Often little unsaid things demonstrate what is truly important in a school. When teachers have common planning time and all of the department chairs share a single space as they do at Norview High School in Norfolk, VA, the unmistakable message is that instructional collaboration and leadership are expected and valued. Norview, an urban,…

All over the world, educators are recognizing that creating a school culture and climate that genuinely engages and supports all students is essential to increasing students' achievement and preventing students from dropping out. Research supports the view that schools must encourage students to express themselves--clearly and often--and be places…

Much like the MetLife Foundation-NASSP Breakthrough Schools that came before them, the honoree schools this year are remarkable. In addition to offering students safe and challenging learning environments, the schools also afford their adult members a respectful, collaborative place to work and grow, and they give their diverse communities an…

Schools that break through the cycle of low student performance may look different to outsiders; however, when the processes underlying the improvements are examined, collaboration, personalization, and a focus on instruction always emerge as the keys to the newfound success. The principles of these core areas are fundamental to creating a school…

Effective professional development can support efforts to increase rigor in one's school. From the authors' research on the schools that won the U.S. Department of Education's Award for Staff Development, they found seven key characteristics that were apparent in staff development at these schools: (1) A clear purpose that is linked to research,…

Disparities in suspension rates for White, Black, Hispanic, and American Indian students are more often a result of inequitable disciplinary actions than differences in behavior. Exclusionary discipline undermines students' academic achievement by weakening their connection with school and removing them from the classroom. Students who experience…

Current education standards focus narrowly on reading, math, and science learning. As fundamentally important as those standards are, they do not incorporate the essential social, emotional, ethical, and civic dimensions of student learning. School climate does. A growing number of districts and state departments of education are in the process of…

Florence (AL) Middle School has mastered the art of turning obstacles into opportunities. After dealing with changing grade configurations, years of regrouping faculty and team members, a school name change, and a move to a converted high school building, the staff and students were then asked to change from a seven-period to an eight-period…

Creating a personalized environment that provides each student with an advocate and a plan for success is a key element in preventing students from becoming disengaged from school. Clarke (as cited in NASSP, 2004) defines personalization as "a learning process in which schools help students assess their own talents and aspirations, plan a pathway…

One of the most important challenges of a principal's day is that of building and maintaining a school culture that promotes safety and supports learning. So it should come as no surprise to experienced educators that school safety and positive school climate directly affect academic achievement. This article discusses how principals can build an…

Entering the lobby of Park View High School in Sterling, VA, is like entering another world. The diversity in the student body is reflected in flags from 63 of the 80 countries that are represented in the student population, and in a special project for Hispanic Heritage Month, which covers the walls of an entire hallway. The school walls,…

Schools provide the context in which the interests of all the stakeholders in a child's education intersect to sustain academic achievement. Strong home, school, and community partnerships are integral to the ability of English language learners (ELLs) to access learning opportunities, and parental involvement is particularly important to their…

New teachers, especially those who are not certified in education, need support to succeed at teaching and remain in the profession. Because there is a growing national shortage of science teachers, many school districts are forced to hire teachers who have science degrees but little training in education or experience teaching. Research shows…

The change in academic achievement at B. F. Terry High School in Rosenberg, Texas, over the last four years is proudly displayed on the outside of the building with the sign that proclaims it a Texas School of Distinction, but it's the change in attitude inside of the school that's most striking. A growing majority of the school's students live in…

Strategic conversations are a series of targeted, individualized interactions with teachers that are designed to help them significantly improve their instruction. Unlike typical supervisory feedback, strategic conversations move in two directions. Together, the leader and the teacher identify problems and develop solutions to instructional…