Democratic schools are schools that result from explicit attempts by educators to put in place arrangements and opportunities that will bring democracy to life. These arrangements and opportunities involve two lines of work. One is to create democratic structures and processes by which life in school is carried out. The other is to create a…

This article discusses the rise of online learning and describes how educators in Michigan are doing their part to harness the power of online learning to transform today's high school students into lifelong learners, a key component of students' long-term success in the global economy. The author urges schools to prepare for the growing demand in…

Even under the best of circumstances, teaching mathematics is a daunting challenge. However, in today's society, it is increasingly important. Basic numeracy is one of the few essential skills that students absolutely must master, both for their own good and for the benefit of the nation's democracy and economic well-being. Unfortunately, numeracy…

Being in balance is vital to a healthy school environment and may make schools more productive. However, being in balance is hard to define. It may be easier to start by identifying what "out" of balance looks like. All administrators have had days when they have felt that their efforts were for naught. The phone keeps ringing, the parents are…

Principals cannot lead the school improvement process alone. They must enlist the help of others in the school community. School counselors, whose role is often viewed as peripheral and isolated from teaching and learning, can help principals, teachers, students, and parents balance the duties and responsibilities involved in continuous student…

Campus supervision is a craft that must be learned. It requires both knowledge and skill to be effective. Supervisors need a baseline knowledge of the school. They also need to understand the students they are to supervise--their cultural backgrounds, group dynamics, unique behaviors, issues, normal hangouts, and communication styles, as well as…

Setting high expectations, promoting academic excellence, encouraging students to set their sights on postsecondary education--administrators and teachers are quite familiar with these ideas and their use within the school setting. Although each of these ideas is important to what secondary education is and should be, it is somehow hard to imagine…

Students' literacy achievement tends to lessen as they progress from elementary to middle level to high school as measured by state and national assessments. To ensure that secondary school students retain their literacy skills, many states and districts have created the position of literacy coach for middle and high schools. Literacy coaches are…

This article presents the conversation of the principals of Breakthrough High Schools (BTHS) about literacy. When asked about the essentials of a successful high school literacy initiative and the administrator's role in developing a schoolwide literacy initiative, the principals revealed the strategies and practices they use to improve students'…

Describes a year-long, high school reading and writing literacy course developed by the National Center on Education and the Economy, designed to be delivered in a 90-minute, double-block period 5 days a week. Identifies several things principals can do to successfully implement the course. (PKP)

Students with disabilities need self-determination skills to achieve desired in-school and post-school outcomes. Many of these students need direct and explicit instruction to develop these skills. To provide this instruction, schools can infuse self-determination skills into content instruction or adopt a stand-alone self-determination…

Technology expenditures and usage in schools have risen by nearly 300 percent during the last three decades. Few principals claim to be technology experts, but most aspire to design a map that leads their schools to success with educational technology. The key to success on the journey is not to know everything, but to ask the right questions.…

Understanding and implementing effective classroom assessments are skills that are essential to increasing student achievement. Unfortunately, many teachers have had little training in assessment strategies in either graduate or undergraduate programs. Administrators, therefore, must find innovative ways to help their teachers think like assessors…

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was passed in 1965 under the Johnson administration. Before that, federal legislation dealing with education provided funding or land for schools and special programs but was careful not to intrude on states' rights to make decisions on curriculum and the general operations of schools. The No Child…

Recently, Argyle Middle School in Montgomery County, Maryland faced the prospect of corrective action for failure to make adequate yearly progress (AYP) under the No Child Left Behind Act. The county's Office of School Performance designed the Strategic Monitoring/Intervention Process to help schools identify students' academic progress both…