Following a wave of racial justice activism during the summer of 2020, nearly 40 school districts passed resolutions ending the use of law enforcement in schools. In such districts, school superintendents then faced the challenge of implementing these "police-free schools' resolutions," while sometimes encountering strong resistance,…

Shorter lectures punctuated with activities to engage students in the learning process can increase student understanding, critical thinking, and overall learning. However, some students have negative responses to active teaching strategies. Here we explore the topic of student resistance to active learning, including reasons for this opposition…

In "The Learning-Centered University," renowned historian Steven Mintz unveils a comprehensive blueprint for addressing the critical issues of stagnating incomes and productivity, persistent wealth inequalities, and political polarization plaguing colleges and universities today. With practical strategies and a deep understanding of the…

"Critical Transformative Educational Leadership and Policy Studies - A Reader" is a comprehensive collection of critical contributions from most of the leading voices in the fields of educational leadership and educational policy studies, pushing back against the current neoliberal authoritarian environment. The volume offers alternative…

The Smallville Independent School District case study highlights the challenges of a school district facing the COVID-19 pandemic in a rural-urban divide. The district's socioeconomic status, with a high population of economically disadvantaged families, limited resources, and dependence on grants and local charity, further complicates matters.…

Organizational change remains one of the challenging concepts for students in leadership and organizational behavior classes to internalize if they have not experienced it directly. This exercise serves as a means for simulating the change process through a firsthand experience of change at a personal level. The assignment involves students…

More than likely, your school is doing the right things. So why won't student achievement budge? Maybe the key is doing the right things "right." You may be lacking a straightforward yet powerful tool that can work wonders in aligning expectations and talents: an instructional model. In this eye-opening new book, visionary education…

Resistance to change is a central topic in the study of change management, with resistance by employees often portrayed as an inevitable and undesirable response to planned change that managers must attempt to overcome. While resistance can be detrimental to organizations, it can also be beneficial, by prompting deeper analysis of a change, or by…

Principals play a critical role in creating safe, inclusive, and equitable schools. Unfortunately, many schools maintain a legacy of exclusionary discipline and racial bias. In such contexts, principals can work collaboratively with school personnel and community members to interrogate existing policies, practices, and outcomes to inform…

"Teachers Undefeated" is about how teachers continue to do the best for their students. They do so despite clumsy interventions from governments who have no idea how difficult they have made school life. They do so despite the fact that they are pressurized into producing dubious outcomes and are over-scrutinized in every aspect of their…

In this article, Lynne Bianchi shares a project that has proved successful with helping schools to discover and overcome their barriers. "Deep Dives" was a pilot project supported by the Primary Science Teaching Trust (PSTT), initially piloted in Sheffield, and now forms part of the continuing professional development toolkit offered by…

Special education teachers are more likely than general education teachers to experience involuntary transfers to new teaching assignments. Faced with the challenge of teaching students with disabilities they have not encountered before, at new grade or developmental levels, among unfamiliar colleagues in new settings, special educators may…

Schools implementing Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) are often confronted with concerns from a variety of educational stakeholders about school climate, teaching behavioral expectations, the role of reinforcement, and labeling students. Administrators should be prepared to respond to these concerns with theoretical and…

This case describes initial conflicts experienced by a new superintendent that involve faculty resistance and diminished academic expectations at the high school, compared with the district's other schools. Compounding the situation is the fact that the Board of Education was bitterly divided when reaching their superintendent hiring decision,…

Attempts to promote collaboration among teachers conflict with a long tradition of teacher isolation. Defenders of this isolation often argue that such collaboration should be voluntary. However, because the preponderance of evidence suggests that collaboration is better than isolation, professionalism demands that all teachers be required to…