PROJECT BEACON'S TRAINING PROGRAMS WERE FOR THE PREPARATION OF PRESERVICE AND INSERVICE PERSONNEL TO WORK IN SOCIALLY DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITY SCHOOLS. THOSE INVOLVED WERE TEACHERS OF REGULAR AND SPECIAL CLASSES, ADMINISTRATORS AND SUPERVISORS, GUIDANCE SPECIALISTS, THERAPEUTIC EDUCATORS, SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS, AND EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGISTS. THE…

INFORMATION WAS EXCHANGED ON THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIOLOGICAL PROBLEMS INVOLVED IN TEACHING MATHEMATICS TO UNDERACHIEVING STUDENTS, AND MATHEMATICS FOR STUDENTS OF LOW ABILITY. A PROJECT TO INCREASE LITERACY IN THESE STUDENTS WAS RECCOMMENDED. THE CONFERENCE REPORT WAS PUBLISHED UNDER SEPARATE COVER AS AN APPENDIX TO THE SCHOOL MATHEMATICS STUDY…

Describes a program in which smaller class groups for socially and culturally deprived children resulted in enhanced social attitudes and more responsive, mature behavior in interaction with both adults and peers. (Author/IRT)

This article discusses how chief executive officer Bonnie Copeland handles the troubled system of Baltimore city schools. The day after Copeland was hired, she announced the most radical restructuring in the system's history, including the firing of up to 1,000 of the district's 12,000 employees, to address a $58 million deficit in its $914…

"Principles and Standards for School Mathematics" outlines essential features crucial to teaching mathematics so that all students have opportunities to learn mathematics content with conceptual understanding. Although the document outlines extensive goals for the teaching and learning of mathematics, the majority of classrooms fall short in its…

The authors explored stress among 521 teachers in 16 elementary schools. They used hierarchical linear modeling to examine the relation of school and teacher characteristics to reported demands and resources in the classroom. School-level predictor variables included spring vs. fall data collection, Title I status, minority percentage, the…

In this article the author presents Jacquelyn Davis, the executive director of the Washington office of New Leaders for New Schools (NLNS), a nonprofit dedicated to training recruits drawn from a range of sectors for leadership in failing school systems. Davis is overseeing a rapidly expanding crop of new principals who are promising to revitalize…

Much has been written about the importance of school leadership, but there is surprisingly little systematic evidence on this topic. This paper presents preliminary estimates of key elements of the market for school principals, employing rich panel data on principals from Texas State. The consideration of teacher movements across schools suggests…

This report presents selected findings from the school data files of the 2007-08 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS). SASS is a nationally representative sample survey of public, private, and Bureau of Indian Education-funded (BIE) K-12 schools, principals, and teachers in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The 2007-08 SASS sample is a…

This three-year ethnographic study analyzes the ways in which "toxic" school culture was produced through interactions among staff members at Centerville High School, an under-resourced high school where I conducted fieldwork from 2004-2007. Using discourse analysis, I examine adults' competing beliefs about low-income and minority students, and I…

Education is an international must, a veritable human right, yet education--especially higher education--in the land of the free is still remarkably elusive. The author has witnessed the many obstacles associated with preparing students for college. Advanced courses are rarely offered in these schools due to a lack of perceived eligible students,…

This mixed-methods study is a teacher-initiated, collaborative inquiry involving a professional development school (PDS) and a university. The investigation focused on teachers' perceptions of teacher retention and mobility at their PDS. Participants were 134 teachers at a high-needs elementary school with data sources including surveys,…

"Social Network Theory and Educational Change" offers a provocative and fascinating exploration of how social networks in schools can impede or facilitate the work of education reform. Drawing on the work of leading scholars, the book comprises a series of studies examining networks among teachers and school leaders, contrasting formal…

Everybody knows that healthy school buildings contribute to student learning, reduce health and operating costs, and ultimately, increase school quality and competitiveness. However, 55 million of the nation's children attend public and private K-12 schools where poor air quality, hazardous chemicals and other unhealthy conditions make students…

In the study of the Technology Immersion model, high-need middle schools were "immersed" in technology by providing laptops for each teacher and student, instructional and learning resources, professional development, and technical and pedagogical support. This article reports third-year findings for the teacher component of the…