This case study describes a pilot professional development project in which school leaders met regularly in a community of practice to clarify each other's identification of a problem of practice followed by development and implementation of a school improvement plan. Findings indicated positive perceptions of and engagement in the community of…

High-performing schools, it is noted, share an organizational culture in which administrators, staff, and students agree on a common purpose for educational outcomes and undertake cooperative team efforts to reach these goals. A Virginia high school transformed its culture by providing comprehensive professional development and teacher-leadership…

An urban Louisiana school system successfully graduated 23 adult dropouts, awarding them real high school diplomas, thanks to the collaborative efforts of various social service agencies, intensive staff development, and sensitivity to students' economic and affective needs. Although schools cannot solve all the personal problems confronting the…

Many middle schools use teaming or other models to create smaller teaching and learning units. Too often, schools align these models with characteristics advocated in the literature, rather than focusing on collaborative work environments' effects on teachers' and students' lives. These structures' true value lies in the collaborative work…

Faced with declining test scores, meager resources, and an untenable student/faculty ratio, a predominantly minority urban high school decided to bring in more student teachers. The school welcomed and integrated student teachers into the faculty, taught them about urban education, provided opportunities for mutual support, and solicited their…

Describes a program focusing on developing positive attitudes, knowledge, and skills among assistant principals working in an El Paso school district. The Ysleta Assistant Principals Leadership Academy has established a strong partnership with higher education, created expanded learning opportunities, provided mentors, and extended administrators'…

In response to growing numbers of school-based and -linked integrated-service programs, university partnerships among schools of education, health, and social work are forming to prepare professionals with necessary skills, knowledge, and dispositions to work collaboratively in urban neighborhoods. An interdisciplinary training program at an…