Reports a case study in which Hong Kong elementary teachers were introduced to a new curriculum approach for designing and teaching General Studies. This collaborative approach to professional development emphasized teacher participation in the change process. Overall, this professional development strategy was feasible, and teachers conducted…

Describes Tennessee's response to the educational reform movement. Discusses the Comprehensive Education Reform Act of 1984 (CERA) which instituted Tennessee's Career Ladder Program. Provides an evaluation, and identifies strengths and weaknesses of the the Tennessee Arts Academy which grew out of CERA. Concludes that the Tennessee Arts Academy is…

Reviews educational reform literature advocating changes in the organization of teachers' work to foster teacher satisfaction and effectiveness by treating them as reasonable, capable, and autonomous persons. Focuses on participative decision making, learning for improved practice, and evaluation. Decries the lack of parallel arguments regarding…

The article examines the role of educational leaders in implementing the use of computers in education. After discussing whether leadership for the integration of information technology is desirable, the paper suggests a versatile, continuous, well-organized approach to bringing about lasting, substantial change. (SM)

Reports a study that examined the discourse of a constructivist staff development process which helped teachers examine their beliefs and introduced them to research-based ideas. Research-based alternatives were offered to teachers based on a review of videotapes of teachers' classroom instruction. The process created a constructivist, sharing…

Describes a variety of teacher-recommended books and videos to help educators sharpen their professional edge at home. Topics include classroom management, understanding students, professional development, changing the system, and curriculum (language arts, social studies, science, and math). (SM)

Some forms of constructivism are emancipatory in intent. The article describes principles of an emancipatory approach to knowledge construction, illustrating the effects of the principles on teachers' knowledge construction and practices with comments by teachers who participated in Hofstra University's Summer Institute for Teachers. (SM)

This paper describes five key trends in the ways the rules for education are changing, the potential implications of the changes, and challenges for those promoting school health education. (SM)

Aims to empower mathematics teachers to use interviews to understand their students' mathematical understandings as well as to prepare them to use technology-intensive curricula. Examines the influences on three high school mathematics teachers as they learned to use task-based interviews to understand students' mathematical understandings.…

Reviews research that supports the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future's analysis and recommendations on elementary and secondary school reform. It describes the research and programmatic work needed to test the policy hypothesis offered by the commission's report to move the field of educational reform forward in the areas of…

Considers the use of multiple forms of assessment in the social studies classroom. Focuses on writing assessments, such as response notebooks and the I-Search essay, utilizing a rubric, the change in student projects that accompanies the incorporation of multiple assessments, and changes in tests and quizzes. Provides three recommendations for…

Discusses the introduction of technological innovations into schools, suggesting that rather than relying on authority-driven initiatives, leaders should initiate change by developing teachers' learning capacities, thus creating environments with widespread commitment. This ensures that the commitment to the initiative is sustained rather than…

In November 1999, participants in "The McLaughlin Group," a weekly PBS talk show, peremptorily decided that progressive education and teacher preparation programs were to blame for public education's failings. This article also discusses teacher competency testing, expansion of alternative teacher certification in Colorado, and direct…

In his February 2004 Kappan article, Mike Schmoker called into question the effectiveness of many of the major reform efforts of the past two decades. In particular he made the case that strategic planning efforts and whole-school reform efforts have been mostly ineffective because planning cycles are too long and implementation is too complex and…

Very few people would disagree that the work of the principal is multifaceted, hectic, and fraught with uncertainties, and given the ongoing press for accountability, the very work of the principal as instructional leader is shifting to ensure "results." There are myriad day-to-day activities that take principals away from the important work of…