To assist system administrators as they pursue their own teacher leadership initiatives, this profile from Leading Educators and the Aspen Institute details the steps Denver Public Schools (DPS) took to design and implement its Differentiated Roles pilot. Specifically, it examines the initiative's opportunities and challenges within the context of…

Digital inclusion is the ability of individuals and groups to access and use information and communication technologies. Not all members of a community benefit equally, and some communities have been left out altogether. This paper is a guide for fostering digital inclusion throughout the United States so that everyone can take advantage of…

The authority to open and establish a charter school should be granted only to applicants that have a sound plan for, and demonstrate the capacity to operate, a quality, high-functioning public charter school. This policy guide discusses the following: (1) Background on the Charter School Application Process; (2) Key Considerations for…

This document was developed to provide action steps that can be taken by teachers, parents, administrators, and students themselves to develop the personal, cognitive, and social dimensions of students. These advocates are identified in "The Holistic Learner Framework: A Culturally Responsive Approach to Accelerating the Achievement of Low…

Describes the success of an Indiana school district in implementing a major technology initiative. Presents 12 strategies for implementing such an initiative, usable as a framework for schools about to invest in technology (or for those with stalled or dysfunctional programs) and applicable to programs of varying size and scope. (SR)

The data are clear: Too many students are not doing well in school. Too many are experiencing interfering barriers, most of which are not internal dysfunctions but are associated with neighborhood, family, school, and peer factors. If the situation is to change, schools must play a greater role in providing supports for students experiencing…

Schools that are most successful in engaging parents and other family members in support of their children's learning look beyond traditional definitions of parent involvement--parent teacher organizations or signing report cards--to a broader conception of supporting families in activities outside of school that can encourage their children's'…

This report evaluates 12 high schools in the New American High Schools (NAHS) program. Launched in 1996, NAHS is a U.S. Department of Education research project that was developed to showcase school-reform practices in selected schools. The report is based on a study that used NAHS schools as a "laboratory" for researching reform…

Colleges and universities should approach strategic change by establishing three kinds of key performance indicators (KPIs): mandated (state-mandates or other imposed objectives); management (determined by the administration); and derived (from the special intentions of institutional units). By assembling the three kinds of KPIs, the strategic…

Acknowledging that if schools want fathers to become involved in their children's education, schools must value men for what they can contribute, this booklet presents stories giving a range of examples of schools trying to facilitate the involvement of fathers, including uncles, grandfathers, and other men from the community. The stories are not…

Demonstrates via the case study method that techniques of behavior counseling are applicable to change agentry in larger social systems. Describes the use and validation of a behavioral model in program planning, implementation, and evaluation. (RC)

Varied approaches taken to bringing vitality to direct mail fundraising campaigns are described for 10 institutions: Northern Arizona University, Georgetown University (District of Columbia); Miami University (Ohio), Kansas University, Pennsylvania State University, St. Ignatius High School (Ohio); Metropolitan State University (Minnesota),…

This handbook explains site-based management (SBM) in schools to help those who wish to decentralize their operation so that the campus-level staff have flexibility in making decisions that affect the students at their location. The text is divided into four major sections, each devoted to a particular area of concern under the SBM concept.…

Numerous studies indicate that climate, the prevailing "feeling" of the environment, not only contributes to behavioral and situational outcomes, but that climate can be changed to help bring about the behaviors and outcomes desired. Researchers have identified characteristics of positive school climates and ways of determining the…

Schools that are most successful in engaging parents and other family members in support of their children's learning look beyond traditional definitions of parent involvement to a broader conception of supporting families in activities outside of school that can encourage their children's learning. This idea book is intended to assist educators,…