If you're at all skeptical that "formative assessment" is just another buzzword, then here's a book that will change the way you think about the role that formative assessment can play in transforming education into a more powerful and positive process. Renowned expert W. James Popham clarifies what formative assessment really is, why…

This issue of "Infobrief" concludes the exploration into the potential for high school reform in the United States. Earlier issues defined five components of an Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) proposal to effect reform: (1) multiple measures of assessment; (2) personalized learning strategies; (3) new models of…

In this era of accountability and high-stakes testing, school leaders must find more sophisticated ways to help all students succeed. But how can districts make adequate yearly progress without a coherent system for addressing state standards? In "From Standards to Success", education professor Mark R. O'Shea introduces the Standards Achievement…

An essential part of moving forward with the Understanding by Design[R] framework is to make sure its principles and strategies are reflected in all aspects of your school improvement efforts, including curriculum planning, leadership, teacher professional development, and action research. Here's a book designed to help you. From creating your…

While traditional ways of supervising and evaluating teachers focus on their inputs--their lesson plans and instruction--what really matters most are the outputs: how students perform. So here is a book that helps school leaders transform their supervisory systems into performance-based models that connects to student achievement and teacher…

This "Infobrief" explores the five key components of ASCD's High School Reform Proposal: (1) multiple measures of assessment; (2) personalized learning strategies; (3) flexible use of time and structure; (4) new professional development models for teachers and school leadership; and (5) business and community engagement. Each of these components…

Founded in 1943, the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) is an international, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that represents 160,000 educators from more than 135 countries and 66 affiliates. Its members span the entire profession of educators-superintendents, supervisors, principals, teachers, professors of…

While almost any educator would agree that students deserve access to equal educational opportunities, many schools still sort students based on test scores or other criteria. There's a better way: one built on offering all students access to the best curriculum. In this first-ever practical book that shows how educators can make detracking work,…

Any principal starting at a new school or taking a leadership position for the first time needs this book to help focus on the issues that are most critical to success. Drawing from research data and advice from experienced principals, the authors reveal secrets that can make or break a new school leader's career: (1) Three stages of becoming…