Many schools are turning to response to intervention (RTI) models to meet the needs of their students. The promise of RTI is that it will enable schools to better and more efficiently meet the learning needs of a large continuum of students by providing evidence-based schoolwide instruction, supplemental supports, and intensive individualized…

The use of computer-based gaming in education is not a new phenomenon. Many educators nostalgically remember green Apple II monitors displaying the games Lemonade Stand and Oregon Trail in the early 1980s. Technology in schools has evolved considerably since then, and gaming has become pervasive within all demographic subgroups. Gaming within…

This article discusses the Marketing Education program at West Haven (CT) High School in West Haven, Connecticut, that promotes skills for life and attributes, enhances the academic program, and develops leaders out of ordinary students through an interactive curriculum. The three components of West Haven's marketing and management program are (1)…

Academic and social supports are usually treated as separate entities, and a heavier emphasis is generally given to academic support--the deliberate activities, structures, policies, and expectations that facilitate skill development and subject matter mastery. Social support consists of the intentional services, behaviors, structures, and…

Many principals fear that their lack of interview skills will hurt their school, rather than help it. Although there is little time to dissect the anatomy of a perfect interview in the hectic routine of a school day, they can hone their own interview skills by watching television interviews and reading newspaper or magazine articles with quotes.…

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…

Educators are bombarded with data from all directions, but to effect change in the education field, they must be able to determine what key information and data are needed, understand how to use what they have learned from the data, and then use what they have learned to improve overall student achievement. Collecting and using data has become an…

Students with disabilities need self-determination skills to achieve desired in-school and post-school outcomes. Many of these students need direct and explicit instruction to develop these skills. To provide this instruction, schools can infuse self-determination skills into content instruction or adopt a stand-alone self-determination…

Using data for school reform is like painting a series of pictures--pictures that are subtle and capture the nuances of the subject. This is a far cry from drawing stick figures or paint-by-numbers. Imagine the experiences of the French painter Claude Monet as he wandered through his garden at Giverny at different times of the day and year,…

Too many student governments have agendas focused on social, volunteer, and fund-raising activities, not broader civic responsibilities. In student governments with responsibility for addressing school-community issues, participants may lack needed skills and habits of mind. The importance of advisers, due process, democratic selection, and…

Most school-to-career initiatives are limited to career education and applied learning, combining academic basics and workplace readiness skills. A high-school credentialing system would offer a structured pathway to academic and technical credentials, requiring that students earn a college-placement readiness credential and industry-recognized…