Using case studies of two models of statewide school reform, this book examines the role of state departments in the reform process. It details how these departments of education implemented their reform plans, and the effects of their choices on both the department and the schools.

Urban school reformers for decades have tried to improve educational outcomes for underserved and disadvantaged students, with the assistance of constantly evolving federal and state policies. In recent years, education policies have shifted from targeting individual students to developing universal standards for teaching and learning, and comprehensive school reform (CSR) has emerged as an effective key model. The federal CSR program seeks to support the implementation of comprehensive school reform, especially in high-poverty schools, and to improve efforts to help all children meet challenging academic standards. Schools that receive federal CSR funds must adopt approaches that comply with the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). This book provides a series of studies and reflections on CSR by leading experts in the field.

The goal of this volume of Research in Science Education is to examine the relationship between science education policy and practice and the special role that science education researchers play in influencing policy. It has been suggested that the science education research community is isolated from the political process, pays little attention to policy matters, and has little influence on policy. But to influence policy, it is important to understand how policy is made and how it is implemented. This volume sheds light on the intersection between policy and practice through both theoretical discussions and practical examples. This book was written primarily about science education policy development in the context of the highly decentralized educational system of the United States. But, because policy development is fundamentally a social activity involving knowledge, values, and personal and community interests, there are similarities in how education policy gets enacted and implemented around the world. This volume is meant to be useful to science education researchers and to practitioners such as teachers and administrators because it provides information about which aspects of the science education enterprise are affected by state, local, and national policies. It also provides helpful information for researchers and practitioners who wonder how they might influence policy. In particular, it points out how the values of people who are affected by policy initiatives are critical to the implementation of those policies.

(published in co-operation with The Center on Innovation & Improvement) As subsequent chapters point out, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requires states to provide assistance to districts in improving the schools within their purview. Of course, the U.S. Constitution and federal laws leave the control of education largely to the states, and states have long provided support to school districts. In return for federal monies, however, NCLB requires states to provide such help under the statewide systems of support (SSOS) provision of the Act. The purposes of this Handbook are to survey the research related to statewide systems of support, to present the experience and insights of educational leaders in how such support can best be conducted, and to derive actionable principles for improving schools. It is intended for use not only by the staff of the U.S. Department of Education-sponsored Regional Centers that serve state department staff but also by the staff of school districts and schools. Also sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, the Center on Innovation & Improvement (CII) previously developed the Handbook on Restructuring and Substantial School Improvement (Walberg, 2007) that became the basis of CII’s technical assistance to Regional Centers on this topic. CII made available for downloading Power Point presentations and web-based seminars (“webinars”) based on the previous Handbook. CII’s intended audiences widely employed the previous Handbook on Restructuring and Substantial School Improvement and auxiliary materials and found them useful in their technical assistance efforts to disseminate and encourage evidence-based ideas for restructuring and improving schools. With advice from the U.S. Department of Education, scholarly experts, and experienced educators in the Regional Centers, state departments of education, and school districts, the CII staff concluded that what it envisioned as the present Handbook would be similarly useful.

Featuring a group of expert contributors, this book details the complexities of not only preparing teachers for the classroom but also helping them to succeed in the profession itself. Addressing topics of vital importance to new and veteran teachers, this authoritative volume: Explains how to build a strong sense of self to help teachers weather the inevitable storms they face in the field, such as state mandates, district directives, and parental pressures. Investigates highly regarded programs for new teachers, analyzing orientations, seminars, and mentorship programs. Discusses how to bring together stakeholders to renew teacher preparation, induction, and professional development.Addresses the crucial role of teacher unions and how they are helping to make teaching a more attractive career. And much, much more. Contributors: Richard E. Barnes, Sheldon Berman, Sharon Feiman-Nemser,Thomas Gillett, John I. Goodlad, Paul E. Heckman, Daniel Katz, Corinne Mantle-Bromley, Nancy Jean Sahling, Roger Soder, Adam Urbanski, Patricia A. Wasley, Betty Lou Whitford, Richard Wisniewski “These thoughtful and provocative essays contribute to our understanding of ways to renew and sustain good teaching. Anyone interested in matters of teacher induction, professional development, college–school partnerships, and the role of higher education in teacher development will find these essays a necessary read.” —David G. Imig, President and CEO, American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education “John Goodlad and Timothy McMannon have captured many of the issues state board members are grappling with as they pursue the goal to have a highly qualified teacher in every classroom, every day. As states track and modify policies on program approval, licensure, recruitment, and retention, this work will help to inform their deliberations.” —Brenda Welburn, Executive Director, National Association of State Boards of Education

In response to a growing interest in mentoring and new teacher induction, the authors offer a unique view of developing quality mentors. Drawing on empirical research, practitioner action inquiry, and field-tested practices from induction programs, they explore effective mentoring in diverse educational contexts. With richly contextualized and thoughtfully analyzed excerpts from actual mentoring conversations and powerful examples of practice, the volume offers educators, researchers, and policymakers a reform-minded vision of the future of mentoring. Challenging conventional wisdom, this essential resource: Argues that mentors are not born, but developed through conscious, deliberate, ongoing learning; Provides a needed link between research and practice in the field of new teacher mentoring, to define a knowledge base for effective mentoring; Documents induction and mentoring practices that focus new teachers on individual learners, equity-oriented curriculum and pedagogy, and the educator's role in reforming school culture; Highlights problems and complexities of enacting mentor knowledge and learning in diverse contexts.

Presents a collection of articles, narratives, book chapters, opinion pieces, and excerpts from multimedia works that describe the practice of teaching.