Sub-Topics After-School Programs Aligning Systems Bullying Charter Schools Collaboratives Corporal Punishment Early Childhood Education Fund Raising Learning Community No Child Left Behind Professional Development Voucher Systems Also Try Conflict Prevention and Mediation Emotional Intelligence Gaining Grants Involving Community Involving Family Multidisciplinary Problem Solving Safe Schools and Combating School Violence Books Role of Leadership in School Reform (U.S. Department of Education) To learn the views of outstanding school leaders, we asked each of the regional representatives of the Secretary of the U. S. Department of Education (USED) [in 1996] to convene a meeting of 25 to 30 local educators who had well-earned reputations as leaders of sustained school improvement efforts. Most participants were seasoned leaders--principals, teachers, parents, and others--whose diversity reflected that of the local education workforce. Discussions A Discussion of Learning Organizations (Learning-org.com) "A 'Learning Organization' is one in which people at all levels, individually and collectively, are continually increasing their capacity to produce results they really care about." 10-09 Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) "The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) promotes the use of telecommunications to improve K-12 learning. Members represent state and local education agencies, nonprofits, companies and individuals who share our vision. Our goals are Leadership Development, Advocacy, Coalition Building, and Emerging Technology." 11-01  Lists -Middle School Principal's Resources (MiddleWeb) Provides a well organized and annotated list of resources of value for a middle school principal, especially one interested in reform issues. 9-05 Department of Education Announcements Provides announcements. 10-09  Education Statistics (US Dept of Education) Contains over 2,600 tables, charts, and texts on education in the USA. Education Statistics - International Perspective (US Dept of Education) Contains comparative information on education in the USA. 11-96 Law Related to Schools (SchoolLaw.com) Provides links and news related to legal issues for schools. On the Home page is the School Law Advisory, a quarterly newsletter that is available by subscription. 11-09 National Dropout Prevention Center for Students with Disabilities "NDPC-SD is committed to providing technical assistance to assist states in building capacity to design/select and implement effective, evidence-based interventions and programs to address dropout among students with disabilities. NDPC-SD employs various strategies to transfer knowledge and to support systems change and capacity building. These include direct consultation in designing state-level initiatives based on state-identified needs, product and document reviews, technical assistance, professional development institutes, and Web-based resources." National Dropout Prevention Network "The mission of the National Dropout Prevention Center/Network is to increase high school graduation rates through research and evidenced-based solutions." Pathways to School Improvement (NCREL) Provides essays by topic. 11-01 Priorities for Education - Clinton Administration (US Department of Education) Provides the Secretary's initiatives, including federal programs and the seven priorities of the Clinton administration. Research and Statistics for the Field of Education (U.S. Department of Education) Provides a one-stop location for finding the answers to research questions in the field of education. Resource Room (NEA) Provides assistance in school improvement, especially as it relates to integrating technology. Provides 9 sections. School Reports "Free in-depth public school information. Compare three school districts of your choice side by side over more than 100 criteria." Teaching Positions Wanted or Available (Academic Employment Network) Title I Schools Recognized for Excellence in 1996 "U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley today identified 56 elementary and secondary schools in low-income areas that are showing marked success in improving student achievement through extra help from Title I -- the largest U.S. Department of Education program to help children master the basics and more challenging subject matter." 10-09 6 Topics for Teachers and Principals (AskERIC) Provides sources of information by topic. 1-04 News -01-12-06 Maryland Senate Votes to Require Wal-Mart to Pay More Health Benefits (USA Today) "Houston became the largest school district in the country on Thursday to adopt a merit pay plan for teachers that focuses on students' tests scores." "By a 9-0 vote, the Houston school board approved a plan that offers teachers up to $3,000 in extra pay if their students show improvement on state and national tests. The program could be expanded to provide up to $10,000 in merit pay for teachers." "The teachers' union doesn't approve of the plan, saying it focuses too much on test scores and is too complicated." 01-06 -01-29-06 Biology, Boys, and Instructional Strategies (ABC News) "In the complaint that he lodged with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights, [Doug] Anglin, 17, claimed that girls faced fewer restrictions from teachers at Milton High School in Milton, Mass., and that boys were more likely to be punished." "The complaint comes at a time when boys' struggles in school are getting close examination. According to a 2005 report by the Educational Equity Center of the Academy for Educational Development in Washington D.C., boys around the country are increasingly falling behind girls academically, and are more likely to get suspended. And experts told ABC News that Anglin's assessment has merit and describes what prevails in most American classrooms." 01-06 -02-25-07 Schools Considering More Hours for Students (ABC News) "While Massachusetts is leading in putting in place the longer-day model, lawmakers in Minnesota, New Mexico, New York and Washington, D.C., also have debated whether to lengthen the school day or year." "On average, U.S. students go to school 6.5 hours a day, 180 days a year, fewer than in many other industrialized countries, according to a report by the Education Sector, a Washington-based think tank." 02-07 -03-23-06 Sharp Criticism of College Board for SAT Errors (ABC News) "Another revelation about scoring errors on last October's SAT exam has the College Board, the test's owner, under heavy criticism even from admissions officers a group that relies on the SAT and typically supports it." "A growing number of schools, including Franklin & Marshall College in Pennsylvania, do not require the SAT. Dennis Trotter, the college's vice president for enrollment and marketing and dean of admission, said the latest errors call into question the test's 'relevancy and dependability in the admissions process.' " 03-06 -03-28-09 How to Teach the Teachers (ABC News) "There's now wide agreement that good teaching is the most crucial factor in raising student achievement. But when it comes to how to train those teachers -- and how to make sure they are ready to hit the ground running and are likely to stick around -- there's a deep ideological divide. Some policymakers say the focus needs to be on improving traditional education schools, which produce 4 out of 5 teachers in the United States. Others are strong advocates of so-called alternative models designed to streamline entry into teaching for exceptionally talented students or mid-career professionals." 03-09 -04-20-09 Study: Short Exercises Improve Grades (PBS.org) "In a series of 15-minute writing assignments, the researchers asked half of the students to complete a self-affirming exercise: to choose from a list of values -- such as relationships with friends and family, athletic ability and smarts -- and write about the value most important to them. A control group was asked to write about why the values they ranked as unimportant might matter to someone else." "In early results published in 2006, the researchers found that the exercise reduced the achievement gap between black and white students by 40 percent over one term. Researchers said the exercises benefitted low-achieving black students the most, while they appeared to have little impact on white students or already high-achieving black students." 04-09 -06-01-06 Year-Round Schools (ABC News) "According to the National Association for Year-Round Education, more than 2.1 million children in 47 states are enrolled in year-round schools in 2006. The majority are public schools, though some charter schools and private schools also are adopting the calendars. California, Arizona, North Carolina, Texas and Kentucky have the most districts using what's also known as a 'balanced calendar.' " "Typically, students on a balanced calendar spend something like 45 days in class followed by 15 days off throughout the year for the required 180 days of instruction." 06-06 -07-03-07 Gestering May Improve Learning (MSNBC News) "Children taught to gesture with their hands as they learn new concepts perform far better at solving similar problems weeks later than children who don't gesture, a new study finds." 07-07 -09-15-05 Boy Brains, Girl Brains (MSNBC News) "Gray is part of a new crop of educators with a radical idea—that boys and girls are so biologically different they need to be separated into single-sex classes and taught in different ways. In the last five years, brain researchers using sophisticated MRI and PET technology have gathered new information about the ways male and female brains develop and process information. Studies show that girls, for instance, have more active frontal lobes, stronger connections between brain hemispheres and "language centers" that mature earlier than their male counterparts. Critics of gender-based schooling charge that curricula designed to exploit such differences reinforce the most narrow cultural stereotypes. But proponents say that unless neurological, hormonal and cognitive differences between boys and girls are incorporated in the classroom, boys are at a disadvantage." "Others say basing new teaching methods on raw brain research is misguided. While it's true that brain scans show differences between boys and girls, says David Sadker, education professor at American University, no one is exactly sure what those differences mean. Differences between boys and girls, says Sadker, are dwarfed by brain differences within each gender. 'If you want to make schools a better place,' says Sadker, 'you have to strive to see kids as individuals.' " 9-05 -09-16-06 Graduation Rates for 50 Largest School Districts (USA Today) Provides graduation rates. 09-06 -09-22-06 Bush Administration Reading First Program Trashed (MSNBC News) "A scorching internal review of the Bush administration’s reading program says the Education Department ignored the law and ethical standards to steer money how it wanted." "The government audit is unsparing in its review of how Reading First, a billion-dollar program each year, that it says has been beset by conflicts of interest and willful mismanagement." 09-06 -10-20-05 Bush Education Program a Disappointment (New York Times) "The first nationwide test to permit an appraisal of President Bush's signature education law rendered mixed results on Wednesday, with even some supporters of the law expressing disappointment." "From 2000 to 2003, before the federal law took full effect in classrooms, the percentage of fourth graders scoring proficient in math rose eight percentage points, compared with four points this year, Mr. Jennings said, and the percentage of eighth graders proficient in math rose three points before the law, compared with the one-point rise this year." 'The rate of improvement was faster before the law,' Mr. Jennings said. 'There's a question as to whether No Child is slowing down our progress nationwide.' " 10-05 -12-15-06 Commission: Students Not Prepared for Global Economy (ABC News) "Education and business leaders urged an overhaul of the U.S. school system, including ending high school at the 10th grade for many students. Current teaching is failing to prepare young Americans for the global economy, members of a bipartisan panel said Thursday." 12-06 Grant Opportunities (Ed.gov) Lists grants available for applications. 09-09 Principals Share Strategies for Improving Scores (EducationWorld.com) "Seldom is it by chance that those [student] scores have risen; it's the result of a concerted effort by an entire staff -- an effort that is very likely to include extensive data analysis, focused teacher training, frequent monitoring of student progress, practice testing throughout the year, student and staff incentives, and other strategies." 01-05 Papers -08-28-05 Schools Moving Toward a K-8 Model (ABC News) "Philadelphia eighth-graders at the K-8 schools scored significantly higher on state tests than their middle school counterparts, studies by the Philadelphia Education Fund show. And nationally, crime takes off in middle schools, where it's 30 percent higher than in elementary schools, according to the National Center for Education Statistics." " 'Middle-grades children in K-8 schools do far better than they do in middle schools,' Vallas said, 'both academically and behaviorally.' " 8-05 -Public Schools Locator (NCES) Locates public elementary and high schools in the United States. Also includes vocational schools, special education schools and classes, charter schools, alternative schools, and magnet schools. The locator can also find schools by grade levels offered, school district, city, county, state, or miles from a particular zip code. 9-04 A Nation At Risk Report Recommendations, 1983 (U.S. Department of Education) "In light of the urgent need for improvement, both immediate and long term, this Commission has agreed on a set of recommendations that the American people can begin to act on now, that can be implemented over the next several years, and that promise lasting reform." 10-09 Comprehensive Regional Assistance Centers Drug Impact Index (Regional Drug Initiative) Provides a format for communities to display progress in reducing harm from drugs. 1-02 Emotional Intelligence - Research on Bringing EI into the Workplace (Emotional Intelligence Consortium) Provides summary of findings from 30 years of research on the development of emotional intelligence in the workplace. Can be applied to school environments. 10-99 Engaged Institutions (National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges - Kellogg Commission on the Future of State and Land-Grant Universities) Provides essays and examples of views on engagement of higher education institutions. 2-02 Error Rates of Filtering Programs (Hazelton) Provides results of a study of the effectiveness of some of the most commonly used filtering programs. Programs tested included AOL Parental Controls, Cyber Patrol, SurfControl (SurfWatch), SafeServer, and N2H2 (Bess). 10-05 Essays for School Improvement (Editorial Products in Education - Parker) Provides issue papers related to inclusion, class size, school-to-work, bilingual education and three dozen other topics. Ethical Issues in Services to Children (California State University, Fullerton - Gardner, et. al.) Reframes ethical issues related to services for children, youth, and families. Uses PDF format. 8-02 Extended School Year Proposed in Alexandria (Washington Post - Jenkins) "Alexandria students could find themselves in class for an additional 10 days next year, according to a plan that the city's school superintendent is promoting as a way to help students learn, even as she says she is concerned that the city may not be able to afford her plan." "An extra two weeks before Labor Day would give Alexandria students valuable time with their teachers and could help raise test scores, Superintendent Rebecca L. Perry said in an interview yesterday." 12-02 Family Involvement with Student Federal Education Programs for Excelling in Science and Math in 1995 Provides the types of federal programs available in 1995. 10-09 Field-Initiated Research Studies (National Institute on Educational Governance, Finance, Policymaking and Management) "The FIS grants are grants for education research projects, including basic and applied research, inquiry with the purpose of applying tested knowledge gained to specific educational settings and problems, development, planning, surveys, assessments, evaluations, investigations, experiments, and demonstrations in the field of education and other fields related to education. Topics and methods of study are generated by the investigators, including teachers and other practitioners. Investigators are encouraged to disseminate information from their work through a wide variety of means, including research and practitioner journals, conference presentations, newspapers and magazines, and newsletters, as appropriate." 10-09  Formative Leadership (MiddleWeb.com - Ash and Persall) "In the information economy, most successful organizations must be knowledge-based, value-added enterprises. Such an environment requires schools to be true learning organizations where students are engaged in challenging and interesting academic work and where teachers and administrators are collaboratively involved in learning about the most effective instructional strategies and technologies." "Leadership is not role-specific, reserved only for administrators. Rather the job of the school leader is to fashion learning opportunities for the faculty and staff in order that they might develop into productive leaders. This theory of leadership supports our view of the teacher as leader and the principal as the leader of leaders. It is grounded in the belief that educators should enhance not only student learning but also the learning of the adults within the school." 7-02 Governance and Organizational Management (NCREL) Provides an essay with links. 09-09 Guidelines for Making Schools Safer (Education World) Provides suggestions and resources for making schools safer. 6-00 Helping Students Assess Their Thinking (CCT) 3-00 Hints for Better Nutrition at School (CBS News) "The CSPI's nutrition policy director says schools that have made the switch prove it's not true that kids will only eat junk -- they just need to be offered healthier choices." 11-03 Improving African American Student Achievement (NWREL - Kuykendall) Provides ways that teachers can improve their feedback to African American students and, as a result, contribute to their academic achievement. "Good's summary (1981) of teachers' behavior toward those students perceived as low achievers includes: - providing students with general, often insincere praise - providing them will less feedback, - demanding less effort of them, - interrupting them more often, - seating them farther away from the teacher, - paying less attention to them, - calling on them less often, - waiting less time for them to respond to questions, - criticizing them more often, and - smiling at them less. Research indicates that reversing these negative behaviors improves student achievement. 3-02 Improving Instruction (Southwest Educational Development Laboratory) Provides papers on some key issues, such as constructivism, cooperative learning, science as inquiry, and more. 7-04 Indicators for School Success (NCES) Provides sources of reports. 10-09 Initiatives of the Department of Education for 1997-8 (US Dept of Education) Leadership (NCREL) Provides essays with links. 09-09 Lessons and Reflections Report (Annenberg Foundation) "Lessons and Reflections describes the results of the Challenge's efforts to raise standards, improve teaching, build partnerships, create school networks for mutual support, enhance parental involvement, use data to lift student achievement, make big schools smaller, improve school leadership, and institute new accountability measures. The report also outlines the Challenge's signature feature - the use of intermediary organizations to facilitate large-scale urban reform." 6-02 Longer Days, Strict Discipline, Material Rewards Part of the Program (Washington Post - Mathews) "Three new KIPP charter schools, including one in the District, achieved substantial gains in test scores last year, according to a study being released today that has caught the attention of U.S. Education Secretary Rod Paige and spurred plans for further expansion of KIPP's methods throughout the country." 10-02 Making Schools Work by William G. Ouchi (ABC News) "Making Schools Work contains a plethora of interesting examples of successful schools, and each illustrates key issues leading to success. The book has a research base, but since it is written for parents, only some information about that research is presented."  "Ouchi (a professor of organizational management, rather than an educator) and his team analyze the successes and failures of schools and school systems from an organizational perspective. Their findings clearly identify top-down, centralized management of school districts as the major roadblock to reform." 10-04 Manual to Combat Truancy (U.S. Department of Education) "Truancy is the first sign of trouble; the first indicator that a young person is giving up and losing his or her way. When young people start skipping school, they are telling their parents, school officials and the community at large that they are in trouble and need our help if they are to keep moving forward in life." 10-09 Model Programs (NCREL) Provides a table of 25 programs and identifies the essential components considered part of the model, such as collaboration and coordination. Details of each program are found through the links on the left of the page. 8-02 Motivating Students (Catalyst - Duffrin) Examines the need to motivate students to learn in the classroom. 3-01 Nation's Report Card (NAEP) 09-09 National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Parental Involvement - Literature Review of Promising Practices (NCREL) "What we found surprised us. There was a considerable amount of literature that established the importance of parent involvement. There was also abundant literature that determined positive outcomes of parent involvement. We could not, however, find literature which identified particular strategies which had greater impact than others on a school's attempt to involve parents. What the research does suggest is that what is essential to improving parent involvement in schools are not specific strategies, but rather how chosen strategies are implemented." 8-02 Performance Report - ABC Report (North Carolina Department of Public Instruction) Describes the performance of North Carolina schools. Professionalization of Teaching (NCES) Provides results of a study on the professionalization of teaching, especially in relationship to teachers' commitment to their careers. 3-00 Promising Practices in Educational Partnerships Providing Professional Development Activities (NCREL) Provides an essay with links. 09-09 Reform - 12 Studies in School Reform (OERI) "In 1991, the Office of Educational Research and Improvement funded 12 studies to examine various aspects of reform, from assessment of student performance to the uses of technology. Each study has produced cumulative findings that provide a basis for forming broad and generalizable perspectives on reform. A thirteenth study called Fitting the Pieces looks across the 12 major studies to identify the essential elements of planning, implementing, and sustaining reform." Regional Educational Laboratories Provides information on the national system of education laboratories, centers designed to provide assistance to K-12 schools. 2-01 School Climate Questions (Western Michigan University) Provides questions to help assess school climate. 1-04 School Dropout Rates (National Center for Education Statistics) Provides state level information on the rates that students drop out of school. 5-00 School Dropout Statistics (Intercultural Development Research Association) Summarizes national school dropout statistics. 2-02 School Improvement (Florida Education - Office of School Improvement) Provides two dozen essays to foster classroom and school improvement. Provided in PDF format. School Improvement Issues (Achieve Communications - InsideEducation.net) Provides articles for school improvement, with a heavy emphasis on utilizing technology. 10-01 School Uniforms Manual (U.S. Department of Education) Discusses issues related to school uniforms. 11-01 Sherrie Gahn: Helping the Hungry in School (ABC News) "Principal Sherrie Gahn said she was shocked when she first came to Whitney Elementary School seven years ago." " 'The kids were eating ketchup packets,' Gahn said. 'I said to one of my teachers, "What on Earth are they doing?" and she said, "That's their dinner." ' " "Whitney is not alone. A recent survey of elementary school teachers found that two-thirds of teachers reported spending money out of their pockets to help feed hungry students." "The same survey, conducted by anti-hunger organization Share Our Strength, found that 17 million children in the United States are at risk of going hungry this year." 11-09 Standards for Principals (Begley and Associates) Provides standards and sub-standards for developing a profile of a principal's performance. 7-02 Statistics - Basic Education Facts (NCES) Provides data about schools, teachers, and achievement. 12-99 Study Says Students Do Not Do Much Homework (USAToday.com - Toppo) "Most U.S. students in elementary through high school spend less than an hour studying most nights, a report released Wednesday says. That's contrary to the popular wisdom that says kids today get too much homework." 9-03 Summer School Trend (Time.com) "The landmark 1983 federal report A Nation at Risk, which highlighted the growing achievement gap between the U.S. and other countries, recommended that school districts 'strongly consider' a seven-hour day and a 200- to 220-day academic year, which would hew more closely to the schedules in higher-performing Europe and Asia. Although the practice has yet to go mainstream, there's a big push to add school hours in underperforming urban districts." 07-09 Superintendent in the Classroom (Faculty Shack - Truitt) Provides the insights gained by a superintendent who taught randomly selected classes to improve his understanding of teacher experiences. "In a perfect world, the superintendent would be a master teacher, one capable of handling any classroom challenge. I don’t think it’s realistic to expect superintendents to be master teachers in our specialized school systems, but they should know what goes on in classrooms." 1-02 Systemic Assessment for Quality Schools (Kelly) Argues for continuous self-assessment. 5-02 Telecommunications Discounts for Schools (Report) Telecommunications Discounts for Schools Planned (News Release) Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) Time Spent Teaching Core Academic Subjects (NCES) Provides the results from a comparative national study on how teachers actually spend their time. 3-00 Title I New Schoolwide Program (Dept of Ed) Title I Resources (Dept of Ed) 5-00 Universal Standards for Critical Thinking (Elder and Paul) 3-00 Valuable Intellectual Traits (CCT) 3-00 Wellness - The State of Our Children 1996 (Children Now) Provides basic information on the status of children in California, such as dropout rate, child care, and homelessness. Periodicals Community Updates Department of Education Newsletter (EDInfo) Provides newsletters. 10-09 Education Issues - With Humor and Thoughtful Discussion (Faculty Shack) Provides articles for high school teachers and administrators in a magazine format. "Our quarterly publication will provide teachers with a thoughtful and often humorous look at the realities teachers face. The journal will also serve as a clearinghouse for new approaches to classroom challenges. Finally, FacultyShack hopes to provide a forum for ongoing discussion of complex educational questions." 1-02 Rethinking Schools Provides articles to stimulate discussion about current events and perspectives on schooling. 10-99 School Administrator (American Association of School Adminisrators) Provides a periodical, including past issues. School Improvement Research Series (NWREL) "The School Improvement Research Series (SIRS) includes:" "Topical Syntheses of research findings and bibliographic information on special topics" "Close-Ups on specific methods and techniques that can be adopted as a part of school improvement efforts including statements of research results, examples of practices, and bibliographic information" "Snapshots describing exemplary uses of effective schooling practices." 09-09 Urban Educator 10-00 Projects Application for National Board Certification (NBPTS.org) Provides information for teachers to apply for certification with the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. 10-03 Fund Raising for Schools Online (SchoolCash.com) Provides opportunities for schools to conduct online fund raising projects. 3-00 Grant Awards Available, Grades 6 - 8 (National Science Foundation and Bayer) Provides grant awards to teachers and students for projects in science and technology. 11-01 Teacher Leadership Forum and Questions (Dept of Ed) Training for Superintendents (Broad Center for Superintendents) Provides training for select applicants. 7-02 Purchase Resources British Education (Britain) Purchasing in Groups (Epylon) Provides a service for educators to purchase education related materials and supplies as a group. 3-00 Safe Server for Schools and Libraries (Bess) Provides a service that blocks objectionable Web materials through the server. Sites that are blocked have been reviewed by humans (rather than just by keyword) and the filtering can be configured for specific end users or desktops. 6-00. Research Discipline in the Classroom - Conclusions from Research (Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory - Cotton) Summarizes findings from research on the most effective methods of schoolwide and classroom discipline and management. "During most of its twenty-two year existence, the Annual Gallup Poll of the Public's Attitudes Toward the Public Schools has identified 'lack of discipline' as the most serious problem facing the nation's educational system." 3-02 Standards Standards and Reform (MiddleWeb) Provides sources of information related to use of standards as part of educational reform.

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