As families and institutions change, many U.S. children could fail to realize their potential to lead fulfilling adult lives. Confronted by poverty, the crack cocaine epidemic, and increased exposure to violence, children make daily choices altering their life's course. Schools are increasingly expected to resolve social problems without…

Teachers must learn to distinguish among performance assessments of different quality and appropriateness. Design criteria (cognitive complexity, linguistic appropriateness, content quality and coverage, and meaningfulness) are judged by examining assessment tasks and scoring rubrics. Effects criteria (transfer, generalizability, instructional…

A 1998 American Association of University Women report describes a deepening technological divide between girls and boys. Boys are attracted to graphic arts and design; girls typically enroll in clerical and data-entry courses--the 1990s version of typing. Educators must help girls become "power users" and designers. (14 references) (MLH)

Many South Chicago schools are successfully using older technologies, including photomechanical language-lab consoles, revamped and networked PCs, and "ancient" software packages rivaling today's expensive, repackaged products. Re-use is cost-effective. Schools should differentiate among computers' capabilities. Despite big industry's…

The Improving America's School Act funds numerous small programs that dissipate its purpose and increase its vulnerability. Congress is debating extension of federal roles into areas such as social promotion, parental rights, reading programs, class-size reduction, and national voluntary tests. Changing budget rules pits education against military…

School personnel must know which students have asthma, typical warning signs, and appropriate actions in an emergency. Administering appropriate medication and reducing environmental triggers are not enough. Policymaking in schools and workplaces and legislation to increase health care access and eliminate substandard housing and air pollution are…

Facing a new state mandate, Maryland teacher educators established a pilot professional development school (PDS) and achieved positive results with preservice teachers. The PDS internship was more effective than the regular program in preparing teacher candidates to maintain classroom discipline, use technology effectively for instruction, and…

Small school size (fewer than 400 students) makes possible success-enhancing structures and practices: strong, ongoing student/adult and home/school relationships; flat organizational structure; concentration on a few goals; ongoing, site-specific professional development; a respectful culture; and community engagement. Implementation barriers are…

The real enemy is not working mothers, but a society that undervalues parenting. Schools can help parents address and manage their guilt and stress, stop the mommy wars (between working and nonworking parents), work to improve community childcare, include fathers in outreach efforts, and help employers become family-friendly. (MLH)

Site-based management is especially relevant for large, complex, and bureaucratic city districts. A recent study of six urban midwestern schools shows that effective SBM schools fully involve parents, challenge current principal/teacher relationships, eliminate destructive district/school relationships, build a trusting climate, create meaningful…

In 1992 and 1993, the Boston Public Schools and Boston Teachers' Union contracts established school-based management as a schoolwide policy. Now Boston's school-site councils are focusing on varied educational improvement issues, including educational missions, effective teaching strategies, genuine parent involvement, a student-centered…

Educators have long recognized the negative pedagogical effects of the strong centralization, curricular uniformity, and fragmentation that characterizes Israel's equity-driven education system. A recent experiment with site-based management at nine elementary schools may increase teacher and parental involvement, improve school climate, and…

Groups of teachers and schools can bridge the theory-practice gap by using the Web-based Integrated Science Environment (WISE) project library. The WISE learning environment promotes lifelong learning along with language and technology literacy by making science accessible, thinking visible, and learning a cooperative experience. (Contains 16…

Facing increasing standardization and accountability pressures, schools struggle to retain democratic ideals while seeking alternative visions. The standards movement defines a well-educated citizen as a technologically adept, economically savvy college graduate. Democracy flourishes only when protecting the marketplace of ideas and a diversity of…

An independent school in Encino, California, studied the concept of neoplasticity (lifelong brain reorganization processes) and started using more technology in classrooms. Brain-based programs require a rich learning environment, thematic instruction, integrated curricula, musical stimulation, multiple intelligences, and multisensory specialized…