Over the past five years, Albany State University (ASU) has reconstituted its Education Specialist Leadership Tier II Program to prepare school principals to work in some of the least served schools in southwest Georgia (and, as described below, outside of Georgia as well). Prior to the redesign of the program, ASU was struggling with a limited…

This study aims to gain a better understanding of the Finnish national curriculum reform by examining how the educational practitioners, at the district level, orchestrate the shared sense-making concerning the reform work in their school districts. Qualitative focus group data was collected from 12 groups, throughout Finland, that were…

This article explores the application of Whitaker, King, and Vogel's (2004) best practices for the implementation of partnerships regarding school leadership preparation programs in 3 school district-university collaboratives located in urban settings with large minority student populations. The 3 partnerships studied include the Nashville…

This report, based on a survey of a nationally representative sample of school districts in Common Core-adopting states, examines school districts' efforts to implement the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The report addresses district leaders' views on the rigor of the CCSS and their impact on learning and instruction, progress on and…

Findings from the July 2011 focus group with staff from the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders in AISD include recommendations for an additional single-sex school, recommended models, lessons learned, and challenges.

Findings of a study that examined the development of district cooperation to provide a comprehensive curriculum in Victoria, Australia, are presented in this paper. Methodology involved observation and interviews with 34 key participants from schools in two districts. Participants expressed positive attitudes toward the district provision process…

Social studies and foreign language educators are taking tentative steps on the national, state, and local levels toward integration of the fields in curriculum and cooperative efforts. Opportunities for further efforts include joint planning in some areas of study, class exchanges, joint classes, fairs and festivals, and student projects. (MSE)

Small rural school districts can better serve the needs of all students by using a regional approach in the coordination of comprehensive programs and services. (CM)

This monograph is one of 12 that address various topics in the area of CETA/education linkages. They were designed to provide those individuals interested in the development and implementation of CETA/education linkages with information that will serve to enhance the quality of existing programs and facilitate the efficient and effective…

This report describes and evaluates an educational partnership that brought together the resources of three rural Minnesota school districts, institutions of higher education, the Minnesota State Department of Education, and a national organization in order to undertake the long-term development of a program in international education (K-12). The…

Common strategies to assist at-risk students are remediation and special programs, but these strategies are difficult to accomplish in small rural schools. A more effective strategy for rural school districts may be to improve curriculum and teacher instructional skills, but curriculum development is labor intensive. This paper examines a…

Describes a project in which educators from several rural Missouri school districts cooperated in meeting state directives to define basic skills being taught, monitor student progress in those skills, and evaluate and improve teacher performance. Points out the short- and long-term benefits of this cooperative venture. (SV)

Universities, local school districts, intermediate schools, and state education departments can work together to create model collaboratives by redirecting existing resources, consolidating resources, and discovering mutually beneficial resources to improve teacher preparation, inservice education, and the quality of classroom instruction. Under…

Under the leadership of a new superintendent, Nebraska City (Nebraska) school district coordinated curriculum across the K-12 grades and schools by involving the teachers and community. At multiple department meetings, staff held conversations about student performance objectives. Community conversations were held with a cross-section of parents,…

This report identifies key policy issues and recommendations to improve educational, social, and cultural experiences for all black learners in Minnesota by the Minnesota Curriculum Task Force on Educating the Black Learner. Recommendations at the state level include the following: (1) establishment of a State Board of Education (SBE) committee to…