While demands on academic leadership in higher education have been increasing, there has been a lack of empirical studies exploring the effectiveness and impacts of leadership development interventions. In addition, recent studies suggest a model of leadership development based on an international approach. Unfortunately, the evaluation of those…

School leadership is a critical factor in school improvement. The Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) and Region 4 Comprehensive Center (R4CC) have strengthened school leadership through implementation of the Delaware Leadership Network and the Delaware Principal Supervisor Leadership Program. These two major efforts, collaboratively designed…

In order to better serve our nation's youth, educational leadership preparation programs must be willing to transform current preparation practices. This paper emphasizes the need to develop high quality school leaders to successfully create and sustain necessary changes in schools. The dynamic transformation of a principal preparation program,…

This article details the findings from a qualitative study that explored the ways individuals who work with early childhood education (ECE) practitioners in professional development settings influenced those practitioners' understandings of early childhood policy and early childhood systems. Defined as individuals who work in the professional…

This report, based on a survey of a nationally representative sample of school districts in Common Core-adopting states, examines school districts' efforts to implement the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The report addresses district leaders' views on the rigor of the CCSS and their impact on learning and instruction, progress on and…

This evaluation study examined the effectiveness, efficiency, and impact of the statewide master plan for professional development (PD Master Plan) by investigating seven questions. With regard to effectiveness, (1) What was the level of implementation for the PD Master Plan, overall and by individual providers? (2) What were the impediments, if…

Since September 2002, business leaders and educators have been examining the differences in business and educational leadership in a professional development partnership, titled, The Academy for Leadership in Education (ALE). This organization was created as a program to encourage the study of leadership and develop the capacity for mentoring new…

People faced with collaboration challenges are often reluctant to be honest about problems because in many schools collaboration is a norm. But whereas most special educators are intuitively skilled at working with others, "problematic professional encounters are inevitable barriers that will appear occasionally in the life of every special…

Paradoxically, educators can be quite successful at building the necessary community coalitions around their restructuring efforts and yet experience isolation from their peers who are also engaged in restructuring work. This publication describes outcomes of a program that linked schools working to implement the Nine Common Principles of the…

The collaborative schools networks are an important means for modernizing education in the Netherlands. The freedom of organization allowed by the Dutch educational system results in schools having more responsibility for their own financial affairs, task differentiation for staff, and curriculum organization and structure. Nearly 70 percent of…

Teacher collaboration is characterized by joint work; shared responsibilities; and the existence of high levels of trust, respect, and mutuality. This paper presents findings of a study that identified some of the forms and contents of self-initiated collaboration among high school teachers. Data were gathered through interviews with 10 teachers…

Describes a collaborative science research project designed to help build strong school and community relationships. Participating students joined with university scientists on a yearlong agriculturally-based research project to study the effect of marigolds on nematode management. (KHR)

This paper examines the conditions of university/districtwide partnering that can aid systemic public education change. It introduces a university/school partnership known as the Triple "L" (Lifelong Learning and Leadership) Collaborative. The text details shared responsibility, shared accountability, alignment of teacher-performance standards,…

Describes the first year of the Alternative Teacher Education (ATE) Initiative as seen by its participants. The participants focus on their roles and relationships, as well as the type of partnership and collaboration that emerged from this project. Concluding comments analyze these perceptions and what the analysis says about the ATE program. (GR)

The Council of Europe was founded in 1949 to achieve greater unity among European parliamentary democracies. The Council for Cultural Co-operation (CDCC) is responsible for the Council of Education's work on education, culture, and sport. This publication contains proceedings of the CDCC Conference of the Network on School Links and Exchangers.…