This playbook addresses the "how" in the continuous improvement process, focusing on schools and communities. It is a step-by-step guide for superintendents, principals, staff, and communities on how to engage in the school continuous improvement cycle while recognizing the unique assets and challenges of communities and their schools.…

Districts around the country are increasingly experimenting with the design and launch of autonomous district schools as a way to increase innovative, high-quality school options; bring decision-making closer to students; retain talented leaders; and prevent students and families from leaving the district for charter schools. In this report, the…

Together administration and the library media center form a team that can make a difference in student learning and, in turn, in student achievement. The library media center can contribute to improve student learning, and there is an amazingly small cost that administration must pay for this powerful support. This article addresses…

NCTM Past President Cathy L. Seeley shares her messages on today's most relevant topics and issues in education. Based on Cathy L. Seeley's award-winning NCTM President's Messages, and including dozens of new messages, this must-have K-12 resource offers straight talk and common sense about some of today's most important, thought-provoking issues…

This handbook, written for educators (teachers, principals, central office administrators, university faculty, and area educational agency staff) offers guidelines on how to establish, maintain, and evaluate a practitioner-driven school network. Such a network is created and governed by practitioners who decide what services they want, modify the…

When schools fail to improve, it is because educators do not think innovatively. What they do is largely a reflection of what they grew up with or what they were taught. Rather than do new things, they focus on working harder at the things that have produced limited success. That used to be the case at Holloway High School in Murfreesboro,…

The accreditation process of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) is described along with recommendations to help schools make the most of the process. Following a brief description of the purpose and composition of WASC, the four steps of the accreditation process are listed: (1) the use of a school self-evaluation instrument;…

Discussed are some of the ways that community colleges may assist school districts and individuals with inservice teacher education. A program at Valencia Community College (FL) is described. Cooperation between the public school and the college is stressed. (CW)

Examines schoolwide improvement programs initiated by four states. Describes successful endeavors of California, Ohio, and Colorado schools to improve curricula and student achievement and the Connecticut schools' strategy to improve principal-teacher communication. Attributes the success of these reform programs to solid leadership skills,…

The first part of this workbook reviews and advocates articulation between high school cooperative education programs and vocational programs in higher education. It begins by defining some of the most common terms used to describe articulation, such as "tech prep" and "2+2", and for the implementation of articulation…

The speech communication department chair's most important function involves creating a healthy departmental climate for professional growth and development. While the department chair must be able to recognize and accept the fact that some faculty members cannot or will not improve their performance, there are still four principles he or she can…

This paper offers leaders in business and education techniques and strategies for encouraging, initiating, and managing business-school partnerships for educational improvement. Such partnerships can help schools impart to their graduates the "skills, judgment, and initiative" needed to keep America's economy strong. Following the foreword and…

This book offers suggestions to primary schools about how they can improve their work in preparing children for a rapidly changing world. Chapter 1 sets the stage by considering various definitions of educational improvement, efficacy, and goals. Chapter 2 assesses research on school effectiveness and critically considers components of school…

This report presents the evaluation results of the Queens Tri-School Confederation magnet programs in New York City: programs designed to reduce minority-group isolation among high school students in three high schools and simultaneously improve the quality of their education through the sharing of resources and expertise. These programs, which…

This newsletter issue focuses on the directions school/college partnerships need to take if they are to contribute to a genuine reform of American education. It begins by explaining what each sector gains, then briefly describes current models, and highlights programs that can serve as guideposts. It concludes with a discussion of how policymakers…