Sixty-six school districts and more than 150 schools in the state of Kansas are participating in the Kansans Can Redesign Project. In this article, we present a case study of using Design Thinking as a systemic process to structure continuous school improvement. The collage of real-life scenarios presented in our case shows the integration of…

In schools, a Code Red alert indicates a potential or immediate threat within a building or on a campus and is the signal for a full-scale lockdown of all classrooms. This book, "Code Red: Conversations and Solutions for an Educational System in Crisis," presents a variety of voices from teachers, administrators, teacher preparation…

The "IDRA Newsletter" serves as a vehicle for communication with educators, school board members, decision-makers, parents, and the general public concerning the educational needs of all children across the United States. The focus of this issue is "School Leadership." Contents include: (1) Superintendent Dr. Daniel King…

The Center on Standards, Alignment, Instruction, and Learning (C-SAIL), examines through four lines of study to determine how college- and career-readiness (CCR) standards are implemented, if they improve student learning, and what instructional tools measure and support their implementation. This brief presents findings from C-SAIL's…

The Center on Standards, Alignment, Instruction, and Learning (C-SAIL), examines how college- and career-readiness (CCR) standards are implemented, if they improve student learning, and what instructional tools measure and support their implementation. This brief presents findings from C-SAIL's Implementation Study, which uses interview and survey…

The Center on Standards, Alignment, Instruction, and Learning (C-SAIL), examines through four lines of study to determine how college- and career-readiness (CCR) standards are implemented, if they improve student learning, and what instructional tools measure and support their implementation. This brief presents findings from C-SAIL's…

Social media have the potential to improve educational opportunities for high school students, but also present legal and policy challenges for public school principals. Those were among opinions expressed in the 2010 Principals' Partnership Poll. The most frequently-cited request by the 306 respondents was help in integrating social media into…

The authors in this volume share exemplary arts-integration practices across the K-8 curriculum. Rather than providing formulas or scripts to be followed, they carefully describe how the arts provide an entry point for gaining insight into why and how students learn. The book includes rich and lively examples of public school teachers integrating…

"Changing Schools" places educational and social aims at the centre of a discussion of educational change. It draws on 14 case studies to explore school change which is oriented towards social justice and democracy. In an age of global mobility, economic polarization and unprecedented environmental and cultural challenges, the education…

Teachers are facing an increasing number of changes in their job context, many of which significantly affect their work lives. This study offers a theoretical understanding of the changes in teachers' working conditions, starting from the intensification thesis. The case study of a Flemish (Belgian) elementary school shows the existence of various…

Research shows that principals with strong leadership qualities are a critical factor in effective schools. This paper describes three research based techniques that principals can use when making decisions about how to help teachers develop their skills. The Concerns Based Adoption Model (CBAM) is an empirically based conceptual framework that…

Principals from the 1991-1992 Blue Ribbon Schools--those schools selected by the U.S. Department of Education that have demonstrated an unusual ability to create an atmosphere that promotes learning for "everyone"--were asked to share a "best idea" that they had put into practice in their schools. Selected from over 100 submissions, the "best…

This book presents suggestions, organized by categories of eduational concerns, that many principals have used to prepare students for the 21st century. Principals of the 1993-94 Blue Ribbon Scools--those schools selected by the U.S. Department of Education as outstanding elementary and middle schools--were asked to share a "best idea" that they…

Practices for improving adolescent literacy--which includes reading, writing, and speaking--are much discussed and debated among secondary school educators and researchers. At Discovery Middle School in Madison, Alabama, the debate has ended after teachers and administrators implemented several practices that elevated student achievement from…

The journal issue contains articles in either Chinese or English, each with abstracts in both languages. They include: "'Every Person Is a Creative Being': Teaching Method Designed To Cultivate Creativity from the Perspective of Educational Psychology" (Wai Man Lee); "Sex Differences in Problem Behaviour and the Self-Concept: An…