This report discusses professional development projects that are currently funded by the Improving Teacher Quality (ITQ) State Grants Program, including representative projects that will be presented to the Commission at the June meeting. In addition, the ITQ program has recently released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for grants that serve early…

The research evidence suggests that strong instructional leaders greatly can impact teaching and learning. There also is increasing recognition that instructional coaches can play an effective role in improving classroom-level practices. A natural way for school leaders to take on the role of instructional leader is to serve as a "chief" coach for…

Shared databases are used for knowledge exchange in groups. Whether a person is willing to contribute knowledge to a shared database presents a social dilemma: Each group member saves time and energy by not contributing any information to the database and by using the database only to retrieve information which was contributed by others. But if…

In this era of accountability, schools are challenged to leave no child behind, which includes making schools more responsive to students' needs. For many multicultural learners, the noble ideal of leaving no child behind has not yielded the desired dividends in general and special education. The processes of identification, assessment,…

Since funding is not always available for the basic instructional programs, let alone the special programs needed to ensure that every student will make adequate yearly progress (AYP), many campuses and school districts are turning to grants. In the short term, grants are wonderful things that enable educators to build programs to meet the…

In light of the widespread recognition of the enduring challenge of enhancing the learning of all students--including a growing number of students representing diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds--there has been an explosion of literature on teaching, learning, and assessment in higher education. Notwithstanding scores of…

The Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) funds schools located on 63 reservations in 23 states across the nation. Of the 183 schools, 59 are Bureau operated and 124 are tribally controlled. One-hundred and sixteen schools provide instructional programs, 55 provide instructional as well as boarding services and 12 peripheral dormitories provide only…

During SY 2011-2012, the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) continued their efforts to improve the validity and reliability of data reporting. BIE data collections are dependent on school level entry (self-reporting) into the Native American Student Information System (NASIS) or into the BIE's Annual Report from the schools. In addition, data…

Building a stronger teacher workforce requires the thoughtful orchestration of multiple processes working together in a human capital system. This white paper presents a framework that can be used to take stock of current efforts to enhance the teacher workforce in school districts or educational organizations, as well as their underlying theories…

These proceedings contain the following papers: "Linking Industry Training with Language and Literacy" (Cassandra Parkinson); "Numeracy: Essential and a Priority? An ANT's (Adult Numeracy Teacher's) Journey" (Dave Tout); "Teaching, Learning and Assessment: An Essential Symbiosis" (David Clarke); "The Politics of…

This book shows leaders in adult and continuing education how to use the principles of strategic planning and cooperative leadership to strengthen and improve programs. Chapter 1 covers why it is important to strengthen agency planning and impact and how a comparative perspective can help agency leaders improve contextual analysis and recognize…

The New York State Department of Education formed a committee called the Statewide Administrative Futuring Committee. The major purpose of the committee was to determine and assess the impact of the major trends that would affect education in New York State and to reorient the state's educational programs toward the future. Using data collected…

This study examined the effects of a collaborative urban partnership on student literacy achievement. The participants were approximately 220 students in kindergarten through third grade and 10 teachers. Participants were from an urban, low-­income southeastern elementary school serving culturally diverse students. The school had been in its…

To fulfill the sex equity mandate begun in the 1976 Vocational Education Amendments and continued in the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act of 1984, and to assess the degree of change in vocational sex equity in Virginia over the last several years, this status report covering a five-year period (1980-1984) was developed. The opening…

In addition to its significance to educators as a major revision of a Federal education and training program, the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act contains many provisions that will have an impact on the relationship of vocational education to employers and the job training partnership community. The law requires that 43 percent of each…