Calculus is one of the primary avenues for initial quantitative training of students in all science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields, but life science students have been found to underperform in the traditional calculus setting. As a result, and because of perceived lack of its contribution to the understanding of biology, calculus…

This Information Brief is designed to assist educators in working with parents and family members to facilitate students' career development through the use of individualized college and career planning tools. This brief discusses families' perceptions of whether and how they were engaged in schools' implementation of Individualized Learning Plans…

Fitness and Wellness Place (F&W) is a network of fitness and wellness clubs in Spain and Portugal created in 2009 as a result of a buy-out from a large British operator. In 2009, F&W was operating 15 clubs in Spain and Portugal and by the end of 2011, F&W ran 25 clubs. F&W's rapid growth in the period 2009-11 had become a matter of…

An assessment with the Environment Rating Scales (ERS) is designed to give early childhood administrators and teaching staff much more than a set of quality scores. Appropriately used, an ERS assessment can provide a blueprint for planning and carrying out both immediate and long-range program improvements. Unfortunately, programs often complete…

The idea of teacher leadership holds an immense and intuitive appeal. Most educators agree that teacher leaders are essential to fostering a climate of authentic and robust leadership and learning across a school. Teacher leadership is peer leading at its most authentic, demanding, and empowering. While the value of teacher leadership may be…

This article presents an interview with Wes Taylor, the 2011 MetLife/NASSP National High School Principal of the Year. In this interview, Taylor shares credit with the teachers and staff members at Lowndes High School in Valdosta, Georgia, for the school's systemic and long-lasting improvement in instruction and climate. He mentions that the…

College science education is at risk of becoming mired in the "reform culture" that has long been problematic in precollege science. A single universal solution to student underpreparedness and lack of sustained interest cannot be found, but a departmental level commitment to change and reallocation of resources is necessary to achieve program…

When reforming practices to help all students succeed, secondary school leaders face the unique challenge of aligning the efforts of educators from different disciplines. In addition, they know that few common measures capture student growth across these disciplines. If a school has a history of success, a deep examination of its practices may not…

Argues for the necessity of identifying and recruiting art education teachers who will empower their students. Stresses that persons of this sort will be teachers who know art not just artists who teach. Identifies systemic and personnel changes which are necessary for increased assimilation of the arts into schools. (KO)

For the past three years, the faculty and administrators of Diamond Fork Junior High School--a large junior high in Spanish Fork, Utah--have been on an amazing journey of examining the school's educational practices with the intent of improving learning opportunities for all its students. In March 2009, the administrators and the faculty…

Transition planning for young people with special educational needs is a crucial but often overlooked element of social inclusion. While there is now considerable official guidance on how to manage the school leaving process for young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, little is known about how to make effective transitions…

The Study of School Turnaround examines the improvement process in a purposive sample of 35 case study schools receiving federal funds through the School Improvement Grants (SIG) program over a three-year period (2010-11 to 2012-13 school years). This evaluation brief focuses on 11 of these SIG schools with high proportions of English Language…

Now that federal and state initiatives require school districts to provide job-embedded professional development, the next step is making it happen. This book helps districts define, develop, and implement a systematic inquiry-based process with a laser-like focus on both adult and student learning. This book's inquiry model challenges educators…

This report provides a plan that teachers and school supervisors can use to implement seven tips for improving instructional skills. Designed to be referred to regularly, it includes three levels of implementation, as well as recommendations for utilizing technology to support each tip. The seven recommendations include: (1) Use technology to help…

Literacy has become much more than just the ability to read: recent literature related to literacy instruction suggests that an essential goal is to develop in students the ability to think deeply about what they read and to express themselves accurately and expressively in all contexts. There is a growing acceptance of the importance of lifelong…