School Improvement
Editor’s Note
Articles on this page examine some of the myriad challenges and difficult choices associated with the work of organizational change in schools. The topic includes discussion of promising strategies and practices associated with supporting and sustaining reform.—N.W.
The Road to School Improvement
It's hard, it's bumpy, and it takes as long as it takes
In our work on instructional improvement with low-performing schools, we are often asked, “How long does it take?” The next most frequently asked question is, “We’re stuck. What should we do next? Continue
Lessons From Down Under
Sometimes I like to take a break from the ongoing food fight over test scores and AYP and ponder what education might look like without American-style reforms.
The perfect opportunity presented itself the other day when two high-level education officials from Victoria, Australia, came to talk to doctoral students at Harvard Graduate School of Education about their own experiences with reform. All in all, their system, which began in 2003, could not be more different from our own.
Continue
The Real Race to the Top
To win, your district needs a strategy—not just a strategic plan
The Obama administration’s planned investments of $100 billion in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds and an additional $4 billion in Race to the Top funds offer tremendous opportunities for school systems to focus intently on the work that will bring the greatest learning results for students. Continue
Related Articles
Improving Teaching and Learning through Instructional Rounds
Finding High-Achieving Schools in Unexpected Places
An interview with Karin Chenoweth
School-Based Coaching
A revolution in professional development—or just the latest fad?
The “Data Wise” Improvement Process
Eight steps for using test data to improve teaching and learning
Unlearned Lessons
Six stumbling blocks to our schools' success
Creating Coherence in District Administration
A framework based on the work of the Public Education Leadership Project
Professionalism, Partnerships, and Positive Public Discourse
How Ontario built support for its successful school reform strategy
In Praise of the Comprehensive High School
We can learn from what small schools do well—but there are things big schools can do better
Where High Turnover Meets Low Performance
New initiatives target the special problems of hard-to-staff schools
What (So-Called) Low-Performing Schools Can Teach (So-Called) High-Performing Schools
Aiming for AYP
The quest to make “adequate yearly progress” leads one targeted district to teach math in all junior high classes
Telling Tales Out of Charter School
What educators and policymakers can learn from the successes and failures of charters
Three Thousand Missing Hours
Where does the instructional time go?
Is Coaching the Best Use of Resources?
For some schools, other investments should come first
Making Schools Safer for LGBT Youth
Despite signs of progress, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students say harassment persists
Urgent Lessons from Unexpected Schools
An Interview with Karin Chenoweth
Getting and Spending
Schools and districts share lessons on the effective uses of philanthropy
One Charter School's Formula for Success
Could It Work in a Large, Traditional Public School?
Rethinking High School and Beyond
A European-style proposal for strengthening the transition to work or higher education
Buying Quality
With budget cuts and layoffs from coast to coast, schools turn to private donations to make up the shortfall
Fuel for Reform
The Importance of Trust in Changing Schools
Do AP and IB Courses Have Merit?
A new study by the National Research Council says yes, but recommends changes in how courses are taught
Using Charters to Improve Urban Schools
Two university-run programs are taking advantage of flexible charter school laws in an effort to raise minority achievement
The Limits of “Change”
Supporting real instructional improvement requires more than fiddling with organizational structures
