Recent research analyses show professional learning programs that include specific elements known to contribute to effectiveness may have a powerful influence on teachers' instructional practices but relatively modest impact on student learning outcomes. Thomas Guskey explores research-based explanations for the incongruence and offers practical…

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, tutoring has gained popularity as a strategy to improve the academic achievement of struggling students. Intensive, relationship-based tutoring is a highly effective academic support for many students. A range of tutoring approaches are available to accelerate young students' literacy. Sarah Novicoff and Susanna Loeb…

As chronic absenteeism fails to ease from post-pandemic high levels, schools can turn to many reforms to promote school attendance. Commonly recommended strategies involve increasingly targeted and intensive tiers of interventions. Researcher Thomas S. Dee writes that the research base of many of these interventions is not strong. Schools facing…

Providing professional development to busy principals is an ongoing challenge for many school districts. Lynn Public Schools in Massachusetts and the nonprofit Center for Artistry and Scholarship (CAS) in Boston partnered to provide professional development to 16 principals in the district. Linda F. Nathan, Taarini Goyal, and Evonne Alvarez…

The 42 school districts participating in the state of Washington's Inclusionary Practices Project achieved a significant 12.8% increase in inclusion in the least restrictive environment (LRE 1, or in general education for 80-100% of the school day) over four years, surpassing the state average increase of 6.8%. Katie Novak and Helene Paroff…

Districts are struggling to accelerate students' learning, support their health and wellness, and close the achievement gap. Labeled "worst" in 1987, by 2017 Chicago Public Schools was among the nation's most improved school systems. Chicago's story embeds many lessons about system change. Sharon Greenberg and Anthony S. Bryk illustrate…

New teachers benefit from mentoring from more experienced colleagues, and the Wyoming Teacher Mentor Corps (WTMC) provides high-quality training for master teachers to provide this mentoring support. As part of the program, mentors learn about assessment, communication, feedback, and work-life balance. Colby Gull and Leslie Rush describe how, as…