With the everyday juggling act principals perform, they have a daunting challenge to keep up the latest research in education. At the same time, the literature documents an intensive need for increased professional development of principals in special education (Goar, Schwenn, & Boyer, 1997; Lasky & Karge, 2006; McLaughlin & Nolet, 2004). To…

This article presents an interview with Michael Barber, a partner at McKinsey & Company, leading its global education practice. He has been working on major challenges of performance, organization, and reform in government and the public services, especially education, in the U.S., U.K., and other countries. Barber was instrumental in preparing…

In this article, the author presents ten practical reflections for educational leaders. The author states that educational leaders should: (1) know themselves and where they are going; (2) not be overly prepared; (3) link with others; (4) measure their words; (5) take responsibility; (6) keep others informed; (7) maintain their perspective; (8)…

With the passage of Goals 2000, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, and the Education Science Reform Act of 2002, Congress has put a priority on a science curriculum for children that is based on research on the best practices in science education. According to the U.S. Department of Education, teachers "need to know what programs and…

The identification of the most capable students has been a challenge for school leaders. Although most states mandate that districts use multiple measures to identify students qualifying for gifted and talented programming, the issue often becomes that of defining and interpreting those "multiple measures." Gifted and talented students potentially…

How can comprehensive community colleges serve students with diverse learning needs today while determining a single Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) to improve student learning? During the reaffirmation planning process, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (MGCCC) recognized this challenge and responded by designing a plan for the selection of…

This theoretical study uses the context of the writer's personal encounters in Malawi, Africa, to propose a conceptual model for creating diverse field experiences based on best practices in critical pedagogy, service learning, and the underpinnings of transformational learning theory, for the purpose of increasing the probability of meaningful…

At the University of Pittsburgh, the author and his colleagues have been exploring a range of approaches to design challenges for implementation in high school science classrooms. In general, their approach has always involved students working during class time over the course of many weeks. So, their understanding of what works must be…

There are over two dozen schools in the United States with the word "museum" in their names. However, the philosophy and pedagogy that tie these schools together is unclear. A consistent definition, criteria for classification, and a unifying curriculum to guide museum- schools is lacking. Yet, museum-schools continue to open across the country.…

While in-flight psychiatric emergencies occur at a lower rate than other medical emergencies (Matsumoto & Goebert, 2001), they tend to cause a higher degree of disruption for passengers (Gordan, Kingham, & Goodwin, 2004). However, flight attendants often receive training that is too basic, minimal, and insufficient to effectively manage…

Over the previous two years, Innosight Institute has published a series of case studies about the fast-growing field of online learning in K-12 education. One aim of this effort was to identify policies that had either positive or negative ramifications for students. This policy brief, sponsored by the Joyce Foundation, summarizes some of that…

Bullying has captured the news headlines and the attention of legislators, educators, and special interest advocates over the past three years at a greater rate. High-profile teen suicides have raised questions about the role bullying may have played in student deaths. School administrators and safety officials agree that bullying is a serious…

The purpose of the article is to describe Finnish media literacy policies and good media education practices in early childhood education and care. This article will focus on describing two central action lines related to the Children and Media Program, initiated by the Division for Cultural Policy of the Ministry of Education and Culture in 2004.…

This is an Instructional Module for a course entitled Assessment and Instruction for Educational Leaders addresses classroom assessment and the evaluation of instruction. The goal of this course is to help aspiring educational leaders to develop teacher observation and evaluation skills, better understand the construction of teacher generated…

Professional development and improvement in the quality of adult learning staff has been recognized as a priority at a European level. However, at European and national levels there is no clear view on the standard competences needed to fulfill the professional tasks in adult learning. In some European countries competence profiles and standards…