Improving school climate takes time and commitment from a variety of people in a variety of roles. This document outlines key action steps that instructional staff--including teachers, paraprofessionals, and others in the classroom who provide instruction or assistance--can take to support school climate improvements. Key action steps are provided…

This methodological brief is designed to provide both program operators and researchers with practical advice about how to assess a program's implementation and impact. Adapted from an article that first appeared in "The Handbook of Youth Mentoring" (DuBois and Karcher, ed. 2005), the brief focuses on the evaluation of mentoring programs, but the…

More than 10,000 schools in the United States have adopted the multi-tiered model of behavioral and academic supports known as school-wide positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS). Schools and districts adopting, implementing, and sustaining PBIS are charged with collecting and disseminating data generated by and related to students,…

Administrators can help teachers follow six steps to gain the skills and confidence to use computers in the classroom: (1) familiarization with microcomputers, (2) understanding classroom computer applications, (3) acquiring parent and community support, (4) finding appropriate software, (5) introducing computers to students, and (6) evaluating…

To explore the extent of awareness among practitioners of the importance of fidelity of implementation and the factors that inhibit or encourage it, interviews were conducted with nine individuals in each of the following groups: 1) researchers who have developed and evaluated prevention curricula; 3) school administrators; 4) teachers; and 5)…

This book recounts the experiences of three teachers who turned activists when the Reading Recovery program at their schoools was threatened by budget cuts. Chapter 1, "How To Get a Program," details specific steps for the initiation and successful implementation of a program, describing how to research a solution, gain support, develop an…

The Drug Infusion Project is designed to assist rural school districts in their efforts to infuse drug education into their regular curriculum through comprehensive and integrated programming, which includes: (1) developing a statistical base through surveys; (2) training teachers in infusion techniques; (3) broadening the definition of…

Career ladders have been proposed as one way to address problems rural and small schools have in recruiting academically able and talented teachers, recognizing them once they start teaching, and retaining them in the teaching role. While there are differences in career ladder plans, there are also some common features, e.g., predetermined…

This booklet, the third in a series of documents constituting a handbook for teachers and administrators on educational computing, identifies factors to consider when developing district or building level computer-relevant, staff development programs. It highlights the importance of staff development activities and suggests strategies for…

This manual presents a viable school program for grades K-12 to help reduce the number of school dropouts. Characteristics of potential dropouts and alternative programs to meet the needs of these students are given. Although this manual is divided into sections for elementary (K-6) and secondary (7-12) school students, many of the ideas presented…

Discusses the use of coaching to establish a communal learning effort among teachers and reinforce skills introduced through inservice. Issues examined include the length of coaching, who should coach, training coaches, coaching's effects, the relationships of evaluation and supervision to coaching, the principal's role, and implementation. (MCG)

An exchange program was conducted between the Arlington, Virginia, elementary and middle school educators and the city's business/industry/community in order to increase educators' knowledge of local business developments and for employers to identify competencies needed in their businesses. Educators as well as business persons were contacted…

This user-friendly tool for retaining quality teachers--especially those in special education--contains a framework for action that can be used to create a plan at the school or district level, or to strengthen existing plans. Target audiences include state and local administrators for general and special education, including superintendents,…

This guide presents current research and thinking about teacher evaluation and combines that research with practice. Chapters contain illustrations and examples to make a research-practice connection and present a comprehensive approach to designing, implementing, and monitoring quality teacher-evaluation systems. Chapters include: (1) "Improving…

Designed to provide useful information for middle school teachers and administrators involved in planning and implementing microcomputer programs in their schools, this focus paper begins with a brief discussion of the "who, what, when, where, and why" of microcomputers in the schools, followed by discussions of two types of relevant research: the…