Analyzes three scenarios featuring champion educators' efforts to challenge business-as-usual predilections of school administrators. School systems can develop innovative, future-directed programs with effective planning, administrative support for creative teachers, and testing for results that match school values. (MLH)

Explains how Cherry Creek (Colorado) schools effectively used Chapter 2 funds provided thorugh the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act. Because these monies must be spent to supplement, not supplant, a school system's activities, the district devised two kinds of grants (minigrants and "skunk-works" grants) that fulfill Chapter 2…

The Instructional Improvement Career Award plan in Topeka, Kansas, recognizes school professional employees and offers financial rewards for successful projects. (MLF)

"The Executive Educator" in the second year of the "Profiles in Excellence" series focuses on innovative instruction, honoring 25 outstanding programs chosen by a panel of preeminent judges. Each of the 10 first place winners will receive an IBM personal computer and printer. (MLF)

Learn from Columbus: to sail your schools into an unknown future, be prepared to toss out time-worn management approaches and take some creative risks. (Author)

Describes a half-day, weekly program designed for academically gifted children in a rural school system in Northern California. Success hinges on a reliable checklist to identify gifted children, an effective coordinator in each school, involvement of interested teachers, creative curriculum ideas, and a fair student selection and deselection…

Graphing calculators convert an equation to a visual model allowing students to make connections between mathematical concepts. Teachers are very receptive to the calculators, according to the director of the Calculator and Computer Precalculus Project at Ohio State University. (MLF)

A 2-year project helped Supai Middle Schools (grades 7-8; enrollment 600) in Scottsdale, Arizona, explore ways to use calculators as tools for learning and teaching mathematics. This project and other research indicate that students at every grade level can use calculators in classes to understand mathematical concepts. (MLF)

The traditional system of letter grades discourages college-bound students from taking difficult courses. Many colleges look closely at an applicant's grade point average (GPA). When a student's GPA is computed, a grade from an easy course carries as much weight as a grade from a difficult course. Since a student can achieve a higher grade with…

Describes one school system's experiment in allowing teachers to decide what materials and services to buy for their classes, thereby enabling them to enjoy some financial and professional benefits of private practice while retaining the security of the traditional teacher contract. Discusses potential problems and ways to overcome them. (IW)

In response to our technological society, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics recommends decreasing drill and reliance on multiple-choice tests and increasing problem solving and real-world applications. Other recommendations include simulation software to provide mathematical challenges, collaborative learning, and alternative…

In a Florida county school system the combination of three afterschool homework assistance programs has increased students' responsibility for assignments. Students question teachers through telephone assistance. Students and parents talk with volunteer teachers in school libraries. A cooperative-use agreement with the educational channel brings…