Teachers at a central California high school operate the school according to a strict, progressive set of principles. The Anzar communication guidelines specify teachers' commitment to communicating well, collective ownership of problems and problem solving, tolerance of differing ideas, individual accountability, dedication to helping and…

School staff can lead, teach, and learn better by defining what has value within their educational organizations. Value-added work is effort leading directly to learning. Waste work is improperly completed effort not tied to learning. Necessary work consists of tasks that keep the school running, but do not directly affect learning. Meetings waste…

Montana Improving Schools Through Accreditation (MISTA) is a pilot program that empowers schools to attain accreditation through their own visions of improved student learning. Termed "performance-based accreditation," this process is voluntary and represents a consensus among the regional accrediting agency, the state education agency, and the…

In 1989, Swift Current Division in Saskatchewan, Canada, initiated the Chalk, Chips, and Children technology project. The project was funded by various corporate partners and developed by a broadly constituted advisory committee. The principal's role changed drastically as he reexamined leadership competencies and faculty developed their own…

Teachers can use "built teaching aids" or elements of the school building itself to expand teaching and enhance learning. Possibilities include bulletin boards, display cases, murals painted by local artists, permanent information panels, interior windows to classrooms, flags, and bas-reliefs on building exteriors. Playground pavement can become a…

A comparison of the 12 most widely implemented education programs for at-risk students can help educators choose a direction while responding to increasing demands for school improvement. Comprehensive models include Accelerated Schools, Coalition of Essential Schools, Community for Learning, and School Development. Eight programs focusing on…

Appalled by a report stating that most Americans were unaware of the Nazi's decimation of European Jewry during World War II, a fifth-grade teacher began teaching a lesson about the Holocaust. Her students were astounded to learn that the Nazis had murdered 1.5 million children. Presenting the Holocaust to elementary-age children requires a…

The author of "The Discipline of Hope" (1998) values environments that foster a sense of belonging and love of learning. Besides engaging students' imagination, teachers must convince students that they are people of worth who can accomplish something in a difficult world. Children must remain hopeful, and adults must not abandon public education.…

Orem (Utah) High School is a suburban, predominantly white high school that consciously strives to create a welcoming atmosphere, where students are treated with respect, programs are varied and innovative, and fun and participative decision making are highly valued. The school's participation in the National Network for Educational Renewal has…

To make group learning situations more equitable, teachers can create a mixed set of expectations for everyone. To carry out this intervention, teachers must choose an appropriately rich cooperative task and convince students that it involves many different intellectual abilities, no one has all of these abilities, and everyone will have some of…

Describes how schools used three measuring instruments--student-concerns surveys, entrance and exit interviews, and ambient-noise checklists--to measure school climate and identify areas needing improvement. This feedback process allows students to become citizens, not tourists, in their school, as they realize they have a chance to participate in…

Unproductive, toxic schools have fragmented staffs, eroding goals, and negative, hopeless atmospheres. Schools with strong, positive cultures feature service-oriented staffs, a collegial ambience, celebratory rituals, supportive social networks, and humor. In crafting school culture, school leaders (principals, teachers, and parents) act as…

The key to violence prevention lies in shaping children's beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors before violence becomes an automatic manifestation of their anger. The Johnson Institute's Respect and Protect program promotes respect for everyone and a systemwide ethos (violence as unacceptable), targets enabling behaviors, distinguishes between…

Although educators can do little to change students' out-of-school environments, they can use inhouse suspension time to help them behave more responsibly and become more resilient in handling daily pressures. The adult in charge should assume the role of a supportive resource, establish a personal connection with students, listen, take interest,…

An action-research project examined how implementation of an inclusive rule, "You can't say you can't play," at a Syracuse, New York, elementary school influenced children's informal social relationships, focusing particularly on children with disabilities. Overall, the rule has helped create a rich discourse about inclusion issues, providing a…