Nowadays, teacher and administrator evaluations are being linked to retention and dismissal suggestions. School districts should involve teachers and administrators in developing a fair system of evaluation, carry it out as planned, and make sure it is visible and accepted. (Author/JM)

Since court rulings vary, the legal status of academic freedom in the classroom varies geographically. Teachers must use caution in asserting absolute freedom concerning classroom activities, and schools must develop sound curriculum policies and carefully document infractions. (Author/JM)

Describes three networks of British schools that are successfully banding together to assist one another with restructuring, school-based management, curriculum changes, staff development, and record keeping. Networks varied in size and scope, but all three were committed to dialog, cooperation, and solidarity in the interest of improving…

Mike Rose wrote "Possible Lives: the Promise of Public Education in America" (1995) to enrich the conversation about public education's alleged shortcomings. The nation's "best" classrooms vary considerably, but all are respectful, physically and emotionally safe, and intellectually and socially vibrant places. Parents and…

Expresses the importance of scientifically based research in education reform and explains how to judge the validity of educational research. Describes control groups, randomized and matched experiments, statistical educational significance, sample size, and the difference between scientifically based and rigorously evaluated research. (Contains…

Teachers' actions are thought to produce certain types of student thinking. To devise effective inservice programs, educators must understand four learning principles and five thinking dimensions enabling students to develop positive learning attitudes and acquire, integrate, and extend their knowledge. A new "curriculum" of preservice…

Debunks two myths: the United States spends more on its schools than other nations; and money makes no difference in student achievement. The United States provides more school services than other countries do. Research shows a strong expenditure/academic-achievement correlation. Test scores rise when districts use money to reduce class size and…

Information from quantum mechanics, chaos theory, fractal geometry, and the new biology can help educators rethink school-improvement approaches. Chaos and order exist simultaneously. Adaptability, the central operating principle of successful organizations, stems from five human energy fields: efficacy, flexibility, craftsmanship, consciousness,…

The placement of students in special education or compensatory programs can be justified only when student classification is valid and when the programs have distinctive qualities and show efficacy. Modified classifications, educational teaming, coordinated teacher preparation, and interagency cooperation will hopefully end disjointedness in…

National testing will not improve teacher's genius, students' prospects in life, or learning opportunities in school's immediate surroundings. Too much emphasis will be placed on comparisons among districts, counties, and states. Money will be pumped into raising scores, not decreasing class size or giving teachers more time to work with children.…

To teach culturally and linguistically diverse learners with language-learning disabilities, teachers should ensure that students understand assigned tasks, seat students from similar linguistic backgrounds together, start lessons with lead statements, use varied questioning strategies, ask for summaries, use multimodal approaches, and relate…

Many U.S. schools offer a varied, often uncoordinated array of student support services. Improvement-oriented partnerships identified by the American School Health Association include collaborations with school psychologists, physical educators, social workers, and community and public-health agencies; and provision of parent-education and…

The Council for Basic Education advocates for a strong liberal arts education, linked to high standards in core subject areas. A basic education has an academic focus centered on intellectual values. If students graduate from schools with high academic expectations, companies will have internationally competitive work forces. Equity can be…

New Haven (Connecticut) Public Schools realized that pushing students academically was useless without creating a positive school climate to address their social and emotional needs. James Comer's School Development Program is the district's guiding principle. Via planning and student-support teams, school community members decide on life-skills…

New neuroscientific knowledge is redefining possibilities for K-12 education. There are five critical variables in the brain's learning process: neural history, context, acquisition, elaboration, and encoding. This article tracks one student's unique brain activity throughout her school day to illustrate these variables. (MLH)