Although much has been written about preparing community college leaders, little is known about how presidents believe they might have better prepared for the role. Using presidential narratives from a national study, this article describes how presidents perceive gaps in prior preparation and offers recommendations to support the professional…

The current focus on school leader preparation reflects the importance societies around the world are placing upon the goal of improving their educational systems. The investment of substantial new resources into leadership preparation and development activities is based upon "the belief that school leaders make a difference" in both the…

This document was developed to provide action steps that can be taken by teachers, parents, administrators, and students themselves to develop the personal, cognitive, and social dimensions of students. These advocates are identified in "The Holistic Learner Framework: A Culturally Responsive Approach to Accelerating the Achievement of Low…

Essential to the definition of an effective school is an operational definition of minimum academic mastery as the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and concepts that enable the student to be demonstrably successful in the next grade level in the same school or in any other school in the United States. An effective schools program, such as the one…

Although the topic of effective schools is a popular one among today's educators, researchers, and publishers, there still is no commonly agreed upon definition of an effective school. One definition given by Ronald Edmonds and Lawrence Lezotte is notably precise, measurable, attainable, and easy to determine. They defined an effective school as…

This document is the first of a two-part series designed to help teachers, schools, and districts to implement standards-based instruction. Part 1, The Foundation for Improvement, explains why standards-based instruction improves teaching and learning. Part 2, First Steps to a Standards-Based Classroom, describes how to adapt the curriculum to…

Ribault (Florida) Senior High School has reported a dramatic increase in student achievement levels since implementing a comprehensive college preparation curriculum. Among the program changes that contributed to those gains are: (1) the establishment and consistent enforcement of a strong discipline program, including rules for student conduct, a…

During the 1982-83 school year the Spencerport (New York) Central School District began a comprehensive project to study the effective schools research and its implications at all levels of a suburban school system. A leadership planning team (consisting of teachers, principals, and district personnel) participated in a series of workshops and…

During the 1982-83 school year the Spencerport (New York) Central School District began a comprehensive project to study the effective schools research and its implications at all levels of a suburban school system. A leadership planning team (consisting of teachers, principals, and district personnel) participated in a series of workshops and…

The Paraeducator Portfolio Assessment process is a method for paraeducators to meet the Title I requirements of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001. The Portfolio Assessment allows paraeducators to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in reading, writing, mathematics, and their ability to assist with instruction in the same areas,…

This document is the third annual status report of the Spencerport (New York) More Effective Schools/Teaching Project. Section 1 describes nine documents developed during the project; identifies persons participating in the project; states the applicability of effective schools research to all levels of a suburban school system; and sets forth the…

This collection of 12 essays focuses on issues surrounding the assessment of competence in higher education, providing examples to illustrate the competence approach in practice in the United Kingdom. They include: (1) "The Assessment of Competence in Higher Education" (Anne Edwards and Peter Knight); (2) "National Vocational…

This document presents an overview of the design and implementation stages of the Spencerport (New York) More Effective Schools/Teaching Project. The first section lists nine reasons for the uniqueness of the Spencerport project, including district size, its racial and economic components, participant satisfaction, a set of clearly defined goals,…

This document includes a 3-page brochure describing the main report and the main report. The report explores competency-based models in postsecondary institutions and other learning environments. It is intended primarily as a guide for postsecondary educators who are interested in establishing such efforts at their institutions. The following…

This booklet contains information and resources to plan for reading and mathematics improvement goals for elementary, middle/junior high, and high schools in the Washington public schools according to the Academic Achievement and Accountability Commission and the results of the 2001 Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL). This booklet…