Because researchers know so much more about the brain and development than they did when the 20th-century U.S. education system was designed, this knowledge can now be used to design a system in which all individuals are able to take advantage of high-quality opportunities for transformative learning and development. This playbook suggests a set…

Students learn mathematics best when they actively explore problems, connect solution methods, and synthesize ideas at just the right moment. Yet in many classrooms, this balance tips too quickly toward telling students how to solve problems, leaving less room for them to do the real mathematical work. "Teaching Mathematics Through Problem…

The Common Problems Project (CP2) is an interdisciplinary, problem-based pedagogy that was launched in 2015 by four partner colleges in the State University of New York (SUNY) system (Cortland, Oneonta, Oswego, and Plattsburgh). Since its inception, 100 faculty have participated in CP2 and integrated the pedagogy into 134 courses to implement 47…

This book presents a state-of-the-art, robust, and adaptable process, the Theory of Being, that offers strategies for working across Difference, and for embarking on constructive dialogue around the issues that drive us apart, both individually and collectively. Whether around racial, gender, and/or social class inequity, core beliefs, uses of…

Do you feel bogged down by endless administrative tasks? Do you wish you could focus more on what truly matters--learning? "Learnership" provides both insight and solutions for moving past the distractions and becoming a learning leader. Cathy Toll illustrates this transformational process through activities and focused "learning conversations."…

In what ways do Jewish and Muslim faith schools in Britain play a role in promoting and contributing to community cohesion? What 21st-century skills around intercultural understanding do they foster? This book examines the nuances of faith in school settings and draws on a case study of Jewish and Muslim faith schools. The authors show how these…

This paper describes how administrator preparation programs can help future education leaders to value, understand, and use the democratic strategy of deliberative dialogue and action. The purpose of the strategy is to engage in a new way with teachers, parents, and other stakeholders about problems in their local public schools. Follow-up…

Common issues in university-community relationships, such as neighborhood problems and their solutions, facility expansion, traffic and parking, crime, housing, recreation facilities, and city services, are discussed. Findings from a study of the university-community relationship at Ohio State University are outlined. (MSE)

A school board member describes how the use of four elements helped the board win public support for a referendum that was strongly opposed by an organized, respected committee: (1) Use of the media; rather than inviting press coverage of arguments by holding large public meetings, the board held numerous small, informative meetings. In this…

Describes the first component of a seven-part, long-range planning model for achieving school system goals. In Binghamton, New York, the process successfully involved representatives from all components of the school and community in a consensus decision-making process. (MD)

School officials put a crisis communications plan into action after two Ohio students died and a third became critically ill from meningitis in May 2001. A mass immunization program prevented a major outbreak, and rumor control helped calm the public's fears. Recounts things learned from the experience. (MLF)

Offers superintendents guidelines for resolving personnel disputes, policy disagreements, and communication problems with school boards so that schools run smoothly. (KS)

To increase student achievement, a Massachusetts school district used Appreciative Inquiry, a strengths-based approach to problem solving for strategic planning. The process asks: What does this organization do well, and what is our vision for the future. Cites activities that helped schools reach goals set in the process. (MLF)

Describes the use of teacher researcher teams in problem solving and evaluation in the David A. Ellis School's Schools Reaching Out project. Provides guidelines for such teams in other schools. (DM)

Monroe Community College (MCC) has been involved in strategic planning over the last 4 years. The following lessons have been drawn from these 4 years of experience: (1) all plans need to be seen as temporary; (2) no plan drawn up in the planner's office could be implemented if it ignored the fleeting, ambiguous nature of the college's and…