The authors examine how the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) negotiated between teachers' unions and districts is associated with schools' and districts' performance under accountability pressures in California. They find that CBA restrictiveness is associated with the increased likelihood that districts will be in Program Improvement (PI)…

This article presents an "evidence-based" program improvement effort that sought to strengthen student teachers' implementation of subject-specific pedagogy for teaching mathematics in a K-8 multiple subject teacher education program. The authors report the process of how they used a research-based approach to gather evidence about "status quo" of…

Education in Papua New Guinea (PNG) has experienced major shifts and changes over the last decade or so under the National Education Reform. In that context there is recognition for schools to appreciate their local contexts and conditions regarding assessment. The National Educational Department is also aware of the fact that there is need for…

Professional learning communities among teachers and schools have been envisioned as a mechanism for development, knowledge building and implementation. However the formation of an effective learning community is more complex than giving teachers a project and asking them to share a room. This paper reports a synergistic interaction between a…

Two schools in Maryland received ARRA SIG (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act School Improvement Grants) funds to enable them to implement their turnaround efforts. This paper describes the outcomes of these two ARRA SIG recipient schools: (1) G. James Gholson Middle School; and (2) Commodore John Rodgers Elementary School. The experiences of…

Schools are the primary environment in which to conduct prevention programs for school-age children. Educators, policy makers, and psychologist argue that prevention efforts should begin as early as possible to maximize their effectiveness. Surprisingly, there are relatively few school-based prevention programs targeted for preschoolers. Given the…

With the increasing diversity of pupils in general education classes, teachers are seeking simple methods to teach all of their pupils while maintaining the integrity of the curriculum. COLA is a mnemonic device to help teachers apply the principles of layout and design when creating instructional materials. Use of the COLA strategy can enhance…

We examined the effects of in-class writing instruction, practice, peer review, and feedback on writing skills of undergraduates enrolled in a general psychology course. We rated writing for grammar, writing style, mechanics, and American Psychological Association referencing style. Significant differences emerged on the 4 writing skill domains (p…

Increasingly, companies are taking part in process improvement programmes, which brings about a growing need for employees to interpret and act on data representations. We have carried out case studies in a range of companies to identify the existence and need of what we call "techno-mathematical literacies" (TmL): functional mathematical…

We evaluated a staff training and management package for increasing accuracy of recording frequency of problem behavior in a residential care facility. A multiple baseline design across the first and second work shifts showed that 2 of 8 participants increased their accuracy following in-service training, and all 8 improved during a condition with…

The process of protein synthesis, translation, is difficult for many students to understand. There are two reasons for this: (1) It is difficult to visualize the process, since the components involved in the process are not observable, and (2) There are many details, often dependent on each other and difficult to grasp independently, that are…

This report describes the first year of implementation of the 5-year Accelerated Schools Project (ASP) at Blanche Pope Elementary School in rural Oahu (Hawaii). ASP trains school staff and community members to transform governance, curriculum, and instruction in schools serving predominantly at-risk and minority, low-achieving students. In…

Any college English teacher who seriously seeks to bridge the academic and corporate learning communities must learn from rather than laugh at the industrial mindset. Mediating between composition theorists' process-oriented pedagogies and the type of linear writing instruction the corporate mind values is essential in the corporate classroom. The…

Educational managers may benefit greatly from adoption or adaptation of Japanese managerial practices, such as "Theory Z," involving developing staff potential and the creation of new incentives. There are at least 17 things administrators can do to utilize the key tenets of Japanese management. These include allowing teachers to…

The definition of coalition offered here is "a group of organizations or individuals, often with diverse interests, who come together to achieve a common purpose or deal with a common issue." The author begins by looking at some current coalitions with interests in education such as the Committee for Education Funding or the National…