Teaching: the best job in the world. Yet, increasingly, it is considered one of the toughest professions. In recent years, practices have arisen and become widespread which overcomplicate teaching and increase teacher workload, while only having a marginal impact on pupil learning. "Simplicity Rules" explores how children learn and the…

Research is conclusive: response to intervention (RTI) is the best way to intervene when students struggle in school. Also known as a multitiered system of support (MTSS), the RTI process ensures every student receives the additional time and support needed for academic success. A companion to Best Practices at Tier 1, this guide provides…

In multigrade instruction, children of at least a 2-year grade span and diverse ability levels are grouped in a single classroom and share experiences involving intellectual, academic, and social skills. "The Multigrade Classroom" is a seven-book series that reviews current research on multigrade instruction, identifies key issues…

School districts annually receive between 100 and 200 requests from outside groups to distribute information, raise funds, and add new units of instruction. Administrators should document the situation in their own districts, examine the procedures currently in use to handle requests, and design new ones if necessary. Contains a sample policy,…

Addresses (1) shared understandings regarding the extent and pattern of increased reliance on part-time and adjunct faculty; (2) elements of quality undergraduate instruction affected; and (3) institutional advantages and disadvantages of such reliance. Suggests general guidelines for rectifying inappropriate reliance on part-time and adjunct…

Principles of establishing priorities are applied to the selection and scheduling of instructional priorities for beginning reading instruction, with emphasis on teaching phonological awareness and letter-sound knowledge through more efficient use of instructional time; teaching less, more thoroughly; and providing oppportunities for oral…

Describes varieties of scheduling, inadequacy of the short-period schedule, and the historical background of block scheduling. Discusses effective block scheduling at the middle-grades level and advantages of fan-block schedules. Outlines classroom strategies for use in blocks and a sample learning-cycle lesson for social studies. (SR)

Block scheduling and intensive or extended-time scheduling have been appearing in high schools across the United States. This guidebook is designed to help each school find the best route to achieve this organizational change. The book's premise is that structural change in schools is not sufficient to create meaningful educational improvement.…

This article explains how to use constant time delay to teach multiplication facts to students who have learning disabilities. Specific techniques for using time delay on an individual or small group basis are outlined, a sample student data sheet is presented, and the role of reinforcement is addressed. (Author/JDD)

Students' class participation can be increased by having each child display a response to each of the teacher's questions. Suggestions are given for evaluating and using pre-printed response cards and write-on response cards. Evidence for the effectiveness of response cards in increasing learning and on-task behavior is offered. (DB)

This handbook presents findings of a 2-year study that examined the role of the substitute teacher. Findings showed that the problems with substitute-teacher programs were a result of nonmanagement rather than mismanagement. The book offers recommendations for designing, implementing, and maintaining quality substitute-teacher programs. The first…

This paper considers reasons why distributed practice is relatively little used as a method for increasing long-term retention with special needs students and proposes an instructional strategy in which intervals between practice are scheduled according to a student's mastery of the material. (DB)

This handbook reviews findings from the research literature on effective schools to ascertain their relevance to Language Arts instruction, and to guide school administrators in their efforts to improve instruction for limited English speaking (LEP) students. The following chapters are included: (1) Introduction; (2) Principal as Instructional…

The University of Cincinnati (Ohio) teaching and learning center recently offered a day-long workshop on pedagogical productivity entitled "Teaching Well, Saving Time." One-sixth of the faculty applied; over 100 were turned away. This experience illustrates that faculty can and will contribute to increasing pedagogical productivity,…

Building and implementing a school master schedule is one of a school administrator's most crucial tasks. A master schedule can either create opportunity or hinder teaching students. This is particularly true in middle-level schools, many of which are using information about the learning characteristics of early adolescents to reexamine how…