The recruitment and retainment of new and veteran teachers in schools that experience high poverty and low performance is a constant challenge in US school districts. How a new set of initiatives launched by the School District of Philadelphia resulted in a significant drop in its new teacher attrition rate is examined.

New school principals have the necessity to lead at the very time they are learning the ropes of their new jobs. Some essential themes are identified that can guide new principals into growing in their new leadership roles, which are presented and discussed.

The importance of recruiting and retaining highly qualified educators as school administrators is underscored as the shortage of qualified personnel to fill current and future school principal vacancies continues unabated. The strategy employed by the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) in its leadership preparation and development program is…

An urban community spotlighted declining mathematics achievement and took some measures, in which the students' performance increased substantially. The Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, engaged the entire community and launched the campaign called "Math Everywhere", which changed Benjamin Banneker's culture as…

A partnership between the University of North Carolina and Hunter Elementary School in Greensboro attempts to close the achievement gap for low-income students and simultaneously the gap between the skills teachers should possess and the quality of training they receive. The partnership follows the professional development school (PDS) model and…

The educators in the teacher inquiry group examine how to teach for social justice and support the development of student-empowering social justice themes in teachers' practice. A better understanding of effective urban teachers' philosophies and practices and putting a system in place to support the professional growth of all teachers are the two…

The road to improvement has taken the staff of a high-poverty urban school from isolation to collaboration. The innovations that were developed based on the basis of the collective analysis of school wide requirements have helped the John Williams Elementary School No. 5 in Rochester, New York, to create pathways to excellence and become a…

The societal role of education accountability programs is mainly to see that schools and teachers provide excellent instruction to help kids learn better. The school's educators should collectively determine what kinds of credible evidence, other than No Child Left Behind (NCLB) test scores, could help provide an accurate and honest picture of…

The ability to analyze the author's purpose and perspective is just as essential as literal and inferential comprehension and, hence, the middle and school students should be engaged in comparing, synthesizing, and analyzing complex texts. Advanced readers have the ability to grasp tone and nuance as they analyze and interpret text.

Many urban schools are providing high-quality education and are producing high-achieving students, despite facing high student poverty and mobility rates, large number of English language learners and unsafe neighborhood. Positive behavioral supports, caring connections, and social and emotional learning are very essential in creating positive…

The addition of a real-life aspect to principal training is one of several recommendations to make the administrator preparatory programs, which fall far short of requirement, more effective. Professional development away from school is another way of fostering a higher-functioning professional.

The new teacher attrition rate in the US schools continues to cause concern, and disconnect between the goals of new teachers and of those who shape public education is one important reason behind this problem. Suggestions are presented on how to let teachers connect meaningfully with their students thus giving these professionals the support they…

Genre-specific reading or comprehension strategies can help older, striving students comprehend expository and narrative texts. Students being taught to be strategic and methodical in their approach can create a generation of readers, who will be able to apply their critical thinking skills to any piece of text they encounter.

Although the education system in post-apartheid South Africa has its share of serious challenges, the accompanying reforms carried out are inspiring as the ASCD Board of Directors and staff discovered when they visited the country in October 2004. The visit was organized around the theme of the 2005 ASCD Annual Conference: "Voices of Education:…

A common problem faced by new teachers is lack of supervisory support and learning on the job through trial and error can often dishearten the rookie enough to abandon the job and often the profession. Suggestions are offered on how to redress this problem and a starting point could be the implementation of what the Alliance for Excellent…