications and membership promotion.

The committee planned and conducted a program at the 1994 National Conference on Education, "Failing or Underachieving Schools..How to Make Them Successful."

Richard Warner, principal of Fargo South High School, Fargo, N.D., chairs the committee.

Committee on State-National Relations

During 1994, the Committee on State-National Relations has provided leadership on two initiatives that may bring significant change to AASA.

To move AASA into a visible leadership role in the national education policy debate, the committee developed a new format for AASA's annual meeting, the Delegate Assembly. Beginning with the 1995 National Conference on Education, the committee asked the Resolutions Committee to explore issues where AASA members have significant disagreement, instead of seeking consensus on key educational issues.

Three resolution were identified dealing with the property tax as the major source of education funding, the age of compulsory education, and elimination of the comprehensive high school. State associations were asked to take these three resolutions to their memberships for debate and discussion. A series of articles in Leadership News highlighted the issues for the general membership.

The Delegate Assembly will be held as a closing activity at the National Conference on Education. By provoking debate on significant issues, AASA hopes its members and the wider educational community will see the association as a leader in the national arena.

Another significant activity initiated by the committee is the expansion of legal support services to members. In the new program, school administrators who are members of both AASA and their state association will be eligible for significantly increased benefits for legal support. The program was unanimously approved by the executive directors of the state associations at their annual Running the Store meeting in December.

J. Roderick Rice, executive director of the Buckeye Association of School Administrators, chairs the committee.

Women Administrators Committee

The mission of the Women Administrators Advisory Committee is to lead and advise AASA in advancing the status, role, and opportunities for women in positions of leadership in public schools.

The committee adopted the following strategic priorities to guide its activities:

* develop strategies to increase the membership and representation of women leaders within AASA;

* provide opportunities for the professional growth and development of aspiring and experienced leader-practitioners; and

* make regular and systematic recommendations to the Executive Committee of AASA relative to these roles and functions.

The committee sponsored the annual Women's National Leadership and Education Conference in November. The event was developed around the theme "Practicing the Art of Renewal." Attendees participated in workshops on how new technologies will impact education, building high-performance teams, working toward career goals, ways to generate energy and restore balance in one's life, and how other successful female educators have built satisfying and successful careers.

The committee is considering development of case studies to help aspiring superintendents, along with a formal mentoring program to help advance the roles and status of women educators.

Nancy S. Sullivan, an associate professor at Rhode Island College, Providence, R.I., chairs the committee.

Miscellaneous Committees

The association has a number of other committees. These include:

Award Selection Committees

* AASA Educational Administration Scholarship Awards Selection Committee

* Distinguished Service Awards Screening Committee

* Exhibition of School Architecture Jury

* Leadership for Learning Screening Committee

Joint Committees

* AASA Exhibitors Advisory Committee

* Joint AASA/National School Boards Association Committee

Governing Board

* Foundation Fund Board of Trustees

Standing Committees

* Advisory Council

* Audit Committee

* Board of Tellers

* Resolutions Committee

Coalitions and Partnerships

AASA constantly forms partnerships and coalitions to help strengthen the association's voice, marshal resources and support for better education, and make even more efficient use of our resources.

AASA is a founding member of some of the most respected coalitions in education, such as the Forum of Educational Organization Leaders and the Educational Leaders Consortium. The 11-member forum and 24-member consortium bring together the top executives and elected leaders of the nation's most influential education organizations to share ideas, develop common positions, and take concerted action.

During 1994, the 250-member Coalition for America's Children, which AASA helped to found, focused on a host of issues affecting children and youth. The education members of the coalition produced a survey addressing the effect of violence on schools. Another Coalition on Violence placed AASA in the company of ABC and Fox Television plus numerous education, child and family, and law enforcement organizations to promote a TV program, "Let's Stop Kids Killing Kids," and to begin a dialogue on television violence. AASA also participated in a coalition supporting implementation of the Children's Television Act.

The association is a leader in groups such as the Coalition for Public Education, the Committee for Education Funding, National Forum on Assessment, Coalition for Public Education and Religious Liberty, and the National Health Care Forum.

AASA enjoys ongoing partnerships with the Canadian Association of School Administrators and the British Society of Education Officers. Business partnerships include cosponsorship of the National superintendent of the Year program with The ServiceMaster Company, a Discover Card scholarship program, and the Sallie Mae First Class Teacher Awards program.

Some coalitions and partnerships are highly organized and some are loose-knit, but all bring AASA together with hundreds of people and organizations whose expertise and connections are needed to support children and their education.

Foundation Fund

The mission of AASA's Foundation Fund is to examine the future of public education and the needs of school system leaders, support activities to meet these needs, and build an endowment. Activities are underwritten through resources from corporations and a $2 allocation from dues of active members. An additional $2 of dues and any member bequests are added to AASA's endowment fund.

Foundation Fund efforts in the past year included:

* sponsoring William H. Kolberg, president of the National Alliance of Business, as the Paul B. Salmon Memorial Lecturer at the National Conference on Education; and

* implementing the first Future and America's Urban Schools symposium underwritten by Allstate Insurance Co. The symposium drew superintendents from diverse urban settings in 19 states. Through presentations from futurists and discussions in various disciplines, participants examined future trends and issues outside the world of education and explored their impact for the future of their school systems and roles as system leaders.

Delegate Assembly

AASA's 1994 Delegate Assembly at the National Conference on Education adopted three new resolutions, amended the platform of belief statements, and approved a $9 dues increase for active members.

In new resolutions, the delegates:

* asked state associations to devise ways to encourage multi-year contracts for superintendents and AASA to define the roles and qualifications of superintendents and board of education members and find new resources to support continuous development of school leaders;

* asked AASA to encourage full-service delivery programs to address the needs of all children, including school safety concerns; and

* urged the federal government to make education funding a priority, commensurate with the national goals.

The platform changes were designed to "weed out" extraneous language and give the platform a sharper focus.

The Delegate Assembly also approved outgoing Executive Director Richard Miller's annual report and the audit committee report.

Budget & Finance

Budget & Finance
AASA Statement of Revenue and Expenses
(for year ending September 30, 1994)
Total Revenue of $11,295,987 consisted
of revenue from the following
categories:
                                        Percent
National Conference        $ 3,016,320    26
Membership Dues              2,801,300    25
Field Services & Seminars    2,660,745    24
Grants & Contracts           1,896,585    17
Other                          921,037     8
TOTAL                      $11,295,987   100
Total Expenses of $11,949,994 consisted
of expenses from the following
categories:
                                      Percent
Management Services      $ 4,448,220    37
Professional Excellence    3,307,579    28
Grants                     1,766,918    15
Communications             1,993,951    16
Governance                   433,326     4
TOTAL                    $11,949,994   100
Excess Expenses Over Revenue       $654,007
Foundation Fund Revenue (Expense)
   Contributions and interest       $95,415
   Expense; maintenance, fund-
    raising, administration           9,785
TOTAL                               $85,630
TOTAL EXCESS OPERATING
EXPENSES OVER REVENUE              $568,337
The audited financial statements can be
obtained by written request sent to AASA,
1801 North Moore St., Arlington, VA
22209-9988; Attn: Ray McDonald

Membership

During 1994, AASA worked hard to maintain membership in a flat economy. Total membership at the end of the fiscal year was 16,289. During the year, 1,369 people joined AASA, an increase over the previous year.

During the year, a more personalized marketing strategy was begun. AASA employed two retired AASA members as outreach specialists to work on behalf of AASA, promoting AASA membership and participation in AASA conferences, seminars, and institutes. The number of outreach specialists will be increased to four in the next year.

During this year, AASA's new executive director has addressed many administrator groups across the country. This major presence of AASA in the field has begun to show results. Another new initiative was a personal message from the current AASA president, in the form of a postcard, inviting non-member superintendents to become AASA members.

AASA continues to target superintendents, central-office personnel, women administrators, and customers of AASA special promotions who are not members with special promotions. Before 1994, a complimentary trial membership was extended to every non-member who attended a NASE seminar or institute. In 1994, we offered this trial membership only to those people who requested it.

Membership Categories
                           1994        1993
Regular                  12,475      12,783
Student                     245         245
Retired                     808         870
Life                        299         303
Emeritus                  1,419       1,409
School Board Services *     439(65)     576(54)
College Professors          289         294
Others **                   315         894
Total                    16,289      17,372
(*)Individuals (and boards)
(**)Trial members
1994
Regular                12,475
Student                   245
Retired                   808
Life                      299
Emeritus                1,419
School Board Services     439
College Professors        289
Others                    315
Note: Table made from bar graph.
Chief Administrators  46.07%
Directors              9.83%
Assistants             8.48%
School Level           6.66%
State Level            0.59%
College Level          3.82%
School Board Service   2.69%
Institutional          2.03%
Service Agencies       1.26%
Dept. of Education      .09%
Other                 18.08%
Note: Table made from pie chart.
1994 Membership Composition
                              Percent *
District Level:
Chief Administrators            46.07
Directors, Central Office        9.83
Assistants                       8.48
School Level:                    6.66
State Level:                     0.59
College Level:                   3.82
Miscellaneous Categories:
School Board Service             2.69
Institutional                    2.03
Association, Educational
 Service Agencies                1.26
U.S. Department of Education     0.09
Other **                        18.08
(*)Total does not equal 100
percent because of rounding.
(**)Includes retired, emeritus,
consultants, and business firms.

Officers

The American Association of School Administrators, founded in 1865, is the professional organization for more than 17,000 educational leaders across North America and in other countries.

The organization, with a staff of 68, is one of elementary and secondary education's longstanding professional organizations.

AASA officers, including the president, president-elect, and immediate past president, serve one-year terms. The president-elect automatically ascends to the presidency. The eight members of the Executive Committee assume their posts on March 15. Two members are elected each year. The AASA president annually appoints one member to represent an underrepresented group on the Executive Committee.