This author contends that the United States neglects creativity in its education system. To see this, he states, one may look at the Common Core State Standards. If one searches the English Language Arts and Literacy standards for the words "creative," "innovative," and "original"--and any associated terms, one will…

The authors assert that lesson study--a collaborative, teacher-led approach to learning from practice--offers a deeper, broader, more sustainable method of improving teacher practice than one-on-one coaching does. In lesson study, teachers and coaches of all levels of experience can work together, each bringing his or her own professional…

In this interview, creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson makes the case for creativity as the crucial 21st-century skill. Genuine creative processes involve critical thinking as well as imaginative insights and fresh ideas. Also, creativity is a process, not a single event, one that requires continual evaluation. It's about everyone, it's a function…

As teachers learn new pedagogical strategies, they crave explicit demonstrations that show them how the new strategies will work with their students in their classrooms. Successful instructional coaches, therefore, understand the importance of modeling lessons to help teachers develop a vision of effective instruction. The author, an experienced…

In an interview with Educational Leadership, Frederick M. Hess talks about greenfield schooling--a policy approach that attempts to knock down the formal and informal barriers that stand in the way of innovation in education. Greenfield schooling, he explains, "doesn't imagine that we should go around razing districts or schools or taking…

"Digital natives" refer to today's students because they are native speakers of technology, fluent in the digital language of computers, video games, and the Internet. Those who were not born into the digital world are referred to as digital immigrants. Educators, considered digital immigrants, have slid into the 21st century--and into the digital…

To become better writers, children need opportunities to write and freedom to let their ideas flow. Two schools in Atlanta (Georgia) have followed this principle with successful results. (Author/MLF)

The conventional school curriculum has largely ignored the local community. School-based fieldwork projects patterned after "Foxfire" can bridge the gap between classroom and community. (Author/MLF)

Society must create--in connection with schools or apart from them--new ways to help young people learn about "becoming adult." (Author)

We can revive the spirit of inventiveness by allowing students the freedom to consider the unconventional and probe the possibilities of the "impossible." (Author)

New understandings of the human brain can be used to make quantum jumps in achieved learning. Sweeping changes need to be made in school organization, learning concepts, settings, and techniques. (Author/MLF)

The humanities can provide the foundation for the pursuit of excellence in both students and teachers by enriching and enlivening the common culture. (MLF)

Ponders the transitory nature of some educational innovations, the resistence of the school system to outside forces, and two conditions without precedence: the reality of nuclear weapons and the women's movement. (MLF)

As director of Association for Supervision and Curriculum for 19 years, Gordon Cawelti traveled over 2 million miles to improve curriculum and teaching and provide leadership. After upgrading conference and journal quality in early years, Cawelti concentrated on promoting team leadership and developing a global education model. On retirement,…

With a simplified alphabet and interactive computer programing, John Henry Martin has developed a system by which children can learn to read and write far better than usual. In this interview, he explains his approach. (Author/MLF)