Many educational models emphasize that best instructional practices are effective when working collaboratively with stakeholders. Professional learning communities focus on learning, collaborative endeavors, and shared accountability. The purpose of this article is to introduce an effectual framework for developing school counselor instructional…

Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) have become increasingly popular in schools. PLCs are groups of teachers, administrators, parents, and students who collaborate to improve their practices and focus on results (DuFour, 2004). Grade-level and department teachers participate in regularly scheduled collaborative team meetings; however, many…

For more than 20 years, the efficacy of using the wraparound approach to support high-risk youth has been examined in educational and community settings. Few studies show the value of wraparound service from either a school- or community-based agency as a dropout prevention strategy. Findings from a federal research grant project suggest that many…

Teams can boost creativity, morale, and communication, but they can also unleash disharmony, create tension, and waste time. To maximize teaming benefits, administrators must share authority, cultivate teacher leadership, train all team members, use situational leadership, model effective team leader behaviors, provide incentives, support each…

A rural Georgia high school has established a framework of continuous improvement to help it become a learning organization. Teachers are involved at all organizational levels--from school management to instructional practices. Teams of teachers are testing new ideas and knowledge, using data and simple statistical tools to discover what works,…

St. Louis, Missouri's New City School begins each academic year by teaching multiple-intelligences theory to its students and by educating parents via portfolio nights. There is heavy emphasis on the personal intelligences, since the abilities to work with others and to capitalize on individual strengths are the keys to successful adulthood. (MLH)

The necessary conditions for successful shared decision making include school board and administrative affirmation, tolerance for diversity, teacher and administrator training, and collegial support. Involving teachers in decision making requires four implementation phases: readiness, experimentation, refinement through trial and error, and…

Using computers only for word processing, drill-and-practice, and computer literacy wastes expensive technology. After allocating funds for computers, the Shawnee Mission (Kansas) School District established a study team to investigate district computer use and develop an integrated system. Success depended on planning, commitment, training,…

The startup of 465 federal 21st Century Community Learning Center Programs has propelled the idea of school/community collaboration onto national and local agendas. Collaborative action teams in the Southwest have identified three factors that encourage collaboration: the organizing group's commitment and diversity, administrative and campus…