This article challenges misperceptions about the definition of systemic change in school districts. While many contemporary change efforts are described as "systemic," in fact, they are not. The author also argues that a special instance of systemic change known as systemic transformational change is required to transform entire school…

The author shares how he was fascinated by the recent interest in and focus on the strategic management of human capital (SMHC)--which has been defined as "the acquisition, development, performance management and retention of top talent in the nation's schools." It is one thing to identify talented educators; it is another to utilize them…

The "Report to the Legislature: School Leadership Academies Training Initiative" is submitted pursuant to Chapter 61 of the Acts of 2007, line item 7061-941. In FY 08, the legislature appropriated $1 million to support the second year of a program to develop and implement School Leadership Academies for principals and superintendents to…

This annual report provides a summary of program planning and review activities conducted by the Commission during the 2007-08 academic year. Recommendations that will enable the Commission to better meet and respond to its statewide statutes and obligations regarding academic and vocational program review include: (1) The Program Review Advisory…

This issue brief examines the role of central office administrators in the reinvention process and what research and experience matters for expanding student learning. The brief includes examples from central office reinvention efforts currently planned or under way in Atlanta Public Schools, New York City Public Schools, and Oakland Unified…

California has fallen behind on many key indicators of education performance, prompting policymakers to look for strategies to improve student outcomes. Among the policy options being considered is the possibility of expanding public funding for preschool education as part of a broader agenda of education reform. To provide a foundation for…

In the aftermath of the furor provoked by the 1983 blue-ribbon report "A Nation At Risk," the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) conducted a groundbreaking study to determine what America's seventeen-year-olds knew about history and literature. Administered in 1986, the tests revealed the disheartening answer: not enough.…

This brief is one coach's perspective on the ways that culture and race may impact how we engage other professionals in the roles as literacy coaches and at the same time, explore how cultural sensitivity may increase the capacity for fundamental change in the schools we serve. It is written in response to the many conversations the author has had…

The effectiveness of teachers is shaped, at least in part, by the effectiveness of the school principal. Leithwood, Seashore Louis, Anderson, and Wahlstrom (2004) find that the total direct and indirect effects of school leadership on student learning account for one quarter of total school effects, claiming, "Leadership is second only to…

Because alcohol and other drugs are involved in most acts of violence on campus, college and university administrators are under increasing pressure to acknowledge this connection and reduce alcohol consumption on campus. But because alcohol alone does not cause violence, campuses must also address other contributing factors. Since research has…

The paper takes as its starting point the relationship between the "New English", a curriculum movement commonly associated with the 1960s and 1970s, and the New Education, an influential general educational reform movement of the latter part of the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century. It inquires into the…

This paper examines quality assurance in Nigerian University education and credentialing. The research contends that university education in Nigeria which hitherto enjoyed tremendous global respectability and acceptability is fast loosing its high esteem in the face of labour market and members of community because the currently certified Nigerian…

Promising approaches in both policy and practice have emerged that should serve as beacons to guide professionals as they renew their determination to ensure fairness for all races and ethnicities in child serving systems. Indeed, when those systems are equitably treating children of color, then all children will benefit. The Center for Juvenile…

Accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) is supposed to be a symbol of excellence for business schools. However, the recent increase in the number of accredited schools and the creation of AACSB's "professionally qualified" (PQ) designation for faculty raises some concern in the academic community. Why has…

This article provides a brief overview of the development of psychological thinking in China and social influences on the practice of school counseling today. Common problems of students are described, including anxiety due to pressure to perform well on exams, loneliness and social discomfort, and video game addiction. Counseling approaches used…