The "elephant in the room" when we talk about preparing critical thinkers for the 21st century, Gallagher believes, is U.S. students' lack of reading proficiency and their general disinclination to read. Gallagher's provocative argument is that a significant factor behind the decline of reading in young people is a set of practices…

Overwhelmed by the prospect of facilitating the district's strategic planning sessions, a Pennsylvania superintendent called on some well-trained colleagues from another district to coach her in the process. This on-the-spot peer coaching helped the district accomplish its objectives by enabling the superintendent to play her facilitator role more…

A 36-person task force examined futures literature, listed 41 trends that could have an impact on education, and selected 15 implications of these trends as having the most significance for Virginia Beach, Virginia, schools. (MLF)

A futures perspective on learning calls for a redefinition of education. Competencies will go beyond basic skills and the emphasis will be on learning how to learn. (Author)

An instructional improvement program in Hinsdale School District, Illinois, succeeded by emphasizing formative evaluation, administrator evaluation, and long-range planning. Participants learned that a new program should be consistent with district goals, focus on staff development, and acquire top-level commitment and resources. (CJH)

Short and long term strategies for implementing critical thinking skills into school programs are discussed. The short term strategy is to teach analytic skills within established subject areas, while the long term strategy involves recognizing and overcoming the unconscious obstacles to development of sound critical and dialectical thinking. (TE)

School districts can integrate computers into the curriculum by accounting for the following variables in their planning: (1) revision of district learner goals, (2) adjustments in instructional priorities, (3) selection of hardware and software, (4) staff development needs, (5) expected technological advances, and (6) systematic review of the…

An advisory group in Princeton, New Jersey, has set functional literacy goals for students to learn to think, communicate, cooperate, and make reasoned and well-informed decisions. The goals are made up of four main components: information, skills, appreciation, and attitudes. (MLF)

Describes lessons learned from a five-year comprehensive model evaluation program developed by school systems in Minnesota and Iowa. The learner's experience was planned through instructional and curriculum strategies. Performance criteria were established for teachers, and principals and students evaluated classrooms. Pre- and post-testing…

Describes the design and operation of an information scanning system to alert school systems about emerging issues in the areas of social, technical, economic, and legislative/regulatory developments and to enable administrators to anticipate and respond to these issues. (MLF)