For too many students, today's PhD is a bridge to nowhere. Imagine an entering cohort of eight doctoral students. By current statistics, four of the eight--50%!--will not complete the degree. Of the other four, two will never secure full-time academic positions. The remaining pair will find full-time teaching jobs, likely at teaching-intensive…

The rapidly changing world and the increasingly complex demands placed on schools because of that change has led to an increasing awareness that the school principal alone cannot provide all of the leadership necessary for school development. More and more school districts are asking teachers to share leadership responsibilities with school…

Fully updated to reflect current issues in the field of art education. Checklists embedded in charts allow users to indicate where their school or district stands in relation to the criteria--which has been expanded to include district wide, elementary, middle, high school, and superior standards. The criteria within the checklists reflect…

The Wallace Foundation is funding a multiyear demonstration project to determine whether voluntary, district summer learning programs can stem summer learning loss for low-income students. Six districts--Boston, Cincinnati, Dallas, Duval County (Florida), Pittsburgh, and Rochester, New York--were selected for the demonstration project and…

The purpose of this "Handbook" is to bolster the effective implementation of the intervention models and strategies outlined in the "2010 School Improvement Grant" (SIG) program--section 1003(g) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)--in order to achieve the program's clear goal--rapid improvement of persistently…

This paper advocates a more active role for administrators in curriculum supervision, claiming that two of the most neglected areas in supervision are the content and the amount of time allocated to that content and its objectives. An essential task of curriculum supervision should therefore be to make sure that content and corresponding time…

School districts annually receive between 100 and 200 requests from outside groups to distribute information, raise funds, and add new units of instruction. Administrators should document the situation in their own districts, examine the procedures currently in use to handle requests, and design new ones if necessary. Contains a sample policy,…

Basic to good leadership is a repertoire of management skills providing a productive climate in which teaching and learning are facilitated. The elementary principalship requires well-trained, intelligent individuals with the necessary human, conceptual, and technical skills to lead groups of professionals and students into rich educational…

Discusses the problems and possibilities in computerized education. Presents the culturally responsive perspective for change, which emphasizes teacher "ownership" of the innovation and creates a self-renewing environment in the schools. (MD)

This document provides administrators and instructional supervisors a framework for thinking about teaching and learning in secondary schools and suggests specific focal points for working with teachers to maintain and improve teaching effectiveness. The first section contains a discussion of instructional time and its meaning for secondary…

A survey of 479 graduating seniors from three different high schools reveals the majority of the students were not adequately trained in study skills. Includes a copy of the survey questionnaire. (MD)

Argues that curriculum integration may lead to a diminution of social studies content. Contends that classroom activities done in the name of curriculum integration often have no educational value. Provides five guidelines to determine whether an instructional activity is appropriate for curriculum integration. (CFR)

The main reasons that students drop out of high school are poor grades, family problems, and financial problems. The school reform movement may compound marginal students' difficulties and cause more students to drop out. (MD)

This article describes a program to prepare students with moderate to severe disabilities for later community-based vocational instruction. It offers general principles, suggested content areas, and examples of appropriate school-based vocational activities. Tables outline Department of Labor guidelines and recommended amounts of time for…

The purpose of this guide is to enable a district or school to develop or select a comprehensive school health education curriculum that is educationally sound and based on research of effective programs. The criteria for a comprehensive school health education curriculum are organized into the following categories: (1) goals and objectives; (2)…