Purpose: The purpose of this article is to explore strategies used by communities of practice (CoPs) managers when managing intentionally created CoPs. Design/methodology/approach: Four intentionally created CoPs in Ireland are explored, using a qualitative research design with data from observation, interviews and analysis of documents. Findings:…

What motivates more than 800 people from 101 countries around the world to meet at a World Environmental Education Congress (WEEC)? And how does one make the most of such an incredible gathering of people, cultures, thoughts and minds? What did people learn and was it worthwhile? These are just some of the questions that have been chasing through…

Some schools, districts, and states are tackling the cost of hardware and network products by using E-rate money, which is tied to the number of students eligible for the school-lunch program, requires attention to several forms and deadlines, and makes filtering mandatory. Forming consortia with other districts to allow bulk purchasing is another…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the results of a Delphi exercise used at the Halifax Consultation in which 35 experts representing 17 countries gathered to develop research priorities for the emerging field of higher education for sustainability (HES). Design/methodology/approach: The Delphi technique was used to elicit the…

Past successes in music education and teacher preparation must not cause us to ignore the nature and potential of present policy influences and strategic challenges. For a successful future, we must fervently protect certain ideas and conditions often obscured by illusions about present circumstances, possibilities, and powers. Illusions in areas…

This experiential study examines beliefs of Thai professors in educational leadership programs at six Thailand Rajabhat Universities. The research brings broader understanding of preparing educators for rapid globalization. Emerging from the data are ways of thinking that lead to boundless and multi-dimensional environments that prepare students…

It is hard to overestimate the significance of the master planning process. The process is one of the most salient strategies that the Maryland State Department of Education utilizes for improving student achievement and closing the achievement gap. Until recently, many local school systems (LSSs) treated planning as a local endeavor that merely…

Research for Action's third and final report completes a three-year evaluation study of the Pennsylvania High School Coaching Initiative (PAHSCI). This report presents lessons from the PAHSCI model of school-based instructional coaching and mentoring as a vehicle for job-embedded professional learning. Reporting from an analysis using qualitative…

The Virginia Community College System (VCCS) is engaged in a strategic planning process to improve performance beyond the goals in "Dateline 2009," the system's current vision and plan. A key objective is to encourage colleges to improve retention and academic success for students, particularly the substantial numbers who arrive…

"The Learning Principal" is an eight-page newsletter published eight times a year. It focuses on the important and unique work of school principals. This issue includes: (1) Efficacy Can Overcome Classroom Barriers (Valerie von Frank); (2) Q & A: Leadership, Learning Communities Change School Culture (Valerie von Frank); (3) Focus on NSDC's…

This is the first report from an ongoing study of four urban school districts (New York, New Orleans, Chicago, and the District of Columbia) that are experimenting with new school designs and new ways of holding schools accountable for performance. This report introduces the idea of a "portfolio school district," and shows how some leading school…

This policy analysis was produced for the Wyoming Department of Administration and Information by MPR Associates, Inc. Its purpose was to examine federal and state policy related to career and technical education (CTE) to determine whether existing policy (in the form of statutes, rules, regulations, and guidance) could either promote or impede…

A great deal of emphasis has been placed on what was originally called school development planning and what is now more commonly known as school improvement planning. While attention is now moving to the strategic dimension the danger is to associate strategy with the mechanistic structures of the strategic planning approach. The key to successful…

This study compares transfer performed by subjects trained to solve verbal analogies, with transfer by subjects trained to construct them. The first group (n = 57) received instruction in a strategy to solve verbal analogies and the second group (n = 66) was trained in strategies for constructing such analogies. Before and after intervention, all…

Founded in 1956, the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) is an association of independent colleges and universities working together to: (1) support college leadership; (2) advance institutional excellence; and (3) enhance private higher education's contributions to society. CIC is the only national organization that focuses solely on providing…