In 2011, the Louisiana Board of Regents (BoR), through the development and implementation of the Master Plan, advanced its vision for the future of postsecondary education by adopting the following three broad goals: (1) Increase the educational attainment of the State's adult population to the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) States'…

A growing body of literature has highlighted the affordances of distributive forms of instructional leadership as a means to broaden and deepen instructional leadership capacity within schools. Yet, specifically how the capabilities of such key leaders as high school department chairs can be fostered to realize enhanced instructional capacity…

This article reports a project in which two researchers in cognitive psychology, learning, and instruction collaborated with a high school English teacher to develop lessons that contained three scaffolds to facilitate symbolic interpretation when students read poetry. The scaffolds were based on instructional strategies that have shown to be…

This newsletter addresses various supports that districts are utilizing to help keep students in school and on the path to graduation. Described herein are three districts that have been particularly successful in raising student achievement--even though they differ in their specific strategies, fund allocation, and demographic composition. A…

In the knowledge economy, the journey of education to develop a flexible, knowledgeable, and skilled workforce should begin in pre-school and continue until at least an associate degree--the equivalent of a high school diploma a generation ago--is achieved. A high school diploma is not sufficient to compete in a global economy. The number of…

When considering the number and variety of people a teacher needs to serve in the course of a semester, adding any additional variables to the mix can seem daunting. Welcoming students with moderate and severe special needs into the room can seem particularly overwhelming. It is almost impossible to envision a situation where regular and special…

The Chicago Annenberg Challenge, chaired from 1995 to 1999 by Barack Obama, is being portrayed by John McCain's campaign as an attempt to push radicalism on schools. Founders of the project say it has been distorted in the presidential campaign. The project undertaken in Chicago as part of a high-profile national initiative reflected, however,…

This study examines nine voluntary working relationships or partnerships between tribal education departments (TEDs) and local education agencies supporting American Indian students. Individual profiles describe how each partnership works, focusing primarily on collaborative activities intended to improve education outcomes for American Indian…

Article VIII of Louisiana's Constitution authorizes the Board of Regents (BoR) to develop a master plan for higher education in Louisiana. This Master Plan provides a broad vision for the State's higher education system and acknowledges its interdependence with the economy and its many contributions towards better lives for Louisiana's citizenry.…

Article VIII, §5 D (4) of Louisiana's Constitution requires the Board of Regents (BoR) to "formulate and make timely revision of a master plan for postsecondary education…" On August 24, 2011, the BoR adopted the "Master Plan for Public Postsecondary Education in Louisiana: 2011" outlining the long-term goals for the State's…

Hanging in the entryway of Quakertown Community Senior High School in Quakertown, Pennsylvania, was the school vision: "Enter to Learn; Leave to Serve." The school vision statement contained the right words, but it did not inspire anyone. In many classrooms, teachers lectured from the front of the room, students sat in rows taking notes,…

Launched in 2003, "Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count" is a multiyear national initiative designed to improve educational outcomes for community college students, particularly students of color and low-income students. Supported by Lumina Foundation for Education and other funders, the initiative has grown to include 98…

Carved from cedar trees by the Native people of the Northwest Coast, totems are outgrowths of the region's aboriginal art forms. Originally an important part of the pot-latch ceremony--a feast with deep meaning to coastal First Nations--totem poles were once raised to represent a family clan, its kinship system, dignity, accomplishments, prestige,…

The application of sport psychology techniques on high school students to improve their overall education is discussed.

The International Asteroid Search Campaign (IASC, fondly nicknamed "Isaac") is an Internet-based program for high schools and colleges. Within hours of acquisition, astronomical CCD images are made available via the Internet to participating schools around the world. Under the guidance of their teachers, students analyze the images with free…