A "blueprint" is a guide designed to improve large-scale implementations of a specific systems or organizational approach, like School-Wide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBS). This blueprint is intended to make the conceptual theory, organizational models, and practices of SWPBS more accessible for those involved in enhancing how schools,…

Many educators agree that we already know how to foster student success, so what is keeping common sense from becoming common practice? The author provides step-by-step guidance for overcoming the barriers to adopting the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and achieving equity and excellence for all students. As an experienced teacher and…

This brief presents the assumptions underlying the approach taken by the International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution, Teachers College, Columbia University, in creating a nonviolent school. It also provides specific program components that schools can implement. The approach is based on the recognition that violence is a function…

This booklet, which is intended as a support to the delivery of professional development of Australian literacy educators on critical literacy, presents a seven-step systematic model of all contexts through which a text may be constructed and studied. The first two sections discuss the model's use as a comprehensive framework for future teaching,…

A study of five high-poverty districts making strides in improving student achievement revealed that these districts focused on systemwide strategies including new approaches to professional development; making decisions based on data, not instinct; and redefining leadership roles. (MLF)

Major points emphasized in this report include: (1) School improvement planning is not appropriately and effectively addressing barriers to learning; (2) Leaders for student/learning supports must mobilize and prepare student support personnel to become an integral and effective agent in school improvement planning and decision making; and (3) The…

This guidebook is intended to help state literacy leaders evaluate their states' progress in implementing five key strategies for establishing an integrated literacy system. Chapters are devoted to each of the following strategies: determine the dimensions of the literacy problem, set priorities and performance expectations, create quality…

This book outlines the principles of planning, implementing, and evaluating successful professional meetings and conferences in education. The following are among the topics discussed: (1) the knowledge base of effective meetings and conferences (nine principles held by effective meeting designers; characteristics of effective meetings and…

This book is a step-by-step guide for teachers interested in collaborating with their peers to promote their mutual professional development. The book integrates the principles of self-directed learning, cooperative learning, and critical reflection into a system in which teachers coach one another and collaborate in action research as the primary…

This document provides guidelines for designing mentoring programs to facilitate the professional development of adult basic education (ABE) and English-as-a-second-language (ESL) instructors. Chapter 1 discusses the rationale behind mentoring in ABE programs. Special attention is paid to the following topics: how mentoring fits with adult…

This document is a practical manual to assist community-based organizations and coalitions in using voluntary industry skill standards in programs preparing people for success in the workplace and further education. The following are among the topics covered in the manual's six sections: (1) developing and maintaining systems (things partners can…

This document presents materials to assist Utah school personnel who are initiating, implementing, or improving work-based learning opportunities for students. The document presents detailed guidelines for creating and maintaining work-based learning systems in schools and resource materials for improving existing work-based opportunities. Formal…

This guidebook is intended as a road map to the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Technical Education Act of 1998 (Perkins III) for career-technical education (CTE) practitioners and policymakers in Illinois. The following topics are among those covered: (1) framework for Perkins III (national educational reform, Illinois provisions for quality CTE,…