While school officials are grappling with how to bring students safely back to classrooms during a pandemic and provide them with a quality education, educators and the public are demanding that schools find remedies for systemic educational inequities. How can education leaders keep equity at the center of their own practice and in their…

Those closest to students have the greatest impact on their success. Given this belief, Louisiana has focused its efforts to support and empower principals in their role as school leaders. Successful principals reflect and plan, using data throughout the year to set goals and improve instruction. The Department helps principals develop their…

This document is designed as a self-assessment tool for districts to gauge their progress in implementing college- and career-readiness standards. This tool was primarily designed to help central office leaders and staff assess implementation at a systems level. Each section provides a core set of leading questions, along with descriptions of what…

The changing demands of the 21st century--and the students growing up in it--are generating fundamental challenges to historical assumptions about what education looks like. The challenge today is to provide a deeper level of personalized learning to each and every student so that all can achieve mastery of the Common Core standards and other…

This workbook guides a team in reviewing, revising, or replacing an existing professional learning system. The process outlined and the tools included support the team in conducting all aspects of its work, usually done over several months, with continuous progress monitoring and input from research, experts, and constituents. The workbook is…

Nationally, more than one million youth drop out of high school each year. One in four young people do not graduate with their age mates. Thus, in recent years, national leaders have directed sustained attention to what they term the "dropout crisis," particularly in high schools that are graduating less than two-thirds of their…

To stem the tide of students dropping out, many schools and districts are turning to early warning systems (EWS) that signal whether a student is at risk of not graduating from high school. While some research exists about establishing these systems, there is little information about the actual implementation strategies that are being used across…

An alternative to traditional teacher evaluation is offered through the development of an objectives-oriented growth plan for classroom teachers. Responsibility for establishing the growth plan is placed with the individual teacher, who is required to specify personal goals and objectives, and to design, carry out, and evaluate the program…

Professional traits include having goals; a desire for continuous learning; the ability to hire the right people; and attributes such as initiative, integrity, far-sightedness, and the ability to create quality products and services. Continuing professional development can be fostered through the American Camping Association Professional…

Explains a written form beginning teachers can use to record their competencies in nine areas: classroom climate, creative curricula, complimentary communication, planned progress, particular practices, productive performance, reflective teaching, reliable tools, and relevant training. (HOD)

A step-by-step program for developing a staff improvement program within a school is offered. Discussions concerning participant identification, task setting, decision making, policy formation, goal decisions, and evaluation are presented, and record-keeping instruments for similar inservice programs are suggested. (JD)

The School Improvement Specialist Project prepared seven modules. School improvement specialists, as defined by the Appalachia Educational Laboratory at Edvantia, are change agents who work with schools to help them improve in the following areas so as to increase student achievement. These modules are intended to provide training materials for…

This workbook provides a model for mental health professionals to use in developing and implementing a plan for their self-directed job-related learning and skill enhancement. The materials describe techniques for mastering a specific body of knowledge. Questionnaires are provided to help the user organize individual needs and goals; suggestions…

Intended for readers in the business world and in nonprofit and higher education settings, this guide offers a framework for informed mentoring practice. It combines discussion and exercises. Chapter 1 grounds the mentor's work in a learner-centered approach to mentoring and presents a mentoring paradigm consistent with andragogical principles and…

This guide to leadership for college department chairs addresses three major challenges: (1) developing understanding and clarity about the motives and role of a department chair; (2) understanding the strategic planning process for creating a productive department; and (3) developing key leadership skills required for effectiveness. The first…