Principals are tasked with being the instructional leaders in their schools--developing teacher's abilities through formal and informal classroom observations and feedback. But how can school districts ensure that principals have the skills they need to fulfill this crucial role? In Clarke County School District in Georgia, central-office leaders…

Educators and governments are paying increasing attention to international comparisons as they seek to develop effective policies to improve the performance of their education systems. Data from the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) are useful in revealing best practices across the world. Current data show that the United…

Unions are increasingly advocating for teaching as an occupation and for public education as an American institution. New and improved unionism is replacing teachers as industrial workers with teachers as knowledge workers empowered to devise educational solutions from the classroom up. Unions' new vision will be organized around quality,…

For the past decade, the teaching profession has been building a system of quality assurance incorporating seven elements: advanced certification, licensing standards, curriculum standards, alignment, accreditation, professional-development schools, and state standards boards. NCATE-accredited institutions produce more qualified teachers than…