The sheer volume of information available today is becoming overwhelming. Yet more information doesn't necessarily makes one smarter. The result is that people are attracted to what is flashy and instantly stimulating, and less and less inclined to pay attention to what is important. Educators are also experiencing the same distracting information…

This article tells the story of MetLife Foundation-NASSP Breakthrough Schools. The program's goals are to identify, recognize, and showcase the leadership and successful practices of middle level and high schools that serve large numbers of students living in poverty and that have high levels of student achievement or show evidence of dramatically…

Three foundational elements are key to improving student achievement: a coherent curriculum, intensive literacy practices, and well-structured lessons. There is stunning--in the author's view, indisputable--evidence for and agreement on the unrivaled power of sound curricula, authentic literacy, and effectively structured lessons. For schools to…

Since 2004, the staff of the Know Your Schools~for NY Kids project has been conducting studies to examine what marks the difference between high- and average-performing schools. No matter what the level of schooling, the two groups of schools differ in how they use evidence to make decisions. In general, high-performing schools' approaches to…

Many administrators are so overwhelmed by the basic responsibilities of their daily work that there seems to be little or no time left for providing quality leadership in instruction. Instead, schools employ department chairs, instructional specialists, and coordinators to provide instructional leadership. How can administrators find time in the…

Specialized instructional support personnel (SISP) are part of a multidisciplinary education team that provides a wide range of school-based prevention and intervention services to help students become effective learners and productive citizens. They work with teachers, principals, and parents to ensure that all students are successful in school.…

Changing the culture of a large, diverse high school from a place of teaching to a place of learning requires determination and the commitment of the entire school staff. Documented academic growth for all students and reduced achievement gaps over the last five years have demonstrated that Bloomfield (New Jersey) High School has made this…

The field of education is moving rapidly toward a standards-based approach to grading. School leaders have become increasingly aware of the tremendous variation that exists in grading practices, even among teachers of the same courses in the same department in the same school. Consequently, students' grades often have little relation to their…

Not long ago, Ontario's 900 high schools and their 600,000 students were in a rut. The province had experienced 101 years of tumult in education, including an entirely new program for high schools, rapid implementation of new curricula, a zero-tolerance approach to discipline, budget reductions, and much labor unrest. More importantly, the…

The 2012 MetLife Foundation-NASSP Breakthrough Schools are outstanding examples of how determined and focused leaders create and sustain school improvement. The schools are places of strategic decision making where dedicated adults demonstrate their conviction that every student can and will achieve. Each of the schools demonstrates the efficacy…

This article features Lafayette Academy Charter School in New Orleans, Louisiana, which was recognized by the state board of education as a "center of excellence" in 2010, and given an automatic renewal of its charter--the only school in the state to receive this honor. The school has demonstrated impressive progress: the 2007 test…

Family involvement is a key ingredient of improving underperforming schools, but families are often unaware of how to get involved. To engage families in schools, an urban school district offers Parent University to teach family members how to become leaders in schools and advocates for their children. Parent University is one of Boston Public…

The language that students and teachers use to describe what they like best about M. O. Ramay Junior High School is strikingly similar. Both groups talk at length about how they are treated with respect and given freedom. Teachers describe the freedom to teach and students describe the freedom to be an individual. Both groups quickly add that with…

How are administrators leveraging the expertise and passion in their buildings? How do they inspire enthusiasm in their teachers and improve student achievement? How do they act as an agent for change? Those are the tasks the authors are given as instructional coaches. In the beginning, they were unsure how to tackle those tasks--or even if it was…

One has heard it before: time is money, especially when it comes to adding time for instruction to the school day. When budgets are tight and relief is nowhere in sight, how can schools afford to implement a reform as costly as adding instructional time? It's a daunting task, yet current federal educational priorities tied to federal funding…