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In "Resourceful Leadership", Elizabeth A. City examines decisions about the use of three key resources--time, money, and staff--and how tradeoffs among them are integrated into school leaders' improvement strategies. She undertakes a detailed study of two small urban high schools in their first year of conversion from a large, comprehensive high school. Resourceful Leadership" is divided into six chapters that present a lively and insightful analysis of school leaders' dilemmas, decisions, and tradeoffs. Woven through the book is the discussion of additional intangible but essential resources: vision, trust, ideas, energy, and hope. The book offers both the theory behind effective resource use and a practical look at the decisions, tradeoffs, and practices that support it. "The central thesis of this book," City writes, "is that resources matter for student achievement, and that school leaders can make decisions about resources that matter." Administrators from all kinds of schools--not only small ones--will find this book uniquely valuable as they seek to make strategic use of the resources available to them. [Foreword by Karen Hawley Miles.]

"When Research Matters" considers the complex and crucially important relationship between education research and policy. In examining how and under what conditions research affects education policy, the book focuses on a number of critical issues: the history of the federal role in education policy; the evolving nature of educational policy research; the role of research in debates about reading, NCLB, and "out-of-field" teaching; how research affects policy by shaping public opinion, judicial rulings, and the decisions of district and school leaders; and the incentives that help explain the behavior of researchers and policymakers. Chapters include: (1) Structure and Science in Federal Education Research (Andrew Rudalevige); (2) The Evolving Relationship between Researchers and Public Policy (Jeffrey R. Henig); (3) Double Standard? "Scientifically Based Research" and the No Child Left Behind Act (Paul Manna and Michael J. Petrilli); (4) Research and the Reading Wars (James S. Kim); (5) Researcher Meets the Policy Realm: A Personal Account (Richard M. Ingersoll); (6) Education Policy, Academic Research, and Public Opinion (William G. Howell); (7) Calculated Justice: Education Research and the Courts (Joshua Dunn and Martin West); (8) Flying (Partially) Blind: School Leaders' Use of Research in Decision-making (Lance D. Fusarelli); (9) What Gets Studied and Why: Examining the Incentives That Drive Education Research (Dan D. Goldhaber and Dominic J. Brewer); (10) Considering the Politics in the Research Policymaking Nexus (Kenneth K. Wong); and (11) Conclusion: Education Research and Public Policy (Frederick M. Hess). Notes and index are included. [Foreword by Lorraine M. McDonnell.]

This book brings together essays that explore Indigenous ways of knowing and that consider how such knowledge can inform educational practices and institutions. Indigenous Knowledge is resiliently local in character and thus poses a distinct contrast to the international, more impersonal system of knowledge prevalent in Western educational institutions. In the words of Mik'maq scholar Marie Battiste--a leading proponent of Indigenous Knowledge and a contributor to this volume--Indigenous Knowledge expresses "the vibrant relationships between the people, their ecosystems, and the other living beings and spirits that share their lands." "Indigenous Knowledge and Education" argues that such knowledge has much to offer schools and students in the United States and beyond. The volume examines a wide range of Indigenous cultures and educational settings, including Native American, Haitian, Mexican, African, and Australian. The essays are grouped into three themes that exemplify many Indigenous cultures: struggle, strength, and survivance--the latter a notion of survival that emphasizes remembrance, regeneration, and spiritual renewal. Each of these themes is explored in a rich array of articles and capped with new essays by Marie Battiste, Gregory A. Cajete, and Bryan McKinley Jones Brayboy.

For the past 15 years, economist Ronald Ferguson has investigated the myriad factors that combine to create racial disparities in academic performance. Beginning with his analysis of the impact of test scores in predicting racial wage gaps, Ferguson has explored how rates of progress in narrowing gaps have varied over the recent decades, the roles played by various school policies and practices, and the importance of lifestyles and informal social processes that play out between children and their parents and peers. He concludes that closing achievement gaps is more urgent today than ever before--and that dramatic success is possible. This volume brings together Ferguson's most important papers and most recent thinking on these issues. In language accessible and useful to education practitioners, Ferguson sets forth a wide-ranging and compelling vision for closing the achievement gap.

What does it look like when a school uses data wisely? "Data Wise in Action", a new companion and sequel to the bestselling "Data Wise", tells the stories of eight very different schools following the Data Wise process of using assessment results to improve teaching and learning. "Data Wise in Action" highlights the leadership challenges schools face in each phase of the eight-step Data Wise cycle and illustrates how staff members use creativity and collaboration to overcome those challenges. "Data Wise in Action" builds on the work of leading faculty and graduate students at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, who joined with exemplary practitioners in 2005 to produce "Data Wise: A Step-by-Step Guide to Using Assessment Results to Improve Teaching and Learning". Since its publication, "Data Wise" has been read by thousands of school leaders, many of whom have shared the book with colleagues and staff. The success of the original book has generated a new demand among school leaders: to hear real stories from schools that are implementing the Data Wise process. "Data Wise in Action" answers that need. It offers both inspiration and practical guidance for school leaders. This book contains three sections. Section I, "Prepare", contains: (1) Organizing for Collaborative Work: Pond Cove Elementary School Lays the Groundwork (David P. Ronka); and (2) Building Assessment Literacy: Newton North High School Gets Smart about Data (Rebecca A. Thessin). Section II, "Inquire", contains: (3) Creating a Data Overview: McKay K-8 School Learns to Lead with Data (Mark B. Teoh); (4) Digging into Data: West Hillsborough Elementary School Dives Deep (Thomas Tomberlin); and (5) Examining Instruction: Murphy K-8 School Unlocks the Classroom (Trent E. Kaufman). Section III, "Act", contains: (6) Developing an Action Plan: Two Rivers Public Charter School Focuses on Instruction (Michelle L. Forman); (7) Planning to Assess Progress: Mason Elementary School Refines an Instructional Strategy (Sarah E. Fiarman); (8) Acting and Assessing: Community Academy Gets Serious about Homework (Jennifer L. Steele); and (9) Building Learning Organizations by Using Data Wisely (Kathryn Parker Boudett). A preface, an introduction by Kathryn Parker Boudett and Jennifer L. Steele, and an index are included. [For the related books, see "Data Wise: A Step-by-Step Guide to Using Assessment Results to Improve Teaching and Learning" (ED515275) and "Key Elements of Observing Practice: A Data Wise DVD and Facilitator's Guide (ED515273).]

"Managing School Districts for High Performance" brings together more than twenty case studies and other readings that offer a powerful and transformative approach to advancing and sustaining the work of school improvement. At the center of this work is the concept of organizational coherence: aligning organizational design, human capital management, resource allocation, and accountability and performance improvement systems to support an overarching strategy. This central idea provides a valuable conceptual framework for current and future school leaders. The case studies presented in "Managing School Districts for High Performance" grow out of the Public Education Leadership Project (PELP), a unique partnership between the Harvard Business School, the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a network of urban school districts. This rich array of cases explores the managerial challenges districts face as they seek to ensure rich learning opportunities and high achievement for all students across a system of schools. The book opens with an Introduction, and "Learning by the Case Method": A Note for Education Administrators (John S. Hammond). Following are five modules. Each begins with an overview and one-to-five case studies. The modules that include case studies with authors are as follows: Module 1: Making Coherence Concrete, contains: Case 2: Bristol City Schools (BCS) (Richard F. Elmore, Allen S. Grossman and Modupe Akinola); Note on the PELP Coherence Framework (Stacey Childress, Richard F. Elmore, Allen S. Grossman and Caroline King); Case 3: Pursuing Educational Equity at San Francisco Unified School District (Stacey Childress and Robert Peterkin). Module 2: Finding and Supporting Personnel, contains: Case 2: Reinventing Human Resources at the School District of Philadelphia (David A. Thomas and Caroline King); Case 3: Staffing the Boston Public Schools (Susan Moore Johnson and Jennifer M. Suesse). Module 3: Building a High-Performing Organization, contains: Case 2: Learning to Manage with Data in Duval County Public Schools: Lake Shore Middle School (A) (Allen S. Grossman, James P. Honan and Caroline King); Case 3: Using Data to Improve Instruction at the Mason School (Susan Moore Johnson and Tiffany K. Cheng); Case 4: Compensation Reform at Denver Public Schools (Allen S. Grossman, Nancy Dean Beaulieu, Susan Moore Johnson and Jennifer M. Suesse); Case 5: Managing at Scale in the Long Beach Unified School District (James E. Austin, Allen S. Grossman, Robert B. Schwartz and Jennifer M. Suesse). Module 4: Managing Schools across Differences, contains: Case 1: Mercy Corps: Positioning the Organization to Reach New Heights (Allen S. Grossman and Caroline King); Case 2: Managing the Chicago Public Schools (Richard F. Elmore, Allen S. Grossman and Caroline King); Case 3: The STAR Schools Initiative at the San Francisco Unified School District (Stacey Childress and Jennifer M. Suesse); Case 4: Race, Accountability, and the Achievement Gap (A) (Karen L. Mapp, David A. Thomas and Tonika Cheek Clayton); Case 5: Race, Accountability, and the Achievement Gap (B) (Karen L. Mapp, David A. Thomas and Tonika Cheek Clayton). Module 5: Sustaining High Performance over Time, contains: Case 1: Meeting New Challenges at the Aldine Independent School District (Stacey Childress, Allen S. Grossman and Caroline King); Case 2: Long Beach Unified School District (A): Change That Leads to Improvement (1992-2002) (James E. Austin, Allen S. Grossman, Robert B. Schwartz and Jennifer M. Suesse); Case 3: Long Beach Unified School District (B): Sustaining Improvement during a Leadership Transition (2002-2004) (James P. Honan, Robert B. Schwartz, Allen S. Grossman and Jennifer M. Suesse). [For the related Instructor's Guide, see ED568773.]

This companion Instructor's Guide to "Managing School Districts for High Performance: Cases in Public Education Leadership" includes detailed teaching notes on each case in the coursebook, with an emphasis on making cases drawn from other disciplines relevant to education administrators. Both experienced instructors and those new to the case method will find this instructor's guide an invaluable resource. It also includes C. Roland Christensen's classic essay on teaching by the case method, "The Premises and Practices of Discussion Teaching." Both experienced instructors and those new to the case method will find this instructor's guide an invaluable resource. [For the related book, "Managing School Districts for High Performance: Cases in Public Education Leadership," see ED568772.]

"Minding the Gap" argues that in today's highly competitive, global economy, all young people need a postsecondary education. Yet only one in ten students from the lowest economic quintile in the United States currently earns a postsecondary credential. This timely and instructive book from Jobs for the Future explores policies and practices that would quickly enable a larger number of low-income and first-generation college students to earn postsecondary degrees. In doing so, "Minding the Gap" calls for a system that thoroughly integrates secondary and postsecondary education--a system in which a college degree is the goal for all students. This book is divided into six parts. Part I, Why Integrate Grades 9 through 14?, contains the following: (1) Confessions of an Education Fundamentalist: Why Grade 12 Is Not the Right End Point for Anyone (Anthony P. Carnevale); and (2) Doing the Math: What It Means to Double the Number of Low-Income College Graduates (Susan Goldberger). Part II, One System across 9-14: The State of the States, contains the following: (3) Common Ground (Andrea Venezia, Joni Finney, and Patrick M. Callan); (4) The History of the Separation of K-12 and Postsecondary Education (Michael W. Kirst and Michael D. Usdan); (5) A College-Ready Nation: An Idea Whose Time Has Come (Kristin D. Conklin and Stefanie Sanford); and (6) Raising Expectations for Academic Achievement (Stan Jones). Part III, Alignment and Integration of Standards, Assessments, and Curriculum across 9-14, contains the following: (7) Alignment of High School Expectations to College and Work (Christine Tell and Michael Cohen); (8) All One System: The Promise of O*Net (Anthony P. Carnevale); (9) Challenges in the Transition from High School to College (David Conley); (10) Sending Signals to Students: The Role of Early Placement Testing in Improving Academic Preparation (Bridget Terry Long and Erin K. Riley); and (11) The California Early Assessment Program: Implications for States in Developing Readiness Agendas (David Spence). Part IV, Pathways across 9-14: Practices in Place, contains the following: (12) Lessons from the Field: A Tale of Two Early College High Schools (Cecilia Cunningham and Roberta S. Matthews); (13) Another Route to College (Terry Grobe); (14) Combining Middle and High School to Improve College Success (Dan Restuccia); (15) CUNY College Now: Extending the Reach of Dual Enrollment (Tracy Meade and Eric Hofmann); (16) Academic Identity Development: Student Experiences in Two Early College High Schools (Michael J. Nakkula and Karen C. Foster); and (17) Secondary-Postsecondary Learning Opportunities: Some Promising Practices (Jennifer Brown Lerner and Betsy Brand). Part V, Pathways across 9-14: Emerging Policies, contains the following: (18) Creating Pathways for Struggling Students within a 9-14 System (Adria Steinberg and Cheryl Almeida); (19) State Policies that Support the Integration of 9-14: The Case of Early College High Schools (Joel Vargas); (20) Return on Investment Analysis of Integrating Grades 9-14 (Robert Palaich, John Augenblick, and Margaretha Maloney); (21) Using Dual Enrollment to Build a 9-14 System (Nancy Hoffman); (22) Evolution of an Innovation: A Commentary on the State of Accelerated Learning (Travis Reindl); and (23) Exploring Education Reform Systemically: The United Kingdom's Nuffield 14-19 Review (Geoff Hayward). Part VI, What Comes Next? Accountability, Data Systems, Financing, contains the following: (24) Postsecondary Numerical Goals as Catalyst for P-16 Reform: Texas Sends a Message (Michael Collins); (25) Assessing and Reporting Progress: Florida's Integrated Data Systems (Jay Pfeiffer); (26) Data Requirements for a Coherent P-16 System (Chrys Dougherty and Lynn Mellor); (27) Seamless Data Systems to Promote Student Progression (Peter T. Ewell); (28) Developing a P-20 Budget Tool: Giving Direction to Oregon Public Education (Jill Kirk, John Tapogna, and Duncan Wyse); (29) Financing Higher Aspirations and Better Preparation (Arthur M. Hauptman); and (30) Integrating Public Finance into Strategies for Improving Preparation, College Enrollment, and Persistence (Edward P. St. John). Notes, references and an index are included.

Denver's groundbreaking campaign to introduce performance-based pay for teachers captured national and international attention and has paved the way for similar efforts elsewhere. In this book, Phil Gonring, Paul Teske, and Brad Jupp--among the key players in this successful come-from-behind campaign--offer the inside story of the ProComp initiative. They describe how entrepreneurial behavior within the teachers union and support from outside philanthropic groups propelled the plan from a cutting-edge concept into concrete policy. Based on unprecedented labor-management collaboration, the newly implemented ProComp compensation plan is the most advanced in the country. Each teacher's pay is based on several factors: evaluated performance, professional development efforts, and willingness to work with at-risk populations, as well as student achievement. Denver's ProComp plan has raised the debate over teacher compensation to a new level. A glossary of key terms and acronyms, and index is provided.

In "City Schools," Robert Rothman and his colleagues at the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University put forward a vision of "smart education systems" that link a highly functioning and effective school district with a comprehensive and accessible web of supports for children, youth, and families. One-third of the nation's children are educated in city schools. Many of these schools face tremendous challenges--rapid teacher turnover, poor academic performance, high concentrations of low-income children, children with disabilities, and English language learners. How can they engage the talents, resources, and support of other community institutions to serve students more effectively? The book describes ways that urban districts around the country are becoming "smarter" and outlines the components of a smart education system. Drawing from dozens of examples, the authors show how districts can build relationships with cultural institutions, businesses, government agencies, and nonprofits to support student achievement and offer multiple pathways to education for urban youth. The book opens with Acknowledgments and an Introduction. Twelve chapters with respective authors are divided over five parts as follows. Part 1: Urban Education: The Challenge and the Promise, contains: Chapter 1: The Real Achievement Gap (Robert Rothman); and Chapter 2: City Kids, City Families: City Commitments (Dennie Palmer Wolf and Heather A. Harding). Part 2: Districts and Schools in Smart Education Systems, continues with: Chapter 3: Smart Districts as the Entry Point to Smart Education Systems (Marla Ucelli, Ellen Foley, and Jacob Mishook); Chapter 4: Teaching and Learning in Urban Districts (Deanna Burney and Kenneth Klau); and Chapter 5: Expanding the Possibilities: The Diverse-Provider Model in Urban Districts (Kenneth K. Wong and David Wishnick). Part 3: Communities in Smart Education Systems, continues with: Chapter 6: The Role of Community Engagement in a Smart Education System (Richard Gray and Lamson Lam); Chapter 7: Leveraging Reform: Youth Power in a Smart Education System (Kavitha Mediratta, Amy Cohen, and Seema Shah); Chapter 8: Civic Capacity and Education Reform: The Case for School-Community Realignment (Jeffrey R. Henig and Clarence N. Stone); and Chapter 9: What Mayors Can Do to Help Build Smart Education Systems (Michael K. Grady and Audrey Hutchinson). Part 4: Getting Smarter: Two Case Studies, contains: Chapter 10: Creating a Smart District in Hamilton County (Jesse B. Register); and Chapter 11: "We Are Each Other's Business": The Place of Partnership in Smart Education Systems (Dennie Palmer Wolf and Jennifer Bransom). Part 5: A Vision for the Future, contains, Chapter 12: From Smart Districts to Smart Education Systems: A Broader Agenda for Educational Development (Warren Simmons). Also included are Notes, a section about the authors, and an Index.

This straightforward and inspiring book takes readers into schools where educators believe--and prove--that all children, even those considered "hard-to-teach," can learn to high standards. Their teachers and principals refuse to write them off and instead show how thoughtful instruction, high expectations, stubborn commitment, and careful consideration of each child's needs can result in remarkable improvements in student achievement. The following chapters are included in this book: (1) Spelunking through the Data; (2) Frankford Elementary School, Frankford Delaware; (3) University Park Campus School, Worcester Massachusetts; (4) Oakland Heights Elementary School, Russellville, Arkansas; (5) Elmont Memorial Junior-Senior High School, Elmont, New York; (6) Lincoln, Elementary School, Mount Vernon, New York; (7) Dayton's Bluff Achievement Plus Elementary School, St. Paul Minnesota; (8) Centennial Place Elementary School, Atlanta, Georgia; (9) Lapwai Elementary School, Lapwai Idaho; (10) Granger High School, Granger, Washington; (11) M. Hall Stanton, Elementary School, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; (12) West Jasper Elementary School, West Jasper, Alabama; (13) East Millsboro Elementary School, East Millsboro, Delaware; (14) Capitol View Elementary School, Atlanta, Georgia; (15) Port Chester, Middle School, Port Chester, New York; and (16) The Benwood Initiative, Chattanooga, Tennessee. Also included is Conclusion" What Can We Learn, and an Index. [Foreword by Kati Haycock.]

Drawing on their extensive research, Nichols and Berliner document and categorize the ways that high-stakes testing threatens the purposes and ideals of the American education system. For more than a decade, the debate over high-stakes testing has dominated the field of education. This passionate and provocative book provides a fresh perspective on the issue and powerful ammunition for opponents of high-stakes tests. Their analysis is grounded in the application of Campbell's Law, which posits that the greater the social consequences associated with a quantitative indicator (such as test scores), the more likely it is that the indicator itself will become corrupted--and the more likely it is that the use of the indicator will corrupt the social processes it was intended to monitor. Nichols and Berliner illustrate both aspects of this "corruption," showing how the pressures of high-stakes testing erode the validity of test scores and distort the integrity of the education system. Their analysis provides a coherent and comprehensive intellectual framework for the wide-ranging arguments against high-stakes testing, while putting a compelling human face on the data marshalled in support of those arguments. [Foreword written by Nel Noddings.]

In the last decade, the Boston Public Schools has undergone critical reforms that have been of intense interest to school leaders and policymakers throughout the country. Under the leadership of superintendent Thomas Payzant, the Boston schools implemented extensive reform strategies that yielded notable results. Fittingly, at the end of Payzant's superintendency in September 2006, the Boston Public Schools received the Broad Prize for Urban Education for being the most improved urban school district in the country. "A Decade of Urban School Reform" looks at this critical era in the Boston schools and distills valuable insights and lessons for school leaders and reformers everywhere. With chapters that explore questions pertaining to governance, human resources, instruction, data collection, disabilities, community engagement, and other topics, the book offers a detailed, comprehensive portrait of a school system managing the complex and daunting tasks of system-wide reform. The result is a timely, in-depth contribution to the small group of indispensable writings on urban school reform. [This book was edited with Celine Coggins. Contributors include: Lili Allen, Elizabeth A. City, Mary Ann Cohen, Morgaen L. Donaldson, Ellen C. Guiney, Christopher M. Horan, Susan Moore Johnson, Karen L. Mapp, Erika Moldow, Richard J. Murnane, Barbara Neufeld, Thomas W. Payzant, John H. Portz, S. Paul Reville, Kristan Singleton, Adria Steinberg, Jennifer M. Suesse, Abby R. Weiss, Helen Westmoreland, and Annenberg Institute for School Reform and Aspen Institute Education and Society Program.]

"The Opportunity Gap" aims to shift attention from the current overwhelming emphasis on schools in discussions of the achievement gap to more fundamental questions about social and educational opportunity. The achievement gap looms large in the current era of high-stakes testing and accountability. Yet questions persist: Has the accountability movement-and attendant discussions on the achievement gap-focused attention on the true sources of educational failure in American schools? Do we need to look beyond classrooms and schools for credible accounts of disparities in educational outcomes? The essays in this book reintroduce the overlooked central issue in educational inequity: the lack of opportunity that many social groups face in our common quest for educational attainment. In a series of wide-ranging and carefully nuanced essays, "The Opportunity Gap" casts much-needed light on the vexed relationship between society and education-and on the crucial, persistent role that education plays in addressing social ills. This volume is divided into three parts. Part One: "Social Structures, Institutions, and Education" introduces the following chapters: (1) Poverty and Education (Raewyn Connell); (2) "Improve the Women": Mass Schooling, Female Literacy, and Worldwide Social Change (Robert A. Levine, Sarah E. Levine, and Beatrice Schnell-Anzola); and (3) Cognitive Skill and Economic Inequality: Findings from the National Adult Literacy Survey (Stephen W. Raudenbush and Rafa M. Kasim). Part Two: "The Interactions among Schools, Students, and Communities" continues with: (4) The Politics of Culture: Understanding Local Political Resistance to Detracking in Racially Mixed Schools (Amy Stuart Wells and Irene Serna); (5) Structuring Failure and Success: Understanding the Variability in Latino School Engagement (Gilberto Q. Conchas); and (6) Student Social Class and Teacher Expectations: The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy in Ghetto Education (Ray C. Rist). Following an introduction, Part Three: "Expanding Opportunities, Fostering Achievement" provides: (7) The Algebra Project: Organizing in the Spirit of Ella (Robert Parris Moses, Mieko Kamii, Susan McAllister Swap, and Jeff Howard); (8) Citizenship for All in the Literate Community: An Ethnography of Young Children with Significant Disabilities in Inclusive Early Childhood Settings (Christopher Kliewer, Linda May Fitzgerald, Jodi Meyer-Mork, Patresa Hartman, Pat English-Sand, and Donna Raschke); and (9) Lessons from Students on Creating a Chance to Dream (Sonia Nieto).

At a time when traditional teacher education is coming under fire, "Transforming Teacher Education" presents a powerful vision of what teacher education could and should be. "Transforming Teacher Education" offers an intimate, reflective account of the development of the renowned Team One teacher education program at Michigan State University. Over a ten-year period, Team One established a first-rate reputation as a beacon of progressive teacher education. In this book, the creators of Team One describe their ongoing efforts to nurture and sustain a teacher education program that could serve as a learning community for students, faculty, and administrators alike. The book weaves together diverse voices to provide a detailed portrait of the ongoing transformation of teachers and students as they learn together.

Adolescent development research and theory have tremendous potential to inform the work of high school teachers, counselors, and administrators. "Understanding Youth" bridges the gap between adolescent development theory and practice. Nakkula and Toshalis explore how factors such as social class, peer and adult relationships, gender norms, and the media help to shape adolescents' sense of themselves and their future expectations and aspirations. An index is included.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) stands at the forefront of contemporary efforts to create universal access to educational curricula for all students, including those with disabilities. The "universal" in UDL does not mean there is a single optimal solution for everyone. Instead, it underscores the need for flexible approaches to teaching and learning that meet the needs of different kinds of learners. In this first UDL Reader, Anne Meyer and David H. Rose, cofounders of CAST, the educational nonprofit that developed the UDL framework, bring together a collection of articles on the practical, classroom dimensions of the UDL revolution in education. The authors offer insights on learner differences, the capacities of new media in the classroom, and effective teaching and assessment practices. The volume also includes lessons from teacher professional development workshops, classroom-based research, and UDL practitioners themselves. A highly readable volume aimed particularly at school teachers and administrators, this book is also an uncommonly accessible introduction to UDL for all readers committed to creating improved and universal access to educational materials for all students. Following a preface (Anne Meyer and David H. Rose), this book contains the following chapters: (1) Applying Universal Design for Learning in the Classroom (Peggy Coyne, Patricia Ganley, Tracey Hall, Grace Meo, Elizabeth Murray, and David Gordon); (2) A UDL Case Story and Model Lesson: Reading Challenges in Geography and Social Studies (The Staff at CAST); (3) Frequent Questions about Universal Design for Learning (Grace Meo); (4) A Level Playing Field: UDL in the Classroom (Lani Harac); (5) Teacher Perspectives: UDL in the Elementary Classroom (Kirsten Lee Howard); (6) Teacher Perspectives: Strategy Instruction Goes Digital (Nicole Strangman); (7) Implications of Universal Design for Learning for Classroom Assessment (David H. Rose and Robert P. Dolan); (8) The Promise of New Learning Environments for Students with Disabilities (Bart Pisha and Skip Stahl); (9) Transforming the Textbook to Improve Learning (Skip Stahl); (10) Engaging the Text: Brain Research and the Universal Design of Reading Strategy Supports (David H. Rose and Bridget Dalton); and (11) Teaching Internet Literacy Strategies: The Hero Inquiry Project (Maya B. Eagleton, Kathleen Guinee, and Karen Langlais). An index is also included.

In 1999, the Duval County (Fla.) school system set out to improve every school in the district. Over the next five years, the district achieved stunning results that have drawn nationwide attention. Jonathan A. Supovitz uses the unfolding story of Duval County to develop a sophisticated and thoughtful analysis of the role of the school district in enacting large-scale reform. In 1999, under the superintendancy of retired Air Force major general John Fryer, the Duval County (Fla.) school system set out to improve every school in the district. Over the next five years, the district achieved stunning results that have drawn nationwide attention. Supovitz uses the unfolding story of Duval County to develop a sophisticated and thoughtful analysis of the role of the school district in enacting large-scale reform. Drawing on interviews, surveys, and extensive first-hand observation, Supovitz chalks a vivid portrait. "The Case for District-Based Reform" weaves together seamlessly the account of leadership and change in one district with an investigation of the larger questions associated with this particular approach to school reform.

This lively and provocative book introduces this burgeoning field for readers concerned with K-12 education in the United States--and with efforts to reform and improve it. Entrepreneurship has emerged in recent years as an unprecedented and influential force in U.S. K-12 education. Yet the topic has received surprisingly little serious or systematic attention. "Educational Entrepreneurship" aims to fill this gap. This timely volume addresses a number of central questions: What is educational entrepreneurship and what does it look like? Who are the educational entrepreneurs and what motivates them? What tools do entrepreneurs need to be successful? What policies or practices enable or impede entrepreneurship? What would it mean to open up the education sector to more entrepreneurial activity? An interesting and admirable range of contributors offers clusters of articles on the nature of educational entrepreneurship; the political, policy, and legal contexts that face educational entrepreneurs; various models of entrepreneurial activity; the role of for-profit organizations in K-12 education; and possible future directions for educational entrepreneurs. Contents include: (1) Entrepreneurship, Risk and Reinvention (Frederick M. Hess); (2) What Is Educational Entrepreneurship? (Kim Smith and Julie Landry Petersen); (3) Entrepreneurs at Work (Paul Teske and Aimee Williamson); (4) The Policy Landscape (Patrick McGuinn); (5) Mapping the K-12 and Postsecondary Sectors (Adam Newman); (6) For-Profit K-12 Education: Through the Glass Darkly (Alex Molnar); (7) Entrepreneurs within School Districts (Joe Williams); (8) Markets, Bureaucracies, and Clans: The Role of Organizational Culture (Robert Maranto and April Gresham Maranto); (9) Why Is This So Difficult? (Henry M. Levin); (10) Opportunities, but a Resistant Culture (Steven F. Wilson); (11) The Bias against Scale and Profit (John E. Chubb); (12) Educational Entrepreneurs Redux (Larry Cuban); and (13) Politics, Policy, and the Promise of Entrepreneurship (Frederick M. Hess). An index is included.

In "Online Professional Development for Teachers," the authors look closely at exemplary online professional development programs, compare them carefully with one another, and draw helpful conclusions about them--both for those who develop online programs and for teachers and administrators in search of professional development programs that make a difference. How can professional development for teachers be more efficient and effective? This essential question lies at the heart of this timely and useful book. In an era marked by a heightened emphasis on school reform, the education and professional development of teachers is widely regarded as the keystone to educational improvement. Recently a bewildering array of online professional development programs has arisen. But how effective are these programs and how do they compare with one another? A book that brings clarity and insight to this burgeoning and influential field, "Online Professional Development for Teachers" will be of great value to researchers, policymakers, administrators, and teachers as they work to make the most of online professional development.

This volume sheds light on contemporary theoretical work and research, on a range of national and international polices, and on education reform in developing countries. International Education has become an increasingly prominent and urgent matter in recent decades. Since the 1990 and 2000 Education for All conferences in Thailand, and Senegal, educational access and quality have been important parts of a global development agenda. More recently, the United Nations Millennium Development Goals have called for dramatic increases in educational access and ensuring equity for those disadvantaged by national and regional power structures. "International Education for the Millennium" offers a detailed and comprehensive look at this vitally important field. Centrally concerned with the development of successful education systems and institutions throughout the world, the volume addresses those pressing questions-about access, equity, and quality-that inform the field today. The volume sheds light on important areas within this vast field: on contemporary theoretical work and research; on a range of national and international policies; and on education reform in developing countries. A volume that considers international education on the global, national, and local levels-and that addresses theoretical, scholarly, and practical matters- "International Education for the Millennium" offers an array of ideas, perspectives, and resources for scholars, policymakers, and practitioners. Following a foreword by Marlaine E. Lockheed, and an introduction by the editors, this volume is divided into three parts. Part One: "Frameworks and Theoretical Perspectives on International Education" contains: (1) Comparative and International Education: A Journey toward Equality and Equity (Nelly P. Stromquist); (2) The Adult Literacy Process as Cultural Action for Freedom (Paulo Freire); (3) Cultural Action and Conscientization (Paulo Freire); and (4) No Longer Overlooked and Undervalued? The Evolving Dynamics of Endogenous Educational Research in Sub-Saharan Africa (Richard Maclure). Part Two: "Transitions and Reform in International Education" continues with: (5) Education in Tanzania (Julius K. Nyerere); (6) Adjusting Inequality: Education and Structural Adjustment Policies in Tanzania (Frances Vavrus); (7) Women and Education in Eritrea: A Historical and Contemporary Analysis (Asgedet Stefanos); (8) Black Dean: Race, Reconciliation, and the Emotions of Deanship (Jonathan David Jansen); and (9) Teaching Quality Matters: Pedagogy and Literacy Instruction of Poor Students in Mexico (Fernando Reimers). Part Three: "Community Solutions for Educational Change," includes the following: (10) The Palestinian Uprising and Education for the Future (Khalil Mahshi and Kim Bush); (11) Interview with Khalil Mahshi; (12) Transference and Appropriation in Popular Education Interventions: A Framework for Analysis (Liliana Vaccaro); (13) Why Romà Do Not Like Mainstream Schools: Voices of a People without Territory (Julio Vargas Clavería and Jesús Gómez Alonso); (14) Education in the Fight against HIV/AIDS: Caring for Ourselves, Our Families, and Our Community in Kampala, Uganda (Joanita Nambi, Stella Alamo Talisuna, Margrethe Juncker, and the Volunteers of Reach Out). The book ends with an epilogue: On Teaching for Social Change: Creating a Bridge between Academia and Practice (Suzanne Grant Lewis).

This comprehensive volume will spur and strengthen public debate over the role of teachers unions in education reform for years to come. Collective bargaining shapes the way public schools are organized, financed, staffed, and operated. Understanding collective bargaining in education and its impact on the day-to-day life of schools is critical to designing and implementing reforms that will successfully raise student achievement. But when it comes to public discussion of school reform, teachers unions are the proverbial elephant in the room. Despite the tremendous influence of teachers unions, there has not been a significant research-based book examining the role of collective bargaining in education in more than two decades. As a result, there is little basis for a constructive, empirically grounded dialogue about the role of teachers unions in education today. Following an introduction by the editors, the table of contents provides the following chapters: (1) The History of Collective Bargaining among Teachers (Richard D. Kahlenberg); (2) Union Membership in the United States: The Divergence between the Public and Private Sectors (Henry S. Farber); (3) Scapegoat, Albatross, or What?: The Status Quo in Teacher Collective Bargaining (Frederick M. Hess and Andrew P. Kelly); (4) The Costs of Collective Bargaining Agreements and Related District Policies (Paul T. Hill); (5) The Effects of Collective Bargaining on Teacher Quality (Susan Moore Johnson and Morgaen L. Donaldson); (6) Are Teachers Unions Good for Students? (Dan Goldhaber); (7) Teachers Unions and No Child Left Behind (Paul Manna); (8) The Educational Value of Democratic Voice: A Defense of Collective Bargaining in American Education (Leo Casey); (9) The As-Yet-Unfulfilled Promise of Reform Bargaining: Forging a Better Match between the Labor Relations System We Have and the Education System We Want (Julia E. Koppich); and (10) Union Power and the Education of Children (Terry M. Moe). A conclusion (Jane Hannaway and Andrew J. Rotherham) is also included.

This eloquent book examines the complex--and often problematic--relations between education research, policy, and practice, and proposes ways to improve those relationships in the interest of meaningful education reform. Based on the Burton and Inglis Lectures, which Michael Feuer delivered at the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2004 and 2005, the book begins with an examination of how recent developments in cognitive science have fundamentally changed the way we understand human decisionmaking and rational judgment. It then proceeds to a consideration of how the lessons of cognitive science might inform a more rational--and reasonable--approach to education research, policy, and reform. Moving deftly and with great insight through the worlds of education research and policymaking, Feuer offers practical solutions to the impasses and disconnections that have chronically thwarted workable, sustained education reform. A practical, urgent, and thoroughly readable book, "Moderating the Debate" is a major statement on education research, policy, and reform that will be required reading for everyone with a stake in improving America's schools.

A comprehensive study that is also practical and realistic, "New Directions in Special Education" outlines principles for decision-making about special education at every level--from the family to the classroom, school, and district--and for state and federal policy. With this volume, leading scholar and disability advocate Thomas Hehir opens a new round of debate on the future of special education. Extending the conceptual framework developed in his seminal 2002 article in the "Harvard Educational Review," "Eliminating Ableism in Education," Hehir examines the ways that cultural attitudes about disability systematically distort the education of children with special needs and uses this analysis to lay out a fresh approach to special education policy and practice. Hehir traces the roots of "ableism"--the pervasive devaluation of people with disabilities--and shows how negative attitudes continue to shape debates in the field. He assesses recent trends in special education policy, particularly the shift of emphasis from compliance to outcomes, and discusses in depth the successes and limitations of the inclusion movement. He also investigates the impact of standards-based reforms on children with disabilities and critically examines the promise of Universal Design for Learning.

This book addresses crucial questions about how to create full access to the general education curriculum for children with disabilities. Based on years of research and innovation at CAST (The Center for Applied Special Technology), the book provides a helpful overview of the digital solutions that are at the forefront of efforts to create universal access. It also looks closely at the major policy and practice issues connected to this initiative. The book appears at a pivotal moment in special education policy and practice. The recent reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), together with the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and a general trend toward more inclusive education policies, has laid the groundwork for fully addressing the educational needs and abilities of children with disabilities of many kinds. Complementing these legal and social trends are remarkable new technologies designed to facilitate the education of those same children. Universal Design for Learning, or UDL--a network of methods, technologies, and materials developed at CAST--stands at the vanguard of this new era of initiatives and possibilities in special education. "The Universally Designed Classroom" offers a concise and useful introduction to this burgeoning field. A book for teachers, administrators, scholars, policymakers, parents, and citizens, it will be required reading for all who are committed to providing the finest education for all students. Contents include: (1) Introduction (David H. Rose, Anne Meyer, and Chuck Hitchcock); (2) The Future Is in the Margins: The Role of Technology and Disability in Educational Reform (Anne Meyer and David H. Rose); (3) Equal Access, Participation, and Progress in the General Education Curriculum (Chuck Hitchcock, Anne Meyer, David H. Rose, and Richard Jackson); (4) What IDEA and NCLB Suggest about Curriculum Access for Students with Disabilities (Joanne Karger); (5) Teacher Planning for Accessibility: The Universal Design of Learning Environments (Richard Jackson and Kelly Harper); (6) Teaching for Accessibility: Effective Practices, Classroom Barriers (Richard Jackson, Kelly Harper, and Janna Jackson); and (7) UDL Implementation: Examples Using Best Practices and Curriculum Enhancements (Tracey Hall, Anne Meyer, and Nicole Strangman). An index is also included.

Bringing together a mix of researchers and practitioners, "With the Best of Intentions" examines the major goals of recent philanthropic efforts and looks at some of the key lessons--for educators, philanthropists, policymakers, and community leaders--of philanthropic contributions to schools and school systems. From the Gates small school initiative to the Annenberg challenge to the Broad prize for urban education, philanthropic giving has played an increasingly prominent role in recent years in education reform efforts across the United States. Yet while we recognize that philanthropic organizations influence education in countless ways, we know strikingly little about the extent, dynamics, and results of their efforts. This lack of knowledge calls out for urgent attention of total K-12 spending, it has a disproportionate impact in shaping reform agendas and promoting cutting-edge efforts to improve schools and classrooms. "With the Best of Intentions" aims to fill this gap, offering lively perspectives on the role of philanthropy in K-12 education. It opens by surveying the current landscape in philanthropic giving to education, then examines the major goals of recent philanthropic efforts: building new schools, supporting troubled districts, promoting school choice, and advancing educational research and policy. The book concludes by looking at some of the major lessons--for educators, philanthropists, policymakers, and community leaders--of philanthropic contributions to schools and school systems. An informative and multifaceted volume, "With the Best of Intentions" is also full of debates and controversies. It will be of interest to scholars, policymakers, and education and community leaders--as well as to the philanthropic community itself.

An indispensable book for administrators, policymakers, scholars, and practitioners, "Urban School Reform" presents a revealing portrait of reform efforts while identifying the full range of issues that education reformers will need to address in districts across the country in the years ahead. Today's urban school reformers face a bewildering array of challenges. Urgent problems pertaining to governance, management, labor relations, classroom instruction, and numerous other areas face those who wish to reform and improve urban schools. Having undergone one of the nation's most comprehensive school reform efforts in recent years, San Diego has been a site of nationwide interest--one that is uncommonly well suited to learning about the challenges facing all reformers. This timely book addresses the full range of critical issues pertaining to urban school reform by looking closely at the recent reform efforts in San Diego. In essays by an impressive gathering of scholars and practitioners from across the country, the book considers crucial dimensions of reform efforts in the San Diego schools, including performance, governance, the external environment, central leadership and management, district infrastructure, support services, and school-level instructional efforts. The result is a full-scale assessment of San Diego's reform efforts--a record of unmistakable relevance and value to other urban reform movements throughout the United States.

"Higher Education and the Color Line" examines the role of higher education in opening up equal opportunity for mobility in American society--or in reinforcing the segregation between white and nonwhite America. In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark decision upholding affirmative action, this comprehensive and timely book outlines the agenda for achieving racial justice in higher education in the next generation. Weaving together current research and a discussion of overarching demographic, legal, and political issues, the book focuses on the racial transformation of higher education and the structural barriers that perpetuate racial stratification at the postsecondary level. "Higher Education and the Color Line" includes chapters that outline the demographic changes in elementary, secondary, and postsecondary school enrollment; the evolving role of law and policy; the barriers faced by minority college students; and the kinds of programs that best serve them. Topics addressed include financial aid; the role of community colleges; nontraditional paths to postsecondary education; and the role of higher education in social and economic mobility. In addition to providing a thorough and up-to-date assessment of the state of racial integration in higher education, the book goes beyond the usual black-and-white analysis to provide a multiethnic perspective supported by extensive new data. Taken together, these discussions examine the role of higher education in opening up equal opportunity for mobility in American society--or in reinforcing the segregation between white and nonwhite America. It provides insight for how institutions, states, and the country should be thinking about U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's hope that affirmative action will no longer be needed in 25 years.

"Special Education for a New Century" pays particularly close attention to how inclusive education practices can best be promoted in the era of standards-based accountability. An updated version of the best-selling "Special Education at the Century's End", this new volume combines cutting-edge research and theory about students with disabilities with classic pieces that have influenced the special education field since the passage of the federal Education for All Handicapped Children Act in 1975. This new edition rediscovers those seminal articles and--through a new wave of equally groundbreaking articles--brings the issue up to the present day. This book looks at special education among English-language learners and in early childhood classrooms, and offers new strategies for addressing the overrepresentation of African American and Latino students in special education. The volume also includes trenchant contributions by Alfredo J. Artiles, Thomas Hehir, and Christopher Kliewer, et al. that challenge existing assumptions about disabilities, urging teachers and administrators to cast away tired notions that denigrate students with disabilities and stand in the way of equal education for all. Just as "Special Education at the Century's End" profoundly influenced disability policy and practice when it was published over a decade ago, "Special Education for a New Century" sets the agenda for scholarship and policies concerning students with disabilities and inclusive education today. It offers rich resources for policymakers and practitioners alike as they face the challenge of guaranteeing inclusive education for all students in today's schools. Other contributors include Jim Cummins, Lisa D. Delpit, Jennifer A. O'Day, and Timothy Reagan.

In the wake of the accountability movement, school administrators are inundated with data about their students. How can they use this information to support student achievement? "Data Wise: A Step-by-Step Guide to Using Assessment Results to Improve Teaching and Learning" presents a clear and carefully tested blueprint for school leaders. It shows how examining test scores and other classroom data can become a catalyst for important schoolwide conversations that will enhance schools' ability to capture teachers' knowledge, foster collaboration, identify obstacles to change, and enhance school culture and climate. The rich experience of the contributors--among them exemplary school leaders and top scholars in the fields of statistics and testing--is reflected in the complexity and realism of the case studies that illustrate each chapter. [For the related books, see "Data Wise in Action: Stories of Schools Using Data to Improve Teaching and Learning (ED515276) and "Key Elements of Observing Practice: A Data Wise DVD and Facilitator's Guide" (ED515273).]