Colorado school librarians are in the midst of a crisis. According to a 2009-2010 survey of public schools in Colorado, just 23% of elementary schools have an endorsed librarian, while 37% of middle schools and 32% of high schools report having an endorsed librarian. This report also shows how these percentages have dropped in just a two-year…

The United States of America is a large and diverse country; nevertheless, high schools have a lot in common across the nation. In particular, mathematics teaching in American high schools, while not stereotyped, has some accepted norms which would be seen as unusual here in Australia. In order for the Australians to learn from the Americans, as…

Testing students once a year, with data reported many months later, is like using an autopsy to determine how to help a patient, says Cindy Ambrose, chief academic officer of the Horry County Schools in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. In Horry County and many other districts around the country, assessment that monitors vital signs on an ongoing…

In New Mexico, 18 out of 89 school districts are on the four-day school week. So are many rural Colorado, Oregon, and Colorado schools. Implemented as a fiscal last resort, this schedule has had unexpected educational benefits for districts. Attendance has improved and student achievement on standardized tests remains stable. (MLH)

In fall 1993, a Colorado high school scrapped its traditional semester calendar for a trimester schedule. The school year now has 3 12-week grading periods corresponding to the seasons; the school day has 5 class periods of 70 minutes each. The result: fewer and longer classes, impressively reduced class sizes, more flexibility, and improved…

Describes strategies used by one middle school to successfully challenge gifted students in the context of the regular classroom, satisfy their parents, and preserve the best of the middle school concept for all students. Strategies include block scheduling, regular schoolwide recognition programs, a school climate characterized by academic rigor…

This article describes efforts in Colorado to develop collaborative relationships among educators to better meet needs of students with disabilities. The article stresses the importance of developing common understanding, developing a full array of services within the delivery system, and addressing school scheduling issues. (JDD)

In this age of overwhelming information, a good school library program is more important than ever. Students must be taught how to evaluate the information they find on the Internet. Collaboration between teachers and teacher-librarians is the key, and studies prove that this collaboration improves student test scores. However, the principal's…

The latest available statistics for 1958-59 indicate there were 8,084 small schools and that they had enrolled in them 1,650,000 pupils. It is a matter of conjecture how much these figures will be reduced in the next 10 years, but there is considerable doubt that the reduction will be a truly significant one. In any event the current figures are…