Whereas the laissez-faire approach merely tells each teacher to do what he or she thinks best, the principal moving toward empowerment charges a group of teachers with devising the best decision for all. A Maryland elementary school used the Teacher Expectations and Student Achievement staff development plan as a big step toward preparing teachers…

Lawrence (Kansas) Public Schools has discovered that four components--clear expectations, focus on results, effective support systems, and good modeling--have substantially helped staff keep pace with constant societal and educational changes. The program's success may be attributed to six components: a professional development council,…

Educators at Fairfax County Public Schools (Virginia) built on a first- and second-grade curriculum integration project at Jefferson County Public Schools (Colorado) by implementing a kindergarten instructional program with three integrated strands: motor development/music, mathematics/science, and language arts. The program's success hinged on…

Shoreham-Wading (New York) River School Distict's long-term goal is to build awareness of human rights into teachers' and students' daily activities. Staff workshops and planned human rights activities help school community members explore preconceived beliefs and attitudes and develop personal power, group support, and critical awareness. An…

New roles for teachers in curriculum development conflict with traditional expectations. Constructing curriculum involves teachers' individual flexibility and collective uniformity. This article presents a curriculum-inquiry model that integrates elements of educational practice often dealt with in isolation (instruction, curriculum, assessment,…

The Jefferson County (Kentucky) Public Schools have a long-term plan for "inventing" schools that will offer excellent programs for students, induct new faculty members, and serve as "exemplars of practice." (Author/TE)