The adversities that today's families face are well-documented and staggering. Even in the midst of tough times, however, many families are able to display resilience. Family resilience refers to the coping mechanisms the family uses as a functional unit to recover from life's setbacks. In this article, the authors present guidelines for creating…

Few colleges of education include theory and practice about the need to nurture resilient teacher leaders. This issue should be addressed in order to improve the preparation and continued development of the nation's teachers, particularly those in urban schools. This newsletter suggests that as problems confronting schools, particularly urban…

This study reviewed literature on Professional Development Schools (PDSs) relevant to outcomes for teacher education programs and the students they serve. It also examined the philosophy and defined common objectives of PDSs. The study consulted education databases and analyzed papers collected at national meetings. Data analysis indicates that…

The development of oral language in classrooms has been an incidental occurrence historically. The amount of oral language that children have is an indicator of their success or struggle in school. To meet the needs of these children, teachers can make oral language development a primary focus for instruction. This article examines ways that…

Educational leaders can use three sources of influence namely credibility, expertise, and relationships to achieve goals and be able to face adversity. Three ways teachers could use to create a resilient school culture that include staying focused, creating a caring and supporting climate, and maintaining hope in times of adversity are presented.

The purpose of this guide is to help leaders move their schools ahead in the face of adversity. It is intended for principals, teacher leaders, district administrators, and others who have a stake in helping schools move forward. The contents are based on qualitative research and actual experiences of schools effective in dealing with adversity.…

This paper describes a qualitative research study that investigated strategies used by urban teachers to build their personal resilience. Sixteen resilient teachers from four urban districts that reported student achievement equal to or higher than the state average on standard tests of reading and mathematics were interviewed. The definition of…

We have undertaken an integrated and collaborative approach to developing foundational skills of students in a first year, Introductory Biology course. The course is a large lecture and laboratory course with enrollments ranging from 800-1000 per year. Teaching and Learning experts were brought into the course as weekly "Foundation Skills for…

This paper describes the experiences of several individuals involved in the initial stages of orchestrating a school-university partnership. A group of elementary teachers, a student teacher, a cooperating teacher, a university faculty member, and a coordinator of school-university partnerships participated in the experience and shared their views…