Studies how an urban school, the George A. Lewis Middle School, of the Roxbury section of Boston (Massachusetts) is changing its reputation. Under the process of controlled choice, the school is an example of how teacher professionalization can be a force for overall school improvement. (SLD)

A survey of 573 elementary school and secondary school New York teachers, including teachers of gifted and learning-disabled students, indicates that teaching the gifted is related to job satisfaction, whereas working with learning-disabled students is related to decreased job satisfaction, especially for teachers without special training. (SLD)

Using portfolios in assessing literacy is explored, considering student portfolios and the teacher's class portfolio. Portfolio assessment is a valuable complement to externally mandated tests, but technical issues must be addressed if the portfolio movement is to survive. Portfolios must be linked to the broader task of instructional improvement.…

Early collaborative efforts between librarians and computing professionals at Rice University (Texas) led to the realization that some organizational restructuring was needed to effectively serve changing user needs. A new approach to delivering user services has not only benefited users but also resulted in growth and skills development for…

Librarians from the University of Arizona describe the process of reorganizing from a traditional to a team-centered, user-focused organization. The reasons for reorganizing, the preliminary self-study process, the design and implementation of the new structure, staff participation and reaction, developing staff teamwork, and advice for other…

Examines how principals, vice-principals, and department heads perceive and carry out their roles in relation to beginning teacher support. Addresses issues identified as problematic in school-based teacher development efforts (role conflict, school culture, resistance to change, overburdened administrators), and relates how four school…

Service fragmentation is a major problem in children's services. The articles of this special issue focus on school-linked integrated services. Issues to be explored in promoting such services are those of (1) funding; (2) space; (3) confidentiality; (4) staff training; and (5) governance. (SLD)

Describes a long-term, critically oriented teacher-researcher group, noting troublesome issues and the group's attempts to expand teacher-researcher collaboration into daily education settings. The article includes personal narratives by the members, which stress the importance of a self-reflexive stance for collaborative research to accommodate…

Addresses key factors that influence the academic and social performance of minority and at-risk youth, including lack of role models, societal expectations and realities, ineffective practices, and patterns of school organization. The article provides suggestions for what teachers can do and what schools can do through staff development. (SM)

Western countries' energetic reform efforts over the past decade are having insufficient effects on student achievement. School improvement literature suggests that policy makers focus on classroom practice, develop varied curriculum and teaching programs, consider reform context and staff development, build capacity, and improve research and…

Describes creative methods of teaching elementary level science: eighth-grade hands-on experiments are made with rare rocks and gems via a "Mining by Mail" program; third-grade students use the "I Wonder" approach to examine questions of interest; process skills are adapted for different age levels. A staff development folder…

Purpose: To explain why cross-cultural negotiations simulations are an excellent, active, and dramatic means of training employees to be culturally adaptable and literate. Design/methodology/approach: Through a discussion of how drama plays an important role in creating learning that lasts, and by comparing passive, traditional classroom training…

Consistent with the conception of teaching as a learning profession, the authors' vision of a professional teacher workforce is one in which teachers do take responsibility for their own learning--their work. Supporting teachers' transition from workers to learners may require learning opportunities of a different type--work opportunities offered…

This paper describes findings from a 2002-03 research project which sought to establish what the barriers were to the adoption or extended use of the centrally supported online learning management and content creation system by academic staff at the University of Adelaide. The research was conducted using semi-structured interviews and a survey…

Project Familia was an Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title VII project in its second year in 1993-94 in New York City. Project Familia served 77 children at 3 schools who were identified as limited English proficient, special education students in prekindergarten through fifth grade and their parents. The project provided after-school…