The reality is that most students and teachers have multiple, complex, and even contradictory identities. This matters greatly because it's hard for young people to succeed or be well if they feel they need to hide significant parts of themselves because their identities are stigmatized for being different or stereotyped to fit into a program or a…

Objective: The purpose of this paper is to share the results of research into the experience of teacher risk-taking in the classroom. The development of children as risk-takers is featured prominently in curriculum documents and reports calling for the competencies of 21st century learning. Teachers are expected to become 21st century learners who…

As district leaders consider professional learning opportunities for educators, mobilizing new thought and actions across an entire system is a vexing challenge. Classroom-based learning may unfortunately be viewed as juxtaposed to district-based learning. It becomes essential for district leaders to develop knowledge mobilization strategies which…

This paper examines the options available to states to redefine their accountability systems as they begin to implement the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The new law provides the possibility that states can create more balanced systems of support and accountability focused on educating young people so they can become productive, engaged…

This article reports on the implementation and impact of two blended models of teacher professional learning that promote innovative classroom practice and improved literacy and numeracy in six school districts in Ontario, Canada. The Advanced Broadband Enabled Learning Program (ABEL), situated at York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada,…

Rural communities that envision a bright future for themselves and their children have become innovative out of necessity--they learn, and adapt, in order to flourish and to provide opportunities for their children. As the formal centers of learning, and often as the largest employer in the community, rural schools become the heart and symbol of…

This volume, the sixth in a series of seven described in ED 063 225, provides a single source which spans the development of innovative education in Ontario. The present volume deals with innovative developments of many different kinds in the local school systems in years up to 1970. The major purpose is to show what may be expected from an…

Zero-base budgeting (ZBB), a systematically structured approach to budgeting, has the potential to improve policy attainment, resource reallocation, program review, and information systems. Some 300 businesses, a dozen states, one municipality, and one school district in the United States have operationalized the concept. Many private and public…

Pros and cons of the controversial voucher plan now being tried in the United States. (Author/MM)

An interview with the director (Jackson) and the assistant director (Andrews) of the O.I.S.E., conducted by members of the Canadian Education Association.

Increased student expulsions have resulted from safe schools policies. The York Region (Ontario) school district established a program for expelled students to continue their education that includes academic learning, social and psychological counseling, life-skills development, work-related programs, and anger management. Students cited small…

In four years, the Medicine Hat Teacher Supervision and Evaluation Project has evolved from centrally planned innovation into an integral part of the district's internal organization, enabling teachers and administrators to pursue educational change and professional development and receive recognition in a climate of rising expectations, trust,…

A rural Alberta school division is experimenting with three different ways of using wireless laptop computers in K-12 classrooms. Teachers receive intensive training and support and are made aware of thousands of online curriculum resources. The impact of technology on student achievement, stakeholder perceptions, professional development…

Relationships and leadership, that, in a nutshell, is the vision of professional learning in the remote Northern Lights School Division in Alberta, Canada. This article describes the professional learning provided by Northern Lights, which has been building its capacity for teacher and leadership growth for more than 13 years. The division: (1)…

The 13 papers in this collection were presented at the first national conference held in Canada for educational administrators at all levels. Titles and authors are: (1) "Emerging Trends in the Administration of Canadian School Systems," J. H. M. Andrews; (2) "Differentiated Staffing," S. A. Earl; (3) "Communication in…