Out-of-school-time (OST) programs have long focused on children's social and emotional development as part of their mission of building a culture of connectedness and positive relationships between youth and adults. Research demonstrates that high-quality, evidence-based social and emotional learning (SEL) programs are associated with positive…

Elementary schools face pressures to substantially increase student achievement in all subjects with limited time in the school day. In particular, science struggles to gain instructional momentum due to many internal and external factors. The school district of Wynne (pseudonym), located within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, has generational…

The Winter Hill Community Innovation School in Somerville, Massachusetts and the Paul Revere Innovation School in Revere, Massachusetts, winners of the 2017 Pozen Prize for Innovative Schools--excel in attending to the social, emotional, and intellectual needs of all students in the diverse communities they serve. Leveraging autonomy to strengthen…

The Center on Enhancing Early Learning Outcomes (CEELO) reviewed data on 21 states' principal licensure requirements, conducted structured interviews with experts on principal preparation and professional development in 7 states, and spoke with staff at the National Association of Elementary School Principals and the National Institute for School…

The purpose of this causal-comparative study is to examine the effect of standards-based report cards on the growth and performance of Grade 4 students on the Massachusetts measure of accountability. This study examines the effect of the report card format on the grade level student growth percentiles (SGP) and composite performance index (CPI) on…

As the abundance and importance of technology continues to increase, schools are attempting to stay current by utilizing technology educationally. While the technology at many schools is plentiful, few teachers are able to effectively integrate technology in their daily lessons in a meaningful way, equipping students with the 21st century skills…

Researchers and educators have long tried to find the connection between participation in sport-related activities and academic and social development among youths. This article traces the conceptual ideas that led to the design of an after-school sports program (Project Coach). This program promotes positive youth and community development…

In Brookline, Massachusetts, two classroom teachers learned that restructuring the teaching profession had to begin with restructuring the school. Discouraged by disappearing colleagues and dissatisfied students, these teachers began a team teaching and internship project called the Learning/Teaching Collaborative and sought ways to further…

Photography as a means of developing creative self-expression and supporting language arts skills in the Lincoln-Eliot School, Newton, Massachusetts. (LS)

Six years ago, students at Birch Meadow Elementary School (Reading, Massachusetts) were polite to adults, but callous and uncaring toward each other. Today, thanks to a "Just Community" approach modeled on Lawrence Kohlberg's philosophy, students feel a sense of school ownership and responsibility for their classmates. (MLH)

The Park School was designed to fit into and above an outcropping of rocks thus providing varied exterior spaces, reducing the building's scale, and freeing the open spaces for playing fields. (Author/MLF)

This bulletin identifies and discusses several outstanding achievements in home-economics education during the biennium. Individual sections explore: (1) Findings of statistical study of home economics in the public high schools; (2) Curriculum making; (3) Child development and parental education, including higher education, secondary education,…

Compares two first-grade teachers' hands-on approaches to teach measurement concepts. One, a constructivist, allowed students to figure out the dimensions of a Mayflower ship outline; the other immediately showed kids how to use a yardstick to estimate a whale's dimensions. Although initially more confused, the first class got more out of their…

During the past several years, school superintendents and educational leaders from around the country have convened at the Pearson Education Instructional Leadership Council to discuss solutions for some of the most pressing issues they confront, especially regarding teaching and learning. Several common change principles have emerged from these…

The Newburyport Project for Consumer Education, a pilot project conducted under the auspices of the Newburyport School Committee and the Massachusetts Department of Education, is described in this brochure in terms of the project's rationale, history, and implementation. The three-year project, now in its second year, is based on two principles:…