The author identifies 10 phases of the principal development pipeline, some of which are seldom acknowledged and many of which are inadequately addressed. The author argues that various stakeholder groups should collaborate to provide continuous professional development to future and current principals through each phase of the pipeline. Examples…

School discipline and school safety are primary areas of concern for school administrators. This article summarizes the research literature regarding suspension in response to nonviolent and subjective offenses for racial/ethnic minorities. Steps that administrators can follow in applying a root cause analysis with a focus on school practices are…

For school administrators to facilitate impactful teacher professional development, a shift in thinking that goes beyond the acquisition of new skills and knowledge to helping teachers rethink their practice is required. Based on review of the professional development literature and our own continued observations of professional development, this…

The Every Student Succeeds Act encourages home, school, and community partnerships as a method for improving academic achievement. Districts who seek federal funding must provide outreach to all caregivers within the district, making meaningful efforts to attract those with the greatest barriers to engagement. This review provides a thematic…

Educational evaluation (Ed Eval) and professional learning communities (PLCs) are two of the nation's most predominant approaches to widespread instructional improvement. Yet key attributes of these reform initiatives are too often experienced by teachers as burdensome, or even detrimental, rather than helpful. The authors of this article contend…

Hall and Hord's (2005) concerns-based adoption model (CBAM) served as the framework to study a districtwide implementation of Rachel's Challenge in Rockwall, Texas. This article describes CBAM principles and strategies that were used to increase awareness of the change process during the first year of implementing the character education program.…

Although 1980s school reform efforts focused on improving student achievement, they overemphasized content coverage and testing for content retention. Future secondary reforms must transcend student "production" to reach all students consistently, emphasize application of curricular content, model critical thinking and decision-making, and foster…

Debunks brain/education myths. The term "brain-based education" is redundant; learning is the brain's function. More brain cell connections do not equal more learning. There is no "critical period" for developing human brain capacity. All learning is emotional, and learning never ends. Tips for high-school teachers are…

Effective school discipline plans get to the root cause of student misconduct and specify expected behavior codes, values, and directives. Successful plans involve all stakeholders in their design, recognize parents as the first link to prevention, ensure access to professional development, celebrate students' positive contributions to the school…

Despite the tremendous changes wrought by technology, folktales contain certain truths about life, human nature, and what's needed to maintain a viable, socially sane society. Folktales are invaluable for stressing heroic actions, personal and social growth, and progress toward meaningful goals. (MLH)

Two interpretations are presented of the social dimensions of consumer education: the social/political interpretation and the personal/moral interpretation. Both contain a moral dimension involving questions of obligations and responsibilities to others. (MD)

Schools cannot produce students as continuous learners and effective collaborators without teachers who possess those same characteristics. Learning organizations thrive on attention to staff orientation, curricular and/or interdisciplinary teams, peer observation, study groups, action research, school improvement task forces, professional…

Introduces a special section focusing on the knowledge and skills required of tomorrow's school principals. Articles will concentrate on curriculum and instruction, school culture and climate, legal and resource management concerns, use of technology, commitment and leadership skills, change process, organization and staff development, and…

Administrators involved in school improvement programs are finding that supervision is the essence of instructional leadership. Effective supervisor leadership requires constant searching for ways to integrate several core elements of school improvement--classroom instruction, curriculum development, classroom management, and staff development.…

Academic multiculturalism, an emerging educational trend, is a one-dimensional approach that adds a list of admirable persons of color to the existing curriculum. Political multiculturalism opens the curriculum to analysis and reconstruction of historical power struggles, including the social conditions and inequitable power relations behind…