The K-8 Early Implementers Initiative has found that careful planning is critical. With thin planning, unexpected detours or dead ends are likely. However, with solid planning, districts are more likely to achieve their implementation goals and may discover some express lanes for their implementation journey. This evaluation report documents…

Classrooms across the country are discovering the power of service-learning--the ideal way to help students develop social and academic skills while giving back to their community. Now for the first time, there's a practical how-to guide on using serving-learning to promote inclusion and differentiate instruction for students with and without…

"The Complete Guide to Service Learning" is the go-to resource in the fast-growing field of service learning. It is an award-winning treasury of service activities, community service project ideas, quotes, reflections, and resources that can help teachers and youth workers engage young hearts and minds in reaching out and giving back. Author, and…

The contents of this "Tool Kit" have been developed as resources to support state efforts to develop and implement rigorous standards for student achievement. The components have been planned as tools for planning and evaluating the development and implementation of content and performance standards. The following components are included: (1)…

This inservice document provides information for educators responsible for designing a preliminary plan for completion of a self-study which leads to accreditation by the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges. Accreditation of public schools in Alaska is controlled locally and is voluntary. The first section of this manual briefly…

This handbook is intended as a resource for schools and districts interested in developing and implementing a standards-based assessment system. The chapters in the handbook introduce key steps in the assessment development process. Several types of on-demand and cumulative assessments are emphasized, including multiple-choice and written-response…

This planning guide begins with a working definition of "magnet school" and then gives short descriptions of six sample types of elementary level magnet programs: a fundamental or academic prep school, a Montessori school, a music academy, an earth science school or environmental center, a bilingual-multicultural magnet, and a fine arts academy.…

Special educators are urged to exercise caution in using the standards developed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics as comprehensive criteria for developing and selecting programs for learners at risk for school failure. The need to transpose the standards into valid, replicable, instructional programs is stressed. (Author/DB)

This monograph is designed assist to teacher preparation institutions that want to use standards of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) to help teachers prepare for their National Board Certification process and simultaneously improve their advanced programs for teachers. Part 1, "Rationale for Using NBPTS Standards as a…

This guide provides a road map for Connecticut school districts as they develop and implement a world languages program appropriate for the 21st century. It describes what students should know and be able to do at various grade levels and stages of language learning. The five chapters include the following: (1) "Introduction" (overview…

Next to hiring the president, a board's most important responsibility is maintaining the integrity and health of its institution's academic program. The complex division of labor that separates the lines of administrative and academic authority on most campuses means that many conscientious trustees find themselves in a quandary. If they exercise…

This guide is intended to help school districts and individual schools design and implement outcomes-based accountability systems that include students with disabilities. Part 1 provides an overview of issues that must be considered in developing such a system. Part 2 suggests implementation options and strategies and likely implications of these…

This booklet discusses the development of Professional Development Schools (PDSs), which are functioning public schools where school and university personnel collaborate to create exemplary learning environments capable of transforming both teacher preparation and pre-K-12 schooling. Benefits of PDSs include opportunities for school teachers and…

The standards described in this document cover the critical aspects of business teacher education at the collegiate level. The standards are organized into two parts. Part 1, which deals with basic programs ordinarily leading to initial teacher preparation and a baccalaureate degree, outlines standards pertaining to the following aspects of…

This book offers new practices for raising student achievement as it advocates for responsible changes in the policies, structures, and operations of schools, providing a perspective to help educators face the challenges of professional learning on a personal level. Its 11 sections focus on: (1) "Introduction: Essential Questions about…