The authors quantify and unpack the prevalence and effects of bullying on children and adolescents before prescribing provisos for schools to consider when planning preventive and responsive approaches to bullying.

Although professional development schools are vehicles for reform, getting them "online" can overshadow the spirit of collaborative egalitarianism essential for success. One solution is to involve teachers and professors in resolving an immediate professional problem associated with school improvement or teacher preparation. The decision…

Lead teachers, a "second-wave" reform concept aimed at professionalizing teaching and decentralizing educational decision-making, might overcome technical and political problems that merit pay, career ladders, and mentor teacher plans have failed to resolve. Lead teachers are motivated by intrinsic rewards and opportunities to exercise…

Discusses contents of new publication released by the International Technology Education Association: "Advancing Excellence in Technology Literacy: Student Assessment, Professional Development, and Program Standards," intended to provide the means for implementing technology standards published in 2000 ("Standards for Technology…

State-supported teacher networks like the California Subject Matter Projects and the Vermont Portfolio Networks can be a useful alternative to conventional inservice training programs. Networks are cost-effective and connect teachers with resources, provide ongoing support, and expand teachers' leadership opportunities. A mix of constructed and…

Summarizes the status of assessment reform, based on visits to 14 schools. Documents key characteristics of various performance assessments (portfolios, on-demand tasks, projects, exhibitions, and teachers' structured observations); determines which factors influence their development, implementation, and effectiveness; and analyzes interactions…

Implementation costs for comprehensive school change designs (like the New American Schools models) vary widely. This article discusses the rationale and cost of each design element: principals and vice principals, instruction facilitators, classroom teachers, education specialists, struggling student strategies, professional development, teacher…

When efforts to improve student learning fail, teachers often end up being blamed. Teachers were resistant to new ideas, say the leaders who were working with them. Rather than blame teachers and ask, "Why do teachers resist?" perhaps those who lead change should ask, "What can we do to makes it easier for teachers to implement new practices?" In…

Firm evidence shows that formative assessment is an essential ingredient of classroom work and that its development can raise achievement standards. Achieving this goal demands a four-point scheme for teacher development: learning from development, a slow, yet steady dissemination process, reduction of obstacles, and substantive research efforts.…

Describes and praises ways in which the Holmes Group report, committed to redesigning the education of teachers, goes beyond prior movements to reform teacher education. Urges the active cooperation of universities, granting agencies, politicians, faculties, teachers, and others in supporting and accomplishing the required changes. (IW)