FROM THE CURRENT ISSUE

Chief Academic Officer Jeffrey Hernandez talks to teachers in Palm Beach County, one of several districts 'platooning' instruction in elementary school to improve content learning.

“Platooning” Instruction

Districts weigh pros and cons of departmentalizing elementary schools

By LUCY HOOD

To platoon or not to platoon? That’s the question facing Irving Hamer, Deputy Superintendent of Academic Operations, Technology and Innovation for the Memphis City Schools.
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Also in this Issue:

Behind the Classroom Door

A rare glimpse indicates the extent—and persistence—of variation in teacher practice

By ROBERT ROTHMAN

The Real Race to the Top

To win, your district needs a strategy—not just a strategic plan

By RACHEL E. CURTIS and ELIZABETH A. CITY

Most Viewed Articles

“Platooning” Instruction

Districts weigh pros and cons of departmentalizing elementary schools

By LUCY HOOD

Developmentally Appropriate Practice in the Age of Testing

New reports outline key principles for preK–3rd grade

By DAVID MCKAY WILSON

Proficiency for What?

A Wyoming standards-setting panel weighs the impact of its decisions

By CAROLINE T. CHAUNCEY

Secrets of High-Functioning School Boards

Practices, not structure, are the key to supporting student achievement

By NANCY WALSER

FROM OUR ARCHIVES

Editor’s Note

The National Center for Education Statistics recently released a report mapping proficiency standards on state accountability tests against the National Assessment of Educational Progress. The article below describes one state’s unusual public process for setting proficiency standards.

Proficiency for What?

By CAROLINE T. CHAUNCEY

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 requires states to ensure that all schoolchildren are “proficient” in reading, writing, and mathematics by 2014. But what does proficiency really mean?
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Next Chat

Read the transcript of our online chat with Nancy Walser on "How School Boards Can Help Improve Student Achievement." Click here for more information.