This document is part of a series of guides designed to help school district leaders address one of the toughest challenges in American education: dropout rates of 30 percent nationwide, 50 percent in many big cities, and 60 percent or more in the lowest-performing schools. It includes tools for data analysts to drill down into the data and use…

This document is the first in a series of guides designed to help school district leaders address one of the toughest challenges in American education: dropout rates of 30 percent nationwide, 50 percent in many big cities, and 60 percent or more in the lowest-performing schools. It describes in abbreviated form how district leaders and…

Alberta Education provides funding to school authorities to support the development and implementation of programming for students with severe disabilities. The "Handbook for the Identification and Review of Students with Severe Disabilities" presents case studies designed to assist school authority personnel with the identification and…

Studies of high-performing schools, where all students learn more than similar students in other schools, show common design elements. These elements are comprehensive, affecting the whole school, and include: (1) Clear mission guiding daily activities; (2) High, unyielding expectations that all students will learn; (3) Frequent monitoring of…

A key concern of educational leaders in faith-based schools is their ability to hire faculty members who support institutional missions. Insofar as the American legal system protects the rights of leaders in faith-based schools to hire those who share in school goals, this article is divided into three substantive sections. The first section…

Serving as a new principal is not only demanding, it can also be a lonely job. But successful leadership doesn't happen in a vacuum, and principals need to know from their peers best practices about everything from focusing on instruction to planning fire drills. With this in mind, "Principal" magazine created a virtual roundtable--between…

"Replication" is the practice of a single charter school board or management organization opening several more schools that are each based on the same school model. The most rapid strategy to increase the number of new high-quality charter schools available to children is to encourage the replication of existing quality schools. This policy guide…

Some educators think of literacy coaches as teachers who help students refine the strategies they use to comprehend text, but "literacy coach" is more commonly used to describe an educator whose clients are teachers. In this capacity, literacy coaches provide job-embedded professional development that helps teachers build their capacity to make…

"Building Your Program" is intended to help mental health authorities, agency administrators, and program leaders think through and develop Supported Education. The first part of this booklet gives you background information about the Supported Education model. Specific information about your role in implementing and sustaining Supported Education…

The complex nature of a school district demands a unique relationship between the superintendent and the board president. Forging a positive relationship requires a special kind of navigational skill. The author draws lessons for doing so from David Hargreaves' classic 1975 book "Interpersonal Relations and Education". The author outlines some…

The role of the school-building principal is vital to the school's overall success and the need for excellent educational leaders is urgent. When school districts are faced with school-building principal succession, the process of replacement can be extremely stressful, so it is critical that the appointment be successful. While much has been…

This comprehensive and practical handbook offers research-based tools to help you fulfill all of your leadership responsibilities on time and with laser-like focus. The authors also share tips from their combined experiences as elementary, middle, and high school principals. This book provides examples of best practices from the business and…

This unique, hands-on reference for school administrators offers guidelines for effective student engagement as well as reproducible action tools that will enable you to: (1) Identify and share "The Big Eight Student Engagement Strategies" with your teachers; (2) Promote teacher growth and provide support for new and/or struggling teachers; (3)…

Too many new principals struggle through their beginning years and only learn through trial and error. The principalship is much too demanding and difficult to succeed without the support of the district and practical knowledge of veteran teachers and peers. In this article, the author, a veteran principal, shares a few tidbits that he learned…

Effective, efficient, and sustainable ID/DD organizations: are they possible in today's world of dwindling resources and mounting demands for more and better services? Yes--with the practical tools and strategies in this lifeline for ID/DD leaders. Developed by two of the most trusted authorities in the disability field, this innovative business…