Describes how U.S. teacher unions have begun to depart from industrial principles, with the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers endorsing ideas such as peer review, training standards, job-embedded professional development, and alternatives to standard salary schedules. Asserts that substantial policy…

Focuses principally on the high school mathematics curriculum. Observes that it is, for most students, lifeless and ineffective. Proposes that the curriculum be implemented as a sequence of good examples designed to expose not content so much as method. (Author/MM)

Examined factors affecting the application of learning to practice in British mental health services, considering the role of administrators and emphasizing distance education. Data from administrators and health professionals indicated that workers who studied mental health often felt disempowered and isolated when introducing new practice ideas…

Identified strategies researchers used to build and maintain partnerships with three Head Start programs and the attitudes of the staff of these programs toward research partnership. Found that staff support for this research partnership was high and broad-based within the three Head Start programs, demonstrating evidence for the effectiveness of…

A consultant eager to involve a southern Minnesota community in school reform recognized that most parents were simply too busy to participate. Since public involvement was unattainable, community permission for change might suffice. The process resembles a thoughtful, managed conversation that is interactive, organic, and ongoing. (MLH)

Discusses factors that help or hinder progress in institutional change and the important role of governing boards in managing change. The advice is based on work by the American Council on Education with a diverse group of 23 colleges and universities on a range of large-scale institutional change initiatives as part of the Project on Leadership…

School improvement and school reform are about organizational learning and renewal. In successful efforts at organizational renewal, especially in business, leaders often play two related roles: critic/provocateur and learning advocate/innovation coach. Using examples from business corporations, the Army, and a college basketball team, this…

This commentary discusses Ron Wolk's essay "Think the Unthinkable." The need for variation in curriculum and approach to meet all students' needs is emphasized. The need for variation in what schools are, how they are organized, and what they present to and ask of students is an important theme in Ron's essay, as it is in much of the literature…

In 2002, the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) and the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund began Fostering Transitions: CWLA/Lambda Joint Initiative to Support LGBTQ Youth and Adults Involved with the Child Welfare System. To document the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth, as well as identify…

With a mission in mind to change the world, one bibliographic corner at a time Christine Schultz, began with a dream of being in charge. In the Fall of 2004, she was promoted to the position of Library Director at a small, private liberal arts college. In this article, she shares how she overcame the challenges of a tight budget, and a building…

Successful district level institutions share ten principles for successful reforms. The crucial components of change for effective leadership include a collective moral purpose, capacity building, ongoing learning, and demanding culture among others.

Beida is always linked with a sort of fervor, a sort of moral behavior. Although it is not a world-class university, its connections with China's contemporary and modern history make it a great school. The direct motive behind the reform and the mapping out of its system is the pursuit of a sort of efficiency, but it is possible that what will be…

Solution-focused counseling (SFC) and motivational interviewing (MI) have gained recognition over the past 2 decades. A review of the features of these counseling approaches is provided, as well as an examination of the similarities and differences on several dimensions of counseling. Attention is given to empirical research, and it is proposed…

Discusses the tendency of schools to follow up poor standardized test scores with test-taking instruction, and the limitations of these standardized tests for providing authentic assessment of academic abilities. Suggests four prescriptions for educators, administrators, parents and policy makers for improving the administration and use of…

Discusses features of educational accountability systems, illustrating them using requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). Asserts that broadly shared responsibility is needed for accountability systems to contribute to improved education, noting that systems design requires setting ambitious performance standards and…