In response to Salish and Kootenai tribal demands for educational equity, a Montana school district chose a reform model based on cooperative learning strategies, which fits American Indian learning styles, and switched from tolerating to celebrating American Indian culture. Academic achievement has risen in all subjects, and the achievement gap…

Recent school improvement trends, notably the emphasis on accountability and academic standards, are changing the school principal's role. Developing a school vision for teaching and learning is becoming the top priority for principals. Leadership skills that help accomplish this include collaboration, participative decision making, and listening.…

Training programs for principals are generally viewed to be inadequate. Various initiatives in Seattle (Washington) demonstrate that effective programs bridge the gap between theory and practice, use new kinds of delivery systems, incorporate field-based experience, and provide internships. The University of Washington's 4-day workshops give state…

Charter schools offer choices to parents and teachers dissatisfied with mainstream public education. Averaging fewer than 200 students, they offer nurturing educational communities, inventive pedagogies, and educators committed to learning. Devising an accountability system that accommodates such wide variety is their greatest challenge. Brief…

Provides an overview of efforts to change and revitalize physical education programs, needed to counter widespread childhood obesity and teach attitudes and skills for lifetime health and fitness. Lists objectives, recommended program characteristics, and current practices in five northwestern states. Profiles three high school programs that offer…

Federal legislation passed in 1994 and the Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration program (CSRD) encourage high-poverty Title I schools to adopt prepackaged research-based models of schoolwide reform. The nine components of CSRD and key ingredients for its implementation are discussed. Eleanor Roosevelt Elementary School (Vancouver, Washington)…

Dr. Ben Canada's unique blend of heartwarming personality and hardheaded management has been instrumental in turning around Portland (Oregon) Public Schools. As superintendent, Dr. Canada has raised the credibility of the district and gained community support as evidenced by the commitment of city council to pump $40 million into the school…

The standards movement has caught on in most states, but critics point to a shortage of support for teachers and overreliance on high-stakes testing, which can lead to teaching to the test. Developments in Northwestern states are discussed, as well as criteria for determining how well tests align with standards, and change strategies observed in…

Bucking a longstanding tradition of local control, the Idaho Legislature launched mandatory statewide standards in reading in 1999. The Idaho Reading Indicator now monitors the progress of early readers three times a year. Innovative local strategies to help struggling readers are described, and the importance of a systemic approach to reform and…

This document contains the four issues of Northwest Education published during the 2001-02 school year. Issue themes are: (1) "High Standards for All: Confronting the New Paradigm"; (2) "New Teachers: From Surviving to Thriving"; (3) "Living Lessons: How Projects Engage Kids and Deepen Understanding"; and (4)…

This document contains the four issues of Northwest Education published from fall 2000 through summer 2001. Issue themes are: (1) "New Moves: PE Reinvents Itself" (Fall 2000); (2) "Think Small: Making Education More Personal" (Winter 2000); (3) "The Wild Blue Yonder: Charter Schools Fly into the Unknown" (Spring…

This document contains the four issues of Northwest Education published from fall 1999 through summer 2000. Issue themes are: (1) "Sea Change: Meeting the Challenge of Schoolwide Reform" (Fall 1999); (2) "City Kids: What Helps Them Thrive" (Winter 1999); (3) "The New Principal" (Spring 2000); and (4) "Growing…

John Lewis, president of the National Association of Secondary School Principals, discusses changes needed in principal training programs to reflect changes in schools, the shortage of principals, the difference between administration and teaching, the importance of collaborating with staff and students, school violence, the difference between…

Professor Terry Wood of Oregon State University helped to craft national physical education standards released in 1995. An interview with Wood discusses how physical education has changed in emphasis and purpose, Oregon's inclusion of physical education as a content area in state standards, assessment and accountability for physical education…

Interview with Chris Rhines, who oversees the Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration (CSRD) program in Oregon, discusses the process used to select schools for CSRD, the critical role of principals as leaders of change, the importance of a school's ability to do a needs assessment and apply the findings, and common implementation problems. (CDS)