Successful schools have a clearly defined vision for student success, usually measured by college and career readiness standards. They are able to articulate success indicators for student performance as well as success indicators for the staff performance needed to meet those student indicators. Successful schools are able to describe a theory of…

The study explores the development of teamwork among a group of Israeli student teachers enrolled in a practicum, in order to help teacher educators to understand better the processes student teachers experience in becoming a collaborative team. The student teachers' reflective journals provide qualitative evidence of the stages in the development…

All too often, the connection between teachers and technology falls flat. Pioneering schools and educators search for technology to support new instructional models, only to find that existing options do not align with their evolving classroom practices. This case study describes how Leadership Public Schools (LPS), a charter school management…

This article examines Extension professionals building community capacity in 10 counties across five Appalachian states in response to the talent crisis in the United States information technology (IT) workforce. The goal has been to transfer IT knowledge and create a supportive environment to foster interest in IT careers among underserved girls…

This brief shows how middle and high school teachers in a Time-Technology Swap school model, with or without Multi-Classroom Leaders, may earn more while reaching more students, sustainably. In this model, students alternate between learning with teachers and working in a digital learning lab, where they learn online and engage in offline skill…

Teachers and administrators have access to large volumes of data but research suggests that they lack the skills to use data effectively for continuous school improvement. This study involved a cross-case analysis of two high school leadership teams' early stages of evidence-based practice development; differing forms of external support were…

In the Scaffolded Apprenticeship Model (SAM), a school improvement strategy in place in New York City; Boston, Massachusetts; and Oakland, California, teacher teams improve their schools by studying and closing high-leverage learning gaps for small groups of struggling students as a strategy for systemic change. SAM's goal is for each school to…

This is the final external evaluation report prepared by SRI International for the Rural Math Excel Partnership (RMEP) project, an investing in innovation (i3) development project funded by the U.S. Department of Education. Operated by Virginia Advanced Study Strategies, Inc. (VASS), the RMEP project included six rural school districts (LEAs) in…

Too many students in high-poverty, urban communities drop out of high school, and too few graduate prepared for college and careers. Three national organizations--Talent Development Secondary, City Year, and Communities In Schools--have formed "Diplomas Now" in an effort to transform urban secondary schools so fewer students drop out and…

High schools have traditionally worked on improvement in isolation, but a growing number have broken the barriers of isolation by working with a school improvement coach. An outside school coach, properly prepared and sensitive to individual and whole-school concerns, can provide a balance of pressure and support to initiate and sustain meaningful…

Initiating improved models of teacher practice requires a series of resolutions to guide staff-development efforts. The revamped scenario sets priorities among all the teacher's essential roles and responsibilities: learning, instructing, planning, writing, coaching, tutoring, and studying. Teacher competence and quality are also priorities. (MLH)

This book is part of a series of case studies that demonstrate better ways to educate Ohio's students. The case study is part of the Transforming Learning Communities (TLC) Project, designed to support significant school-reform efforts among Ohio's elementary, middle, and high schools. This report describes the implementation of an innovative…

As more students with learning disabilities are enrolling in college, a formalized collaborative transition model at the high school level is needed. This paper discusses roles of various transition team members, including the student, parents, transition case managers, guidance counselors, school psychologists, rehabilitation counselors, and…

This book is part of a series of case studies that demonstrate better ways to educate Ohio's students. The case study is part of the Transforming Learning Communities (TLC) Project, designed to support significant school-reform efforts among Ohio's elementary, middle, and high schools. This report describes the implementation of an innovative…

This booklet explains how high schools can replicate the service learning youth consultant program that was originally formed at Spring Valley High School (SVHS) in Columbia, South Carolina, in 1996 to assume governance of SVHS's service learning program, which is called VikingServe. The booklet begins with an overview of VikingServe and a listing…