This paper describes a Networked Improvement Community comprised of a network of 13 states focused on improving coherence and equity in state systems of science education. Grounded in principles of improvement science adapted from healthcare, we are developing and testing resources for formative assessment in science, with the aim of developing…

Comments on the article Leadership, followership, and evolution: Some lessons from the past by Van Vugt, Hogan, and Kaiser. The current author states that Van Vugt, Hogan, and Kaiser came to three conclusions from their romp over 2.5 million years of earth history involving many species. In spite of these conclusions, Van Vugt et al. failed to…

The article argues for the participation and involvement of students in developing learning spaces within higher education. In early childhood education there is a strong emphasis upon rights, democracy and planning learning through listening to young children. Taking inspiration from this, the study explores the use of participatory approaches in…

Classroom discussions of leadership often neglect the essential role of followers. These discussions do little to address the reality of our students' predominant roles as followers within organizations. We describe the Origami Frog exercise, an experiential exercise that enables students to discover how follower behaviors impact group process and…

Replaces myths of teamwork with these assertions: teams need leaders, teamwork does not preclude individual contribution, teams work best when it is clear who is empowered to make decisions, accountability resides with individual members, and effective leaders enable team members to lead and support each other. (SK)

Erik Weinhenmayer, the first blind man to reach the summit of Mount Everest, shares what he has learned about teamwork, leadership, and overcoming limitations. (GCP)

Defines self-managed work teams as small groups of co-workers who share tasks and responsibilities of a well-defined segment of work. Discusses internal and external leadership, the role of the administrator, the coach, and the advisor, and organizational considerations. (JOW)

Teams avoid pitfalls of hierarchies but have their own drawbacks related to five categories: leadership, accountability, the nature of the task, multiskilling, and human imperfection. Instead of being viewed as a panacea, teams should be recognized as another way of organizing human beings to get the job done. (JOW)

This book offers a set of stories in which corporate executives demonstrate the folly and futility of their own business practices. In the stories, 12 executives are trying to escape from a hell of their own making. The tales provide insights into the management woes with which people at all levels deal on a daily basis. Topics include: the…

Two general models for bringing about change--the structural model and the people model--are described. Team leadership and team building are seen as people-oriented approaches to change that also affect the structure of an organization. Both targets of change--people and structures--should be approached in tandem. (MLW)

Suggests that individuals can compile an action plan for professional and organizational change that aligns personal and organizational priorities by considering leadership, coaching, corporate citizenship, change management, efficiency, teamwork, customer focus, and decision making. Presents models and assessment instruments for personal…

States that recent research suggests that an education in theater beginning in kindergarten and continuing throughout the educational process can teach students valuable skills that will serve them well in the professional world, including problem solving, team work, and decision making. Discusses the program at Jefferson High School and its…

This article discusses barriers to collaboration that are specific to Professional Development School (PDS) leadership team meetings. It offers a rationale for involving the school psychologist on the PDS team as a facilitator and concludes with suggestions for breaking the barriers to successful PDS leadership team meetings. (SM)

For successful school reform, educators must think differently about the purpose of schools and educational delivery, and redesign infrastructures built on shared values and beliefs, multiple interacting linkages, and teamwork. School leaders are catalysts for change and, working with the school's power agents and modeling expected behaviors,…

This book contains eight articles that explore the relationship between school superintendents and boards of education. In the first article, "Partners in Progress," Matthew King explains that superintendents and boards can model the values and behaviors that they espouse for students and staff when they collaborate. The second article, "Public…