For 40 years, elementary and middle level schools in West Hartford, Connecticut, have dismissed students early on Wednesday afternoons so that teachers can spend two hours a week engaged in learning. Last fall and winter, the district interviewed high school teachers about what they would like to see happen in professional development. Under the…

Many children in the United States have little or no opportunity for formal arts instruction, and access to arts learning experiences remains a national challenge. In addition, the "quality" of arts learning opportunities that are available to young people is a serious concern. Understanding this second challenge--the challenge of creating and…

Back in 2005 when the authors decided to start a dance program at Saigon South International School, they recognized that much more could be expected of their graduates than that they excel in one or two academic disciplines. They were convinced that a strong fine arts program that centered on dance was essential to helping students develop the…

Getting students, teachers, and the entire community to read the same books at the same time has its challenges--but many more rewards. In this article, the author describes how West Morris Regional High School District in Chester, New Jersey, formed a "literacy club" for everyone in the school and the local community to encourage…

Many high school teachers and administrators think that reading instruction belongs in the lower grades. But according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, only 31% of eighth graders read at or above the proficient level, which means that many are entering high school unprepared for its advanced textbook reading and language…

This article discusses student-led conferences. Student-led conferences can be organized in many ways; most involve students following an outline or a script to share work with their parents. Although this is a seemingly simple process to follow, student-led conferences require considerable planning and organization. The benefits, however, are…

The Mentor/Mentee (M & M) program at a rural comprehensive high school complements the instructional program by helping students manage their time and focus on successful learning. Each mentor works with 15 students. The mandatory program emphasizes each student's worth and helps kids develop their potential. (MLH)

Three years ago, when the author joined the staff of Agua Fria High School in Phoenix, Arizona, as an assistant principal, she was excited to find that the students' school day started an hour and a half later than normal each Wednesday to provide staff development time for the teaching staff. That first year, however, neither the principal, Bryce…

School administrators, eager to raise student achievement levels to meet the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act, are increasingly looking to staff development as a means to enhance student achievement. In this article, the author describes how Mountain View Alternative High School in Fairfax County, Virginia, an alternative high school…

When a survey of students at Eisenhower Middle School in Everett, Washington indicated that they spent a good part of the school day feeling tired and hungry, that they felt unsafe in some areas of the school, and that worn-down facilities left many of them feeling depressed, the author and his staff concluded that, in order to improve the…

The school visit is an effective tool for stimulating the continued professional growth of middle level educators. In the past, however, a major problem with school visits was that they were conducted with positive expectations, but very little preplanning activities, little or no on-site structure, little or no debriefing for either the visiting…

Although emergency preparedness is a high priority for administrators, training staff can be challenging. A scenarios approach involves all staff members. Changing scenarios every year relieves boredom. Customizing scenarios to specific building and program characteristics makes training more realistic for participants. Sample scenarios are…

The involvement of high school students with disabilities in after-school and cocurricular activities declined nationwide between 2001 and 2006 (Institute of Education Sciences, n.d.). The Partners Club at East Anchorage High School in Alaska, however, is an example of how such activities can support relationships between nondisabled students and…

The Lewiston School System has increased staffing to handle the language acquisition needs of its burgeoning number of English language learners, but the Lewiston High School community looked outside the school system for help in dealing with the sociocultural issues that inevitably arise when different cultures come together. The school turned to…

Effective meaningful relationships in schools that are grounded in the common purpose of student achievement and progress result in effective teaching and learning. Such relationships require personalized environments. Schools large and small must purposefully create conditions that enable students and teachers to come to know and be known well by…