Susan Moore Johnson, a professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and leading scholar on school staffing, highlights research from the Project on the Next Generation of Teachers showing the importance of inclusive leadership and team-based structures in improving teacher recruitment and retention. School context is key in determining…

While collective teacher efficacy has potential to improve teacher practice and student learning, there's a risk this concept will be used to further burden teachers through assuming a positive, confident attitude can overcome all barriers to learning--even without good conditions for teaching in place. France argues that collective efficacy must…

As a principal, Sarah E. Fiarman learned that developing teacher leadership requires more than merely soliciting teacher input. "School leaders," she writes, "need to create a culture in which each professional feels an urgent responsibility to influence the achievement of all students." To promote such a schoolwide leadership…

The design of a classroom space can make a big difference in student behavior and learning. The use of color, sound, light, furniture arrangements and more can help foster community and culture and promote understanding. Dillon discusses some easy ways to transform the classroom space that can help with classroom management.

On an unseasonably cool morning in May 2010, scores of educators arrived in a room in Philadelphia. As the group mingled and chatted over coffee, individuals jotted down ideas for learning sessions and pinned them up on a big sheet of paper. The first EdCamp had begun. EdCamps are free, participatory events organized by educators for educators.…

Do teacher leaders in your school mainly fill the traditional roles of department chair or grade-level representative? Or do they lead their peers in collaborative teams whose primary focus is improving student learning? Terry Wilhelm, director of the School Leadership Center for Riverside County Office of Education in California, says that…

Teacher collaboration and engagement in policy offer hope for improving teacher recruitment, retention, and morale-and for reenergizing the profession. Unfortunately, teacher engagement in education policy is woefully lacking. Research has shown that 70 percent of teachers feel out of the loop in district decision making. "Everyone at the…

This article observes that schools that use technology well have key commonalities, including a project-based curriculum and supportive, distributed leadership. The authors' research into tech-rich schools revealed that schools used three strategies to integrate technology successfully. They did so by establishing the vision and culture,…

As they attempt to make the transition to standards-based grading, many schools go off track or get swamped by side issues, writes Brookhart. They waste energy having hard discussions about grading practice details that, by themselves, cannot accomplish real reform. Instead, schools should focus discussion on major questions: What meaning do we…

Principals are in a paradoxical position. On one hand, they're called on to use research-based strategies to improve student achievement. On the other, they're increasingly required to micromanage teachers by observing in classrooms and engaging in intensive evaluation. The authors point out that these two positions are at odds with each other. In…

Teachers and administrators need opportunities to share perceptions, consider possibilities, and forge solutions. Faculty book groups are a powerful tool to create organic solutions with wide ownership. They are great for spurring true professional development. In this article, the author shares how the teachers at New City School have met…

With a predetermined agenda, real engagement cannot occur, even if stakeholders help shape the substance of some components. Gaining public and professional support depends on developing engagement strategies (assessing needs, reporting results, and establishing strategic direction) that embody fundamental principles, such as reciprocity,…

Educators at Bowling Green State University found that trying to apply a corporate model of strategic planning in a college environment was very difficult. This article recommends choosing metaphors carefully, anticipating undesirable side effects, and creating a need to know. Using noncorporate metaphorical models may prove effective. (six…

Four years ago, a very small group of teachers at a Stockton, California, high school recognized that the school must make some dramatic changes in curriculum, governance, and educational philosophies. This article shares pitfalls and surprises encountered in teachers' struggle to create a climate for change and implement their new vision. (seven…

Discusses the need for schools to not only teach students about their rights and responsibilities as citizens, but to encourage them to practice these principles though active involvement in various school activities. Describes how some schools have accomplished the latter by implementing a concept called "youth infusion" involving…