Even as the number of students attending college has more than doubled in the past forty years, it is still the case that nearly half of all college students in the United States will not complete their degree within six years. It is clear that much remains to be done toward improving student success. For more than twenty years, Vincent Tinto's…

As shown by MetLife's 2010 "Survey of the American Teacher," America's educators strongly believe that all students should graduate from high school ready for college and a career (85 percent). Additionally, according to MetLife's 2009 survey, 86 percent of teachers believe that setting high expectations for students will improve student…

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…

Secondary school administrators must carefully consider the ramifications of a proposed alternative scheduling plan before proceeding with implementation. The first article in this newsletter presents findings from a study that compared data from two groups of schools (one group with a 4 X 4 block plan and the other with a trimester plan) to data…

This paper proposes a framework for the management of time, under the rubric of "SOS" (Self-Organization-Scheduling), designed specifically for school officials. Underlying this framework is a belief that, in order to manage time, one must manage oneself within the bounds of the institution. Accordingly, three interdependent sets of practical…

This booklet surveys the possibilities in instituting a 4-day school week, an approach which has gained favor in some small school districts. The history of the 4-day week and its characteristics are first described. Drawing on case studies of districts that have begun the 4-day schedule, the authors enumerate the steps in proposing and…

This guide to rural learning is intended to help those developing learning opportunities in the United Kingdom countryside--teachers, program organizers, project and development workers, and health and housing workers. Section 1 supplies up-to-date facts and figures and useful information about living in the rural context. It highlights issues…

This booklet provides guidelines for updating secondary school trade and industrial education teachers in the technologies of their teaching areas. The first part of the guide gives suggestions for organizing a staff development program. Next, specific programs that might be used are described, including the following: work experience internships;…

A needs assessment instrument was developed to aid rural (upstate New York) school officials in implementing staff development programs and determining special staff development needs for serving handicapped students in the mainstream. Survey responses were gathered from 85 elementary and secondary teachers in 3 school districts over 2 counties.…