School segregation in the United States is on the rise. Educational Leadership asked four noted educators who are passionate advocates for educational equity--Jonathan Kozol, Beverly Daniel Tatum, Susan Eaton, and Patricia Gandara--to discuss what should be done to tackle this serious problem. Their comments cover such topics as targeting federal…

Like many relatively affluent suburban schools, James E. Daly Elementary in Montgomery County, Maryland, has seen a rapid increase in its Hispanic and bilingual student populations. Many of the school's English language learners come from low-income, immigrant families. Zimmerman-Orozco, the school's assistant principal, describes the strategies…

From the nefarious achievement gaps, to the racial isolation in increasingly segregated schools; from the digital divide that results in kids not having access to computers, to the poverty gulf that results in kids not having homes; from boys' reading difficulties and girls' problems with math, to the disparities among rural, suburban, and urban…

Organization stability can be deeply affected when leadership changes. Frequent leadership turnover is to be expected, though it interferes with project timetables and can drastically disrupt progress. This article offers practical advice for managing leadership transitions effectively. (three references) (MLH)

A suburban Cook County (Illinois) school district has tapped an invaluable community resource--senior citizens--for two generations' mutual enrichment. Senior Exchange gives residents over 54 a chance to help schools while earning money to pay the portion of their property tax bill supporting schools. Other intergenerational exchanges include…

A reaction to bureaucracy and its inherently authoritarian management and fragmented work styles, work-team organizations broaden and integrate responsibilities while focusing on outcomes. In April 1991, Lake Washington (Washington) School District successfully reorganized its central office staff, building administrators, and support personnel…

Staff at an Ohio high school with 1,200 students decided to create a more welcoming, supportive place for all students; initiate advisory periods; put up student pictureboards; provide career-exploration and social development opportunities, and radiate a steady diet of caring and friendly attention. (MLH)

Describes a suburban Pennsylvania school district's efforts to develop a coordinated educational campaign about sexual harassment. Administrators awakened a cautious school board; applied for and received a Goals 2000 grant; trained staff; enlightened students, using age-appropriate materials; and motivated the community to participate. (MLH)

In the 1993-94 National Center for Education Statistics survey of 50,000 teachers, secondary teachers consistently rated violence, vandalism, and verbal abuse as more severe in their schools than in elementary schools. Teachers at all levels were concerned about students' physical conflicts. Both levels have become increasingly violent, however,…

This article describes professional development activities in specific suburban school districts that are experiencing rapid growth in their proportions of students of color, culturally and linguistically diverse students, and students from low-income families. As the author has worked with these districts, he has identified five phases of…

A commitment to either traditional or innovative education practice virtually defines the professional identities of most educators, writes Ferrero. Traditional practices emphasize basic skills, ability grouping, subject-matter disciplines, academic mastery, standardized testing, and a canonical curriculum; innovative practices focus on…

In 1984, a suburban New York State school district adopted a 5- to 10-year staff development program designed to promote effective teaching research among professional staff and increase collegiality among teachers, administrators, and supervisors. The plan temporarily eliminated teacher evaluations and overcame numerous obstacles. (MLH)

A California English teacher explores the school safety issue for both innercity and suburban high schools students. Wearing certain sports team jackets can place kids in danger; girls degrade themselves by keeping gang members' drugs and guns in their lockers. Schools can help reclaim the "Great Disconnected" by developing…

By fashioning a blended approach, two superintendents in radically different school districts systematically distinguished what worked and what was worth promoting from what was failing and had to be revised or eliminated. They both established credibility by encouraging teachers and principals to examine their practice, consider new ways of…

Making classroom materials relevant to students is paramount for one Missouri high school English teacher. Since a relevant curriculum needs more than short stories and essays, she has incorporated books like Ngugi Wa Thiong'o's "Weep Not, Child," Kamala Markandaya's "Nectar in a Sieve," and Charles Dickens's "Tale of Two…