Today's educators are buried under old practices, new ideas, and recommended initiatives. The problem? With such an abundance of strategies, it's hard to recognize what, if anything, is working. Before you're tempted to add just one more idea to the pile, take a step back--and an objective look--so that you, central office leaders, building…

The primary goal of public education systems is to have students graduate from high school with a diploma prepared to enter college or the workforce. Meeting that goal for all students has long been a challenge for schools across the county. The graduation rate for all Maryland students was 87%, but for students with disabilities, the graduation…

Students enter postsecondary institutions to change their lives in some way, with degree pursuits providing opportunities to grow academically, socially, and professionally. However, significant numbers of students are unable to meet the goals they had set for themselves when they entered college. Developed by the What Works Clearinghouse™ (WWC)…

At its most effective, advising is a collaborative process between a student and an advisor designed to help the student realize their educational potential. Most postsecondary institutions have historically used advisors to help students select and register for courses, but postsecondary institutions are increasingly asking advisors to play an…

Community colleges serve more students than any other institutional type in the United States, and internationalization is an inherent component of community colleges that advances student knowledge, facilitates student success, and serves the needs of local communities. As most community college students do not enroll in four-year institutions,…

Programs that address the needs of low-income parents and children at the same time may hold promise for reducing the transmission of poverty across generations. Contemporary programs of this type address some key weaknesses that may have limited the effectiveness of earlier such approaches, including too little attention paid to the quality,…

The purpose of this study was to describe the characteristics of field experiences in traditional teacher preparation programs completed by first-year teachers in Missouri and how experiences vary by teaching certificate type. This descriptive study is based on data from a survey administered in early 2015 to first-year teachers in Missouri public…

Experts Bernhardt and Hébert's latest book demonstrates strategies to ensure your entire staff works together to design, implement, monitor, and evaluate a schoolwide prevention system with integrity and fidelity. Each step in this important resource is designed to help administrators, teachers, and other educators improve the learning of every…

The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) released joint guidance on January 7, 2015, reminding states, school districts, and schools of their obligations under federal law to ensure that English Learners (ELs) have equal access to a high-quality education and the opportunity to achieve…

The objective of this systematic review is to summarize the available evidence on the effects of prevention and intervention programs aimed at primary and secondary students for increasing school completion or reducing school dropout. Program effects on the closely related outcomes of school attendance (absences, truancy) will also be examined.…

This book fills a significant void in the research on ethnic minority cultural centers, offers the historic background to their establishment and development, considers the circumstances that led to their creation, examines the roles they play on campus, explores their impact on retention and campus climate, and provides guidelines for their…

Marzano (2003) identified 11 factors that positively influence student achievement. Those factors can be divided into three categories: school-level practices, teacher-level practices, and student-level characteristics. Interestingly, Marzano (2000) found that school- and teacher-level influences account for only 20% of the variance in student…

Educators at all school levels know that successful students--at all ability levels--have families who stay informed and involved in their children's education. Yet many middle level and high school teachers report that the only time they contact families is when students are in trouble. This disconnect between knowledge and behavior can be…

This school system cut its energy consumption by 40 percent by involving people throughout the school system in simple energy conservation measures suggested by an energy audit and undertaking structural improvement projects half-funded by federal grants. (DCS)

Evaluation of the school-based, collaborative inservice program implemented by 10 elementary schools in Jefferson County, Kentucky, indicates that ideal conditions are not essential to school improvement. Based on the effective schools research model, the project also provided evidence that local schools will adopt successful programs after pilot…