Frontline staff are a valuable asset within an intellectual and developmental disability service. Their work dictates the overall standard of care delivered by the organization. However, there is evidence that the research relating to effective practice is having little impact on the competencies displayed by staff in the real-world setting.…

Purpose: School improvement and effectiveness depend substantially on teachers developing their professional competencies on an ongoing basis. Germany's new approach to school governance combines instruments borrowed from different theoretical concepts: teacher collaboration (in a sense of professional self-regulation with high autonomy) and…

Special education programs vary in the quality of services provided across states, cities, and school districts. There are three major components necessary for a quality special education program for children with complex learning needs. These components include systems level analysis, capacity building for staff, and strong individual student…

Here is what our work uniquely brings to policy and planning tables: (1) An expanded framework for school improvement--We highlight that moving from a two- to a three-component policy and practice framework is essential for closing the opportunity and achievement gaps. (That is, expanding from focusing primarily on instruction and…

This mixed method study explored and analyzed instructional strategies utilized by algebra teachers whose students' coursework culminated in the New York State Regents Examination in Integrated Algebra and for whom 50% of the tested cohort earned mastery level (85 or higher) on the examination. The targeted populations were eighth or ninth grade…

This report describes the occurrence of discipline referrals and corresponding interventions and consequences used by schools for "harassment," "intimidation," and "bullying" behaviors during the 2012- 2013 school year. Using data entered into the West Virginia Education Information System (WVEIS), this study was…

Many institutions have difficulties in resolving complaints and grievances and other types of dispute speedily and economically. Lapses still occur in following procedures; disputes frequently grow more complicated than they were at the start; they drag on; they waste the time of administrators and those involved, even ending sometimes in an…

This article summarizes how the components of the Schoolwide Enrichment Model were used to dramatically reduce the achievement gap in a school with a high at-risk student population. The theories of enrichment and instructional differentiation replaced an existing remedial paradigm and a strength-based methodology was embraced by the school…

Professional learning communities (PLCs) provide schools with a tool to meet the professional development needs of their teachers through ongoing, job-embedded staff development designed to improve instruction and student learning. While research exists on the development of PLCs, there is a gap in the literature concerning the principal's role in…

What is Response to Intervention (RTI) and how can it benefit your school? Find out in "RTI Success", an all-in-one resource that provides information on this innovative model as well as step-by-step administrator guidelines and practical teacher tools for implementation. Despite ongoing federal initiatives meant to increase the profile…

While there are lots of books with information on why and how to differentiate instruction, here at last is a book that gets to the heart of why some efforts to differentiate flop while others lead to sweeping, positive results. When it's your job to support differentiated instruction in a single school or systemwide, you need the guidance from…

This article explains a two-part plan, created by the people at the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County (PLCMC), to help staff members keep up with the sea change of technology. A core competencies training program was developed. This keeps workers afloat by providing them with the technology skills they need to support the change…

The Adaptive Learning Environments Program can provide appropriate individualized instruction to students of all ability levels. The program has undergone more than a decade of development and data-based testing. (MLF)

Most school systems fail to provide appropriate conditions for training employees. Individualizing staff development is an effective approach, although it requires a strong commitment by both teachers and school districts. Options of a program, the time involved, and cost are discussed. (MT)

To ensure compliance with IEP requirements, staff development activities should be directed toward the evaluation and documentation of individual programs. This process includes preparation of detailed summaries of students participating in IEPs, documentation of participation in the IEP, as well as in the regular classroom, goals and objectives,…