The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) of 2010 represent a new chapter in the 25-year history of standards-based reforms (SBR). The CCSS attempts to bring the system back to the principles of its founding--more rigorous, focused, academic content and performance expectations collectively embraced by the nation. The new standards depart…

Given the increasing demand for a well-educated American workforce, college and career readiness has become a significant educational priority. New educational initiatives, including the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, are being developed and implemented to prepare students for success in postsecondary education and the…

Developing teachers' knowledge about assessing English language learners (ELLs) is critical for achieving intended policy outcomes of improving teaching under Race to the Top policy and Common Core State Standards. In addition to teachers' expressed concerns about teaching Common Core State Standards to ELLs in a national survey…

It is of great importance to maximize access to general education for all students with disabilities. This article focuses on how leaders create inclusive schools for all students--inclusive school reform. Inclusive school reform can result in all students with disabilities being placed into general education settings (including students with…

The field of school-leadership preparation has recently been making a concerted effort to embed social justice issues into the curriculum experiences of aspiring principals. Although much of this effort has focused on the academic achievement among students who are poor, nonnative speakers of English, or non-White, very little attention has been…

School bullying exists as a societal epidemic that affects millions of school-aged students (Espelage & Holt, 2012). Youths involved in bullying--whether perpetrating, witnessing, or being victimized--face inequitable access to school-based resources and opportunities aimed at academic growth and empowerment. This article conceptualizes school…

The difference between systemic change and the micro level engagements or modest kinds of successes that teachers hope for is a largely unaddressed issue in music education policy and leadership. This article outlines a few propositions that place the notion of critical leadership as a central element in music and education focusing on the notion…

The expectation for schools to continually improve outcomes for students underscores the importance of tapping teacher leaders' contributions in school improvement and renewal efforts. As National Board (NB) certification has become a common feature of state and district policies to improve teaching and learning, it is worthwhile to explore how…

Education has the power to change the world. We wrote this article in the spirit of the hope embodied by the election of President Obama and the critical need for improved teaching to benefit all the nation's students. This article offers a synthesis of the characteristics of excellent teaching for the diverse student population. This article…

This article considers how documentation as a professional development tool acts as a change agent for teachers and how collective engagement in the documentation process mediates the inherent tensions of working and learning in a group. Three groups of educators, at three distinct schools, used Reggio Emilia-inspired documentation as the…

This article identifies a critical tension within the traditional higher education setting--specifically teacher education classrooms. Using the metaphor of a journey, the authors describe pedagogy and practice using inspirations from the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education. Participation in a monthly inquiry group is the catalyst…

Educational reformers often partner with others to make change happen in their schools. But few reformers look to students as agents of change. In this article, the authors discuss how students are an often under-utilized, and yet crucial, educational partner. They share their student voice work in the San Diego Unified School District's high…

Futurists, policy makers, and other stakeholders propose sweeping reforms of the American education system. However, there is little evidence that the current add-on, underfunded system will reverse the failure pattern among children of color and those living in poverty. This article presents a dramatic and feasible proposal to establish a…

This article explores the leadership of school principals with respect to faculty study group development as a key element of the professional learning community. Questions asked concern the approaches that principals use to facilitate study group processes that, in turn. foster teacher learning and student achievement, and ways in which…

This article situates Reggio Emilia's municipally funded early childhood program within the city's cultural traditions of resistance and collaboration and considers what it is about this highly localized program that is appealing and useful to contemporary school reform initiatives. Five features of Reggio Emilia's approach to early education are…