The Public School Forum of North Carolina has a long history of tackling difficult problems facing public education in the state. Study Group XVI asks: What would it take to give every child in North Carolina the opportunity to receive a sound basic education? The challenges of poverty, racial isolation, and trauma are huge hurdles that require…

The past several years have seen a growing interest in, and adoption of, Teacher Leader (TL) programs throughout the country and among TIF 4 grantees. Often, these programs have been embedded within large- scale career ladder compensation systems. Several recent writings describe this recent growth surge, design issues in the creation of a total…

This report summarizes the research on the association between state interventions in chronically low-performing schools and student achievement. Most of the research focused on one type of state intervention: working with a turnaround partner. Few studies were identified that examined other types of interventions, such as school closure, charter…

This paper reports on the use of the RAMR framework within a curriculum project. Description of the RAMR framework's theoretical bases is followed by two descriptions of students' learning in the classroom. Implications include the need for the teacher to connect student activities in a structured sequence, although this may be predicated on the…

This Statistics in Brief summarizes the changes from the 1998-99 to the 2012-13 school years in the average age of public schools, ratings of satisfaction of the environmental quality of school facilities, the cost to put school buildings in good overall condition, and short-range plans to improve school facilities. In addition to providing…

The Elementary and Secondary Schools Education Act (ESEA) was finally reauthorized as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The reauthorization was long overdue and with its passage comes much hype and some misinformation about what the law permits and does not permit. The purpose of this brief is to outline some of the key accountability…

Accountability pressures have impacted pedagogy in many K-12 schools in the United States. Low achievement on standardized assessments may be attributed to many factors, including instructional strategies. Differentiated instruction has been identified as an instructional method that meets the diverse needs, interests, and strengths. The purpose…

Research suggests that learning is situated, social, and constructed. Teachers, as well as their students, learn through collaborative participation in meaningful activity. This study investigates the impact of a Writing Project Institute on teachers' learning and instruction, considering characteristics of professional learning that influenced…

Teacher preparation has emerged as an acutely politicized and publicized issue in U.S. education policy and practice, and there have been fierce debates about whether, how, by whom, and for what purposes teachers should be prepared. This brief takes up four major national initiatives intended to improve teacher quality by "holding teacher…

In line with the Center on School Turnaround's charge to support states' efforts, they sought to highlight three districts engaged in focused turnaround efforts where their respective boards played a key role in catalyzing, shaping, and supporting targeted improvement efforts. This brief is one of three describing the work. The three briefs…

Researchers studying complex phenomena with qualitative or mixed methods often triangulate findings (i.e., use multiple methods and sources of data that converge to support claims). When researchers have limited time and money, how is it possible to triangulate findings? This case addresses this question in the context of the researchers' efforts…

This study considered whether participation in a rigorous, intense summer bridge program had a significant effect on the academic success of African-American male and female students in developmental education, compared to nonparticipants, at a four-year Historically Black University in terms of retention, progression, and graduation from…

Teacher working conditions surveys provide biennial, comprehensive data regarding school leadership. This case describes how a Title I middle school principal proactively addresses end-of-year data to address identified needs and growth areas in a collaborative manner in her middle school. The principal works in a concerted manner with an…

Healthy learning environments for young people are underpinned by respectful relationships. Unfortunately, Australian students who do not form reasonable relationships with peers and staff are unlikely to benefit from being at school. These students tend to disengage and are often excluded. However, a growing number of Australian schools have…

This article aims to illustrate a school self-evaluation project implemented in three Cyprus primary schools. The project adopted three theoretical assumptions, namely, an orientation towards school improvement, a participatory school-level approach allowing support from a critical friend and a focus on effective teaching. In line with a…