Small, rural school districts face a special challenge when implementing the next generation of academic standards known as the Common Core State Standards. This is the task facing the instructional consultants with the Tulare County Office of Education. The county, located in central California with its dominant agricultural economy, has 45…

The senior year by all reason should be the capstone of an individual's time in the K-12 system. It should carry not only academic rigor, but also a spirit of unrivaled engagement if it is truly going to be an appropriate culminating experience. For many 12th graders across the country, it is far from that. How can educators create an educational…

A recent Google search for information regarding performance pay in education produced 6.1 million results. This number should come as no surprise given the current level of interest in incentives as a popular reform option in public education. Supporters believe pay-for-performance programs encourage less effective teachers to improve and will…

School and district leaders are commonly faced with diverse student needs and interests that could be effectively addressed with a course that is not currently offered in local schools. Virtual schools have grown up over the past 15 years in different policy and budget ecosystems, but most online course programs can be classified in one of six…

A few school administrators in Clovis, California, began a quest to introduce online high school courses in their school district, believing it might cost less to teach classes online than it would to teach students face to face in a classroom. They figured instead of having one teacher fielding a load of 150 students per course, an online course…

The Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Community School District has long been recognized as a strong school system, educating many of its students to the highest levels of learning. However, like many others across the state and nation, the district also enrolls students whose potential is not being realized. For Cedar Rapids district to become a great school…

As Internet technology encroached on the public school classroom about a decade ago, Kim Ross, superintendent of the Houston School District in Houston, Minnesota, saw an opportunity. At first, he and his administrative team simply wanted to offer students in the district of 1,300 access to more classes via the web than what a district that size…

Guidelines are offered to administrators beginning new preschool programs that concern curriculum, facilities, staff, and parent involvement. (MLF)

The Norwalk-LaMirada (California) Unified Schools developed a master plan for microcomputer use that involved concentrating programs and equipment in centers; establishing a district committee, committee guidelines, and learning objectives; setting goals before discussing first software and then hardware; and developing standards and a checklist…

Beginning on the front cover, the superintendents of schools in four urban areas describe successful programs in their districts. They explain why individualized instruction improved reading achievement in Detroit (Michigan), while it was phased out in Red Bank (New Jersey); why Milwaukee's (Wisconsin) school organization is unique; and how…

An Illinois school district's quest for magical answers to technology-integration woes inspired a homegrown potion. Planners advise others to begin the journey regardless of available resources, find supportive "munchkins" within the community, face and overcome obstacles, choose traveling companions wisely, fight off attacks together, and create…

Since 1990, over 40 Illinois and Massachusetts school districts have built capacity for sustained improvement through vertically structured, district-level Learning Leadership Teams. Originated by Motorola executives, LLT was based on an understanding of organizational change derived from the National Science Foundation's definition of systemic…

In this article, the author states that gifted student population is itself diverse, with variability in intensity, maturity, risk-taking, creativity and degree of giftedness, among other traits. Appropriate services are equivalent to a life preserver; the opportunity to spend time with others who are sufficiently similar in ability, interests and…

A learning technologies director explains lessons gleaned from his school's strategic efforts to create a districtwide technology plan. The plan required an upfront vision, creative teamwork, facilitative leadership, instructional support, and patience. A sidebar details plans for incorporating assistive technologies for special-needs learners.…

Increasingly, schools are beginning employee wellness programs, which encourage employees to make personal commitments to life-style changes that will increase their productivity and generally improve their health. This article provides an introduction to wellness programs, lists advantages, and tells how to start one and make it work. (DCS)