During the 1999-2000 program year, the Division of Economic and Workforce Development attempted to further the North Carolina Community College System's (NCCCS) tradition of excellence by modeling key strategies of the business sector. These strategies included: (1) Economies of scale, a term that refers to unit cost decreasing as number of units…

This document is comprised of 7 issues of a newsletter for the 25 leaders of citywide after-school initiatives in major cities across the United States who comprise the Cross-Cities Network for Leaders of Citywide After-School Initiatives, funded through the National Institute on Out-of-School Time. Each issue of the newsletter provides…

The Instructional Support Team (IST) process is an intensive building-based pre-referral intervention program using teams of teachers and other school professionals to assist elementary students experiencing difficulty in the classroom. This trainer's manual outlines a 3-day workshop for team training. The schedule for each day is provided, with a…

This guide outlines the key elements of a full time equivalent (FTE) instructional support model, and provides suggestions for its effective implementation. Support teachers in the Instructional Support Team (IST) Program perform a variety of functions, including conducting instructional assessments, classroom observations, data collection,…

The Ohio Department of Public Schools launched its Ohio Urban Schools Initiative as a commitment to systemic long-term change in the state's 24 urban districts. This report contains a framework that represents the initial phase of the Urban Schools Initiative, which developed into a collaborative effort among the school systems, state and local…

This document describes collaborative strategies used by one school guidance department that allow counselors to complete their designated work without extending their school day. One strategy involves pairing mentors with first-year counselors to help answer their questions. Another uses retired counselors as "substitutes" when regular…

This booklet discusses the development of Professional Development Schools (PDSs), which are functioning public schools where school and university personnel collaborate to create exemplary learning environments capable of transforming both teacher preparation and pre-K-12 schooling. Benefits of PDSs include opportunities for school teachers and…

This document outlines a vision for adult and community education (ACE) in Victoria for the next 3 years and provides a broad map of how to reach that vision. A description of the context is followed by the ACE vision statement: ACE delivers accessible, quality, and timely learning in autonomous, community settings as a valued and essential…

This document presents an overview of a four-year comprehensive pre-education project at Henry Ford Community College (HFCC) in Michigan. To meet the needs of school districts that preferred a 32-credit certificate program as well as districts that preferred a 60-unit associate degree, HFCC employed a career-ladder approach: A 32-credit…

Although the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 has provided strong incentives to improve student achievement, many schools do not have the resources needed to help their students succeed. This paper, the second in the "Community Schools in Illinois" series, addresses the role of school-family partnerships to improve the educational…

The educational chasm between schools and colleges is an indication of dysfunction. It is becoming increasingly recognized as a major impediment to the successful education of all students. High standards and improved schools and colleges will ultimately depend on the extent to which this gap is narrowed. This book describes 12 programs that are…

A widening skills gap is at the heart of many of the major economic and social challenges the United States faces today. Too many Americans lack the basic skills and educational attainments required by a postindustrial economy. This places severe limits on the American economy to innovate, grow, and compete in the global marketplace. It…

This publication describes the school-improvement process in three schools participating in Middle Start, a comprehensive school-improvement program for schools with middle grades. Middle Start services, grounded in the Middle Start Principles and Practices, are tailored to a school's specific needs. The schools profiled are Bendle Middle School…

In 2005, the Minister of Advanced Education of Alberta initiated a comprehensive review to establish a new direction for Alberta's advanced education system. This initiative, A Learning Alberta, will identify a new vision and policy outcomes for the system. To assist in the development of the vision and policy framework, several other discussion…

The Alberta Initiative for School Improvement (AISI) was developed through a collaborative partnership in 1999 and first implemented in all Alberta school authorities in the 2000/2001 school year. The goal of this program is to improve student learning and performance by fostering initiatives that reflect the unique needs and circumstances of each…