This resource examines the role of the central office in improving instruction and therefore improving student achievement. Mac Iver and Farley-Ripple provide a comprehensive review of the available research (since the 1970s) on the role of the central office in student achievement. First, they review the research chronologically, and then by…

This booklet synthesises the research on teacher professional learning and development that has been demonstrated to have a positive impact on valued student outcomes. Its findings relate to teachers who have received at least some initial teacher education and who are in the process of deepening their knowledge and refining their skills. The…

The purpose of this case study is to describe the challenges one coach faced during the initial implementation of a coaching initiative involving 33 teachers in an urban, high-poverty elementary school. Reading coaches are increasingly expected to play a key role in the professional development efforts to improve reading instruction in order to…

High school students continue to struggle in algebra, especially in large inner-city schools with underprivileged students. Students are not the only ones skirmishing with algebra. Teachers and school leaders are just as frustrated as they search for answers to complex teaching and learning problems. Two high school principals report the results…

There are some who argue that the existing theoretical paradigm used in leadership training programs should be modified to include the feminist perspective. This paper presents findings of a study that investigated male and female perceptions of effective leadership skills. Indepth interviews were conducted with 120 executives--60 men and 60…

The serial publication is intended for teachers, principals, program directors, coordinators, and policymakers who work with language-minority students and their educational programs. It provides a forum for presenting innovations, concerns, and recommendations related to the schooling of this population. It has a "narratives of…

Increasing attention to mentoring in the teaching profession in recent years has been accompanied by a proliferation of programs, literature and expertise related to experienced teachers helping new teachers. To assess the extent to which there is a common set of functions performed by teacher mentors, a two-phase study of mentoring was…

Suggesting that evaluation is an ongoing part of classroom life from day one, this book presents essays by classroom teachers that examine learning and evaluation and the need to bring the two together in more relevant ways. Essays in the book discuss ways to examine the potential of portfolios to reflect different kinds of intelligence; balance…

This paper presents findings of a study that explored effective school-based budgeting practices within effective school-based management (SBM) contexts. The sample was comprised of 18 schools across 9 school districts (7 in the United States, 1 Canadian, and 1 Australian)--that had used SBM to improve school performance. During onsite visits,…

Students are increasingly expected to be able to think critically, solve complex problems, and communicate clearly. Educators are expected to facilitate that learning in a variety of situations for an increasingly individualized student population. Therefore, educators who attempt to change their practices must become active learners. A school…

The Visiting Professorship for Women (VPW) program was initiated by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in 1982 to address the under representation of women in science. This summary which draws on a study completed in 1993 considers the effects of the VPW program and the nature of the participants. Both strengths and limitations of the existing…

This guide is designed to help educators and community leaders plan and implement professional development initiatives for family child care providers at the community level, and is based on Dayton Hudson Corporation's 1992 Child Care Aware (CCA) campaign to educate child care consumers about quality family child care. Part 1 provides an overview…

Many educational professionals have some knowledge of assessment practices, ranging from principles of test development and use to the practices associated with the use and interpretation of standardized and teacher-made tests. The skill levels associated with many important student assessment principles are, however, not consistent with the…

Exploring the problem of high turnover rates for counselors at a therapeutic camp reveals that low job satisfaction--specifically lack of advancement and educational opportunities--is one frequent factor influencing resignation. This study examines the possibility of increasing agency support of personal advancement by creating individual…

This paper presents findings of a study that investigated the effects of the peer-assisted leadership program (PAL), a program created at Far West Laboratory, on the networks and professional isolation of educational managers. A one-group pretest-posttest design (Campbell and Stanley 1966) was used to test the hypotheses, which expected that PAL…