Objectives: To provide recommendations that will build a better foundation for research on youth smoking cessation. Methods: The Youth Tobacco Collaborative Cessation panel evaluated youth tobacco cessation literature and convened meetings to reach consensus. Results: Methodological issues include design, recruitment and retention, follow-up,…

Laboratory schools play an important role in furthering the study of child development and education. Budget cutbacks at universities have threatened the existence of many lab schools, and a growing number are expanding to full-day programming to develop more consistent sources of funding. As lab schools evolve we must consider how they can best…

This action research project report examined strategies to motivate students from extrinsically rewarding behaviors to intrinsically motivating behaviors. The action research was conducted in two different schools by four different teacher researchers within the same district. Three teachers in an elementary building (Site A) and one teacher in a…

This guide is for all school leaders, and pastoral care, support and teaching staff who work with young people who are preparing to move on from secondary schooling to the next stage in their lives. It is also for people who work in partnership with the school to support young people who are going into employment or continuing their learning, for…

This study examined practices of teachers in Wake County Public Schools (WCPSS) high school Algebra I classes. Regression analyses of standardized state testing results allowed for identification of the most effective and least effective Algebra I teachers and schools. The study used surveys, observations, and focus group interviews to compare and…

In the fall of 2007, Education Resource Strategies (ERS) was invited by Philadelphia's School Reform Commission to conduct a Strategic Professional Development Review for the School District of Philadelphia (SDP). ERS is a nonprofit organization that is nationally recognized for its extensive work in partnering with urban school districts to make…

Contemporary school administrators play a daunting array of roles. They must be educational visionaries and change agents, instructional leaders, curriculum and assessment experts, budget analysts, facility managers, special program administrators, and community builders. New expectations for schools--that they successfully teach a broad range of…

The Oregon Pre-engineering Learning Outcomes Project was conducted by the Educational Policy Improvement Center (EPIC) with grant funding from the Engineering and Technology Industry Council (ETIC). The study sought to improve student preparation and success in pre-engineering programs through the development of the Oregon Pre-engineering Learning…

Whatever else might be said about the No Child Left Behind Act, it has the potential to be one of the most important pieces of education civil rights legislation in a generation. Its goals are an indispensable component of a renewed commitment to promoting racial and ethnic justice. The emphasis on accountability gives essential urgency and…

This handbook discusses the components of McREL's Balanced Leadership Framework, which describes the 21 responsibilities of effective leaders that McREL identified in its meta-analysis of research on leadership (published through ASCD as "School Leadership That Works"). The authors also describe the concept of "balanced leadership," noting that…

The growing belief that North Carolina's schools need to be up to international standards led the Public School Forum of North Carolina to launch its twelfth Study Group, addressing three questions: (1) What would it take to bring North Carolina's teaching of mathematics and science up to internationally competitive standards?; (2) How could North…

To help teachers develop a repertoire of instructional strategies that will effect positive changes on students' learning outcomes is essential for both general education and the field of gifted education. This article introduces readers to a classroom observation tool that is designed to help assess professional development needs of teachers of…

When teachers participate in professional development and learning opportunities it enables them to reconceptualise their assessment and teaching practices with the support of facilitators and researchers. National programmes of professional development and research, such as the three year Enhancing Effective Practice in Special Education (EEPiSE)…

There is no doubt that quality administrator preparation is critical because research has documented that successful school leaders have a strong influence on student achievement as they set direction, support and develop effective teachers, and as they implement effective organizational processes. Yet, it seems that every day the media reports…

To understand how much or how little progress is made in democratising higher education, an examination of transformation in the sector needs to be undertaken. Such an examination will reveal best practice, the sharing of which can move the process of transformation forward by inspiring those further beyond in the process. This article serves to…