"Pathways to Personalization" offers an innovative five-step framework to help school leaders and teacher teams design and implement blended and personalized learning initiatives based on local needs and interests. The book draws on principles of improvement science and change management, as well as work in nearly five hundred…

Too often, intervention occurs late, is fragmented, and is not supported by the system as a whole. Using traditional intervention structures, struggling students and the educators who support them are unlikely to achieve long-term success. What results is a precarious outcome--"can't do" students become "won't do" students. By…

In this webinar, Dr. Carol Tomlinson of the University of Virginia presented the research base supporting the practice of differentiation and described the characteristics of effective differentiation. She led a discussion of how quality preparation can build and strengthen teachers' knowledge and skills in implementing differentiated instruction…

Many schools are in some stage of implementing differentiated instruction, with some already in what Carol Tomlinson describes in "The Differentiated School" as "second order change," where the entire school practices differentiation. In high-performing schools, differentiation has proved to be an effective instructional strategy; in classroom…

Many universities exist apart from their community's public schools. A New Orleans area public university took measures to facilitate collaborative partnerships with four public schools. Those schools were taken over and converted to charter schools by state officials for poor performance. The partnerships created simultaneous opportunities and…

This is the remarkable story of the Hoffmann School for Individual Attention, where the principal believed in a diverse, challenging, and challenged group of students--with extraordinary results. With a definition of gifted that included all children, Ann Hoffmann embraced students that other schools had failed, and she helped them not just to…

In this article, the author discusses how both schools at Conway Elementary School in St. Louis, Missouri and Colchester High School in Colchester have moved to schoolwide differentiated instruction as part of a systemic approach to teaching and learning. Teachers and administrators at both schools ensure clarity about what students should know,…

Supporting teachers begins with designing professional learning that is responsive to their needs. Gone are the days of one-size-fits all professional development. Principals cannot ensure that all teachers are effective in the classroom if they don't create learning opportunities that move all teachers toward expertise with teaching. In this…

In 2005, Loris (SC) High School was ranked near the bottom of all high schools in South Carolina. The newly appointed principal, Trevor Strawderman, had been the school's assistant principal. He knew that literacy presented the biggest challenge at Loris: 74% of the students in 9th and 10th grade were reading below grade level. Because of the low…

Schools today are filled with students who have diverse personal needs as well as a wide range of academic abilities. This situation creates a challenge as educators work to fulfill their responsibility of providing an equitable educational opportunity for all students. Many times, principals attempt to deal with this diversity of needs by taking…

"A college education is the key to a bright future." That is the message that Principal Sharon Johnson sends to prospective students in an introductory letter. With that introduction and the school motto--"Where every student is college bound"--there is no mistaking the goal for graduates of Withrow University High School in…

Protheroe draws on numerous sources to explain the concept of differentiated instruction, provides guidance on how to implement it, and pinpoints what research says a principal's role is in leading his or her teachers through the process.

Use Friday Focus memos to motivate and engage your staff every week, and help create a school culture focused on the growth of students "and" teachers. Easy to understand and implement, Friday Focus memos offer an effective and efficient way to improve student learning, staff development, and school culture from within. Written by educational…

How many times do teachers wander into their principal's office for advice, support, guidance, or recommendations, only to find that those books on the shelf are outdated or obsolete? How many times have principals attended individualized education program (IEP) meetings and wished they understood all the new provisions of federal laws? And when…

A personalized school is one in which each individual person, whether student or teacher, matters a great deal and has a program that is good for him or her. Today, schools are faced with an equally large transition from arbitrary grouping patterns to personalized learning alternatives. Unfortunately, they are also currently blessed with policy…