The purpose of this article is to describe lessons learned from studying the leadership in eight award-winning secondary schools and districts that were recognized for successfully leveraging technology as part of their efforts for school improvement. Data were collected through observations, interviews, and document analysis in schools and…

This article describes how the Virginia Beach schools have embraced differentiation as its new instructional philosophy, in part by adding it to teacher evaluation. The heart of guiding everyone in the district from novice to expert in the work focuses on these four essential questions: (1) Are we clear about what matters in curricula?; (2) Is the…

Virginia Beach City Public Schools had decided to embrace differentiation as its philosophy of instruction. Differentiation was added to the teacher evaluation rubric, and by 2003 Virginia Beach launched full force into a division-wide focus on Carol Ann Tomlinson's model for differentiation. (Tomlinson is the author of several books on the…

The WAC director, composition director, director of Institutional Assessment (OIA), and WAC/OIA liaison describe the programmatic "needs" and "wants" they balanced in the plan they collaboratively designed to respond to a state mandate for "value-added" writing assessment. To satisfy this mandate, as they explain,…

Discusses the development and implementation of the Standards of Learning (SOL)-Science, a publication which contains content concepts for K-12 science programs in Virginia. Examples of indicators for a criterion and suggestions for gathering evaluative data are given. (DH)

In 1978 the Commonwealth of Virginia initiated a three-year plan to develop basal fourth- and seventh-grade Virginia studies materials utilizing the resources of public and private institutions. The plan involved three stages: planning (1978-79), materials development (1979-80), and field testing and revision (1980-81). This document reviews the…

An attempt by two Petersburg schools (a college and high school) to develop career awareness among students in grades 1 through 7 in the area of business. (SN)

THE CURRENT POSITION OF CLASSICAL STUDIES IN AMERICA WAS ASSESSED BY A PLANNING CONFERENCE OF 49 SCHOLARS, REPRESENTING PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS AND INSTITUTIONS FROM ALL SECTIONS OF THE UNITED STATES. IN FOUR PLENARY SESSIONS, FOUR WORKING PAPERS WERE PRESENTED. EACH PAPER DEALT WITH ONE OF THE CONFERENCE OBJECTIVES, WHICH WERE TO (1) REASSESS…

TO ESTABLISH A COLLEGE IN 100 DAYS PRESENTED AN OPPORTUNITY TO TEST THE VALUE OF PROGRAMED ORGANIZATIONAL PROCEDURES USING PROGRAM PERFORMANCE EVALUATION AND REVIEW TECHNIQUE (PERT) UNDER ACTUAL OPERATIONAL CONDITIONS, NOT IN A SIMULATED THEORETICAL SITUATION. THROUGH THE AID OF THE PERT PLANNING SYSTEM, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THERE WERE NINE…

Lack of a curriculum guide, resource guide, and overall guidance prompted the State Agricultural Science and Mechanics Committee to survey the instructors of exploratory agriculture programs in the State in order to develop objectives, goals, and resource materials for the program. Opinions were sought from all of the teachers and supervisors…

This study investigated how and to what extent classroom teachers collaborated with museums in order to enrich their curriculum and student understanding. Researchers reviewed the literature, interviewed seven museum educators regarding their collaborations with Virginia schools, and interviewed four classroom teachers who had worked with two…

A project was conducted to implement a competency-based semester course in marriage and the family that was geared toward high school students. Four experienced consumer and homemaking teachers developed a series of 33 competencies that were verified by 11 teachers and state staff members from across Virginia. Next, a curriculum guide was…

This workbook, which is intended for secondary and postsecondary occupational instructors in Virginia who are writing competency-based curricula, explains the process of transforming an occupational task list into a curriculum framework that takes the form of a task analysis. The following topics are covered: developing the instructional task,…

Designed to assist educators in planning for the use of microcomputers in their schools, this guide begins with a brief statement of a philosophy for the use of computers in education. The main positions expressed by this philosophy are that students must have the opportunity to learn about the role of technology in society and to acquire the…