State takeovers of public-school districts are a controversial method to help fix struggling schools across the United States. This article considers the reasons behind takeovers, their effects on schools and communities, and both the positive and negative aspects of state involvement. We examine various state laws and specific examples from 3…

To address the question of how to develop the capacity for every instructional coach to provide job-embedded professional learning for every teacher and student, the Utah State Board of Education's quality instruction team designed and built a statewide 22 networked professional learning system that includes instructional coaches, local education…

In the study reported on here, we investigated the effectiveness of principal leadership practices in secondary schools in Niger State, Nigeria. Surveys were conducted with 154 principals, 269 heads of the department and 25 members of staff from the Secondary Education Board in Niger State. The findings indicate that the extent of principal…

We studied a case of a school in a high need setting that undertook multiple simultaneous initiatives during a major school reorganization. We focused on the simultaneous implementations of two comprehensive initiatives, one related to ambitious mathematics teaching and one related to the Understanding by Design curriculum writing process. We…

Following the 1983 "A Nation at Risk" report and culminating in No Child Left Behind (NCLB), states designed and implemented accountability policies to evaluate student achievement. External assessments of these policies identified substantial variability in the level of stakes associated with each system. This paper presents a…

This document focuses on state education agency (SEA) support for child find, consultation and provision of equitable service provisions for parentally placed private school students with disabilities. Project Forum at the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE) completed this activity as part of its cooperative…

Kentucky has become the first state to adopt common academic standards that were drafted as part of a nationwide initiative to establish a widely shared and ambitious vision of student learning. With a unanimous vote this month, the Kentucky board of education approved the substitution of the common standards in mathematics and English/language…

School boards, state departments of education, and accrediting agencies control resources and exert authority over schools through such mechanisms as standardized testing, standards, and alternative certification to resolve teacher shortages. These bodies have more power to influence educational reform than teachers do. (Contains 16 references.)…

A new professionalism for teachers will only be possible when the following constituencies collaborate for educational change: (1) teachers; (2) education school deans and faculties; (3) chairs and members of university arts and sciences departments; (4) local school administrators and committee members; (5) state departments of education; and (6)…

State education agencies mandate lofty goals and give school boards the fewest possible resources to achieve them. The board's role is not to lead educationally, but take punches for other institutions' failings. Local control exists in name only. Boards at least keep instinctive self-seeking within bounds. (MLH)

The paper discusses the process whereby a system of teacher evaluation was established in Chile through a lengthy and complicated process of negotiations between the three main institutions concerned: the Teachers' Union, the Association of Chilean Municipalities (managers of the public school system) and the Ministry of Education. The process is…

The rapid growth and development of outdoor education in Ontario during the 1960s-70s can be attributed to the social and political climate of the time; widespread enthusiasm for environmental education; and Ministry of Education support through teacher education courses, legislation, incentive grants, and founding of the Council of Outdoor…

Proposes ways to ensure teacher quality through professionalizing teacher hiring and dismissal policies. State and local education authorities must stop undercutting current standards and must end emergency credentials and the misassignment of teachers. Suggests ways to accommodate teacher shortages until additional qualified teachers are found.…