Analysis of school improvement projects in Britain and elsewhere identified successful practices: vision, extended view of leadership, program-context match, multilevel approaches, and focus on student outcomes. Projects failed when contextual factors were ignored, schools were treated the same, or single-level perspectives were adopted.…

Methodological and practical challenges present formidable barriers to conducting empirical evaluations of school reform initiatives. Systematic information about school reform and improvement, and its relationship to special education, is even more difficult to obtain. In this study, the authors developed a reliable and valid method to (a)…

There is little consensus regarding which articles have shaped the field of special education and are therefore classics. To begin to address this issue, this article uses an objective, databased procedure to identify the 50 most frequently cited articles in general special education journals (i.e., Exceptional Children, Remedial and Special…

Beliefs underlying underlying education reform movements are reviewed in the context of three common principles of need: option, probability, and possibility. The causes of problem behavior, the idea that schools will improve when students' individual needs are met, and pressures from the community are explored. The reality is that student needs…

The strategies to be followed by a Library Media Specialist when his or her position is reduced due to budget reductions or reorganizations in the school district are discussed. The strategies include, learning the timeline for district budget adjustment project, distribution and discussion of library advocacy information with building…

Normative communicative behavior for school superintendents appears to have evolved as a set of role-related and context-dependent skills. The efficacy of this situational perspective, however, is questionable in relation to current conditions in society and public schools. The superintendency has evolved through four traditional…

In recent years a research literature has developed which increasingly problematizes the project to construct professional community in schools. This case-based literature explores the messy complexities of teacher cooperation and collaboration. It points to the human, cultural, and political dimensions in schools that prevent changes in the…

This note claims that contracting in education can be employed for initiatives of varying sizes and across a range of services. For policy-makers, contracting represents an effective means of introducing accountability in the education system. Contracting can also insulate governments from some of the criticism leveled at privatization. Moreover,…

At schools that align with the Common Principles, there's often a palpable sense of high expectations, personalization, and the purpose of school as a place for students to use their minds well. As the co-director and longtime school coach at the Michigan Coalition of Essential Schools, the author has witnessed what it takes for schools to develop…

Globalization and the evolution of the knowledge-based economy have caused dramatic changes to the character and functions of higher education in most countries around the world. One major trend related to reforming and restructuring universities in Asia that has emerged is the adoption of strategies along the lines of the Anglo-Saxon paradigm in…

This article provides a contemporary view of assisting the large and growing Latino student population in K-12 schools, particularly as it relates to current demographic shifts, school reform, and the ASCA National Model [R]. The article highlights concerns for Latino students and families, culturally appropriate school counseling strategies for…

For all the debate over the effectiveness of the No Child Left Behind Act, researchers and policymakers say that, despite the law's flaws, it has successfully identified 1,200 public schools that need help, some of them desperately so. Now the question is: How can the federal law be changed to make sure such schools get that help? As Congress…

Today's career and tech programs blur the lines between college and career prep, undoing traditional high school tracking. The technology used in jobs now requires higher-level skills of those responsible for the work than ever before, and due to this fact and to changes in the way these programs are implemented, enrollment in the area of career…

In a policy climate driven by tests and external mandates, theories of school reform that place teachers, their knowledge, and their relationships at the heart of school improvement have garnered attention as promising alternatives. Yet little exists in print about how such theories actually work or what these approaches look like in practice.…

In a school bent on systemic reform, teachers, students, and leaders rally around what is needed to improve student learning, understand the pervasiveness of their efforts, and support educators however possible. In recent years, many schools that demonstrate improvement in student learning have used technology as integral to their transformation,…