This paper suggests that the idea of "taking stock" of the current program--reflecting on what educators believe to be best practice--and then "charting a course" of action to better align practice with vision is a deliberate way for teachers to build capacity to enact reform. It begins by providing a brief overview of the changing direction of…

An elementary school administrator designed and implemented a 12-week summer program for school-age children that provided educational, recreational, and cultural opportunities. Each week of activities centered on a specific theme. Recreational opportunities included sports activities, outdoor games, organized indoor games, free play, swimming,…

The Scholars-in-the-Schools program (SIS), previously known as Humanities-in-the-Schools (HIS), is designed to improve humanities education by placing humanities scholars in residence at a middle school or high school. The scholar works with teachers and students as a resource person in a variety of ways: as a curriculum consultant; lecturer;…

This feasibility study was conducted to determine the appropriateness and viability of developing a video-based training program to assist music educators in mainstreaming students with disabilities into general music classes. Following an introduction, the report is organized into five chapters: (1) Mainstreaming and Music Education, which…

The recent demand for schools to respond to external accountability measures challenges school leaders to create school instructional systems that use data to guide the practices of teaching and learning. This paper considers how local school leaders build data-driven instructional systems (DDIS) by developing new programs and using existing…

This document is a manual for training personnel working with programs in the New York State Mentoring Program (NYSMP), which promotes mentoring as a way of motivating children to stay in school and make successful transitions to adulthood. Section 1 treats the state program's operating structure, covering general broad objectives, a mentoring…

This practicum was designed to address declining parental participation in school functions and activities at a middle school, along with a low level of parental involvement or interest in their children's education. A year-long parental involvement program was developed that encouraged parents to: (1) interact with their children and their…

There are many compelling reasons for introducing foreign language study at the middle school level. Adolescents are initiating new and higher levels of cognitive processing, their curiosity is high, and they are concerned with intellectual, philosophical, biological, sociological, moral, and ethical issues. A survey of 82 middle school foreign…