When principals travel down the road of change, they often find potholes of resistance, many resulting from misconceptions about the process. In this article, the author debunks five myths about change: (1) Change is always the answer; (2) The destination is more important than the journey; (3) Change depends on the principal's leadership; (4)…

Describes a Pennsylvania elementary school's efforts to enhance school-community partnerships and thereby garner support for innovative programs such as whole language, cooperative learning, process writing, and authentic assessment. The keys to success were improved home-school communication and parent involvement. Parents were encouraged to…

To promote strong parent/teacher relationships, principals must articulate a vision and find ways to support it, use regulations and research to battle resistance, provide forums for parents, use parent volunteers in meaningful ways, build networks for parents and students, work with students, and express appreciation for partnership efforts. (MLH)

A key to the success of the Just Read and other effective reading programs is complete involvement of the entire school. School leaders must be committed to reading improvement, support teachers' efforts, and give them time to succeed. Overcoming parent and/or teacher resistance to involving reluctant readers is essential. (MLH)

Despite a tenfold increase in state spending on early childhood education over the past 20 years, half of U.S. children lack access to it. Georgia and New York have achieved near-universal prekindergarten. The Child Care Action Campaign, an advocacy group, has established 68 highly effective community partnerships. (MLH)

Graded school concept, born of administrative practicality and puritanical traditions, has promulgated its lockstep curriculum, its simplistic child development assumptions, and its sexist, isolationist teaching methods since the mid-1800s. Most natural learning environment calls for heterogeneous multiage groupings, within which other groupings…

The widely implemented "Success For All" program is designed to restructure elementary schools serving children at risk of failure. Primary goals are preventing remediation and empowering students. Principals must manage program resistance, create a supportive culture, demonstrate commitment to program structures, select appropriate…

Reaffirms elementary education's remarkable continuity over the years, in contrast to the changes undergone by secondary education. Promising trends in national standards, educational technology, interdisciplinary instruction, and charter schools will take years to affect teaching and learning. Parents' nostalgia and amnesia concerning schools of…

There are three effective strategies for allaying parents' trepidations about using technology in their children's classrooms. Principals should acknowledge and respect parents' apprehensions, recommit to educational goals shared by educators and parents, and focus on student achievement. Student exposure and protection must be balanced. (MLH)

Moving from a traditional to a balanced, year-round calendar is as much a philosophical as a schedule change. A balanced calendar, with a variety of intersession activities providing opportunities for advancement and enrichment, can help facilitate student learning and minimize time spent reviewing previously learned subject matter. (MLH)

To raise the learning bar for all students, schools must overcome some major obstacles, such as children's problems, schools' traditional grade structure, the "upholstery" curriculum, and ideology-driven educational strategies. Schools should reject top-down standards, craft diverse strategies for diverse students, create flexible learning time…

Describes a principal's frustrating, but ultimately successful 3-year effort to convert a Virginia elementary school to a year-round schedule. Now in its third year, the school boasts students with higher standardized test scores, better attendance, and fewer discipline referrals than their traditional-calendar counterparts. (MLH)