Discusses the current problem of school failure in Luxembourg. Examines school failure in general and describes the main characteristics of Luxembourg's school system, highlighting possible remedial solutions to the situation that are being recommended by the government, and examining pertinent developments in the field of teacher training. (SM)

Teachers must know how to integrate technology into the classroom to improve learning; use technology to help students master content and performance standards; and know when technology is appropriate to help learning. Two sets of recently released technology standards can help school leaders develop comprehensive staff-development plans: the…

The Alabama Reading Initiative is a public-private consortium promoting a research-based approach to literacy instruction. Its goal is 100-percent literacy. Use of the approach at one middle school involved development-, practice-, and demonstration-oriented professional development and deep faculty collaboration. The effort resulted in a dramatic…

The Better Teaching--Better Writing program, as implemented in the School District of Webster Groves (MO), has four objectives: (1) by the completion of a 1979 Summer Writing Institute, the 19 participants would demonstrate increased knowledge about the literature and research in the teaching of writing, about teaching of writing approaches, and…

For years, the classic supervision model has frustrated both principals and teachers by fostering superior-subordinate relationships, focusing on teacher conformity rather than growth, or producing checklist data that is irrelevant to the curriculum. This book offers a practical, time-saving alternative that impacts student achievement by…

This study examines the quality of California's K-12 education, discussing how the system protects mediocrity and how to improve educational quality in the state. It explains that what most ails the teaching force is that excellent teachers are not rewarded for superior work, and failing teachers are rarely held accountable for poor performance.…

School districts strongly influence the strategic choices that schools make to improve teaching and learning. Districts act as gatekeepers for federal and state policy by translating, interpreting, supporting, or blocking actions on their schools' behalf. The efforts of districts to build the capacity of students, teachers, and schools are often…

The American Federation of Teachers has developed 11 guidelines for developing programs to prepare teachers to make complex decisions identify and solve problems, and connect theory, practice, and student outcomes: (1) professional development should deepen and broaden knowledge of content; (2) professional development should provide a strong…

This report describes a research project designed to promote teacher professional development in order to overcome school failure and improve teacher quality, focusing on encouragement of parent participation. The project occurred in a public elementary school in a mid-sized Brazilian city. Several meetings were held between researchers and…

This book focuses on what it takes to translate professional development into impressive learning gains for students. The experiences of eight award-winning schools are distilled into principles for success. This book is based on hundreds of hours of talking with teachers and administrators at the eight schools. The schools are diverse,…

This study examined connections between staff development and student achievement in order to develop a base of knowledge for improving Georgia's staff development. The study asked whether differences in how districts and schools provided staff development for teachers accounted for some of the variation in student achievement across Georgia…

The early part of the 21st century sees the United States competing in an increasingly globalized, high-tech economy that highly prizes those individuals with quality mathematics and science educations, and bestows economic and other benefits on the nations and regions in which they live and work. Nations around the world--recognizing the…

Relevant theory and research are brought to bear on the questions of what administrators can do that makes a difference to student learning, of exactly what principals manage in their role as education leader, and of what knowledge they must have to increase learning in their schools. Conclusions are that principals can improve student achievement…

The instructional materials for inservice teacher education that are described here focus on demonstrating classroom problems in motivation, achievement, and testing. Emphasis is placed on understanding through discussion, problem-solving, and role-playing. This descriptive report provides additional information on the purposes and content of the…

The dilemmas facing urban schools can be examined on the instructional level. Low achievement of inner city students is attributable largely to educational inequities. Often the expectations and attitudes of teachers, parents, and students work in combination to yield a nonproductive learning climate. This negative climate is preserved by…