(2007). Los Angeles Takes over Its School District: An Overview of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's Bid to Restructure LAUSD. Policy Note. Tomas Rivera Policy Institute Across the nation, takeovers of schools or entire systems by mayors, state legislatures, or control boards have come as a result of increasing pressure to improve low performing schools, particularly those in central cities serving disadvantaged or minority students. Citing a need for improvement in the city's schools, Antonio Villaraigosa proposed a number of changes in the way the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is run during the 2005 mayoral campaign. The new governance structure is outlined in California Assembly Bill No. 1381 (AB 1381). This legislation calls for a power-sharing arrangement in which the mayor, the elected school board, and the district superintendent would be responsible for overseeing different aspects of the school district. The school reform bill, set to take effect January 1, 2007, faced a legal challenge from school district officials and others who claimed that it violated California's state constitution. On December 21, 2006, a judge declared… [PDF]
(2009). Back to School for Retired Baby Boomers. District Administration, v45 n9 p57-59 Oct. Across the nation, schools increasingly are tapping into a vast resource pool–retired educators. The potential effects of the retirement boom–baby boomers reaching retirement age–have been well documented. An April 2009 "New York Times" article estimates that by 2013, more than one-third of the nation's 3.2 million teachers could retire. One study suggests that by 2015, the United States faces a potential shortfall of 280,000 teachers just in mathematics and science. This loss of collective knowledge, talent and experience could have a devastating effect on public education. Rather than watch idly as this mass exodus occurs, many states are bringing back retired teachers to work on a part-time basis. One such program is in the state of Tennessee. Since 2001, the Tennessee Department of Education has achieved outstanding success by calling upon retired teachers and administrators to serve as coaches, mentors and guides. These Exemplary Educators, as they are called,… [Direct]
(2009). Changing Peer Support for Superintendents. School Administrator, v66 n6 p24-25 Jun. This article describes a better form of peer support for superintendents. Old models of peer support–guest speakers, war stories, and a culture of protected and isolated practice–cannot provide what superintendents need. Today, in a major cultural change, dozens of superintendents in small groups share real problems, improve their practice and learn from each other through consultation and group problem solving. These groups have formed as the result of a conscious and concerted effort to change the culture of peer support for superintendents. Tired of seeing so many superintendents struggle and fail in their challenging jobs, Tom Scott, the executive director of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents wanted to try a different kind of peer support. Scott and the board of his statewide association engaged the author and colleagues at Cambridge Leadership Associates to introduce Heifetz and Linsky's Adaptive Leadership framework and its embedded consultation protocol… [Direct]
(1977). The Principal's Role as an Instructional Leader. ACSA School Management Digest, Series 1, Number 3. ERIC/CEM Research Analysis Series, Number 30. In most schools the duties of the principal are not defined. A principal who is concerned with improvement of the instructional program has a wide range of roles to play. However, feelings run strong in the controversy over whether principals can or ought to be instructional leaders in their schools. Lack of time, power, clear role definition, and preparation are some of the roadblocks slowing down principals that want to be instructional leaders. Some techniques for getting around the roadblocks include administrative assistants that take over the principal's administrative functions; autonomous schools where decisions regarding the instructional program are made at the building level; and sharing power with other professional personnel. Two innovative programs offer promise that principals can be trained to perform the complex and demanding role of instructional leader. (Author/MLF)… [PDF]
(1975). The Meaning of Serrano Criteria for California Public School Finance. Claremont Economic Papers, No. 140. The Serrano decision has caused policy makers in California to search for departures from the current system of public school finance. Citizen and legislative evaluation of alternative finance systems is being confused by the employment of diverse interpretations of Serrano. Although the Court's decision may appear to indicate clear-cut methods of repair, a careful analysis of criteria implied by reform proposals and the logic of Serrano reveal substantial divergences. The Serrano criteria prohibit most proposals currently being promoted–expanded supplemental aid schemes and system neutrality alternatives are clearly misguided reform attempts; full state funding, coordinated tax base sharing, and proportional power equalizing seem to be acceptable, with coordinated tax base sharing being the best alternative. There is, however, an internal conflict in the Serrano logic. Insofar as local district control is maintained over choice of property tax rates, and property assessed… [PDF]
(2005). Teacher-Oriented Adaptive Web-Based Environment for Supporting Practical Teaching Models: A Case Study of \School for All\. Computers and Education, v44 n2 p155-172 Feb. Web-based learning systems, if designed appropriately, offer many advantages over the traditional learning environments. This study addresses the design and development of new approaches and network technologies based on the newly induced pedagogical models to support collaborative teaching, knowledge sharing, lifelong learning opportunities for anyone to offer or participate in courses free of charge. The authors propose and implement a Web-based learning environment called \School for All\ in the Web-based Educities. To satisfy the needs of individual instructors, adaptive Web-based authoring tools and methods of teaching have been proposed, including five adaptive modules–Curriculum Setting, Co-teaching and Privileges Setting, Reward Setting, Assessment Setting and Information Sharing Setting. Thirty representative courses that used this adaptive School for All system were under close observations and investigation. An additional questionnaire was also used to collect online… [Direct]
(1999). Establishing Coalitions To Impact Public Policy: A Necessity for the 21st Century?. This paper discusses how the formation of coalitions and partnerships in Illinois has helped to impact public policy, sharing recommendations for forming coalitions that will help ensure educational excellence and equity in the 21st century through a shared decision-making process. After discussing the importance of forming coalitions, the paper presents an overview of the formulation and current status of the Illinois Network Coalition (INC). The INC was designed to promote high quality educational standards and offerings for all learners in Illinois through the sharing of information, the monitoring and informing of educational legislation, and the selected addressing of other educational issues in the state. Next, the paper explains the sequence of activities of the INC over 10 months. Finally, it presents nine recommendations for individuals and groups endeavoring to form a coalition. A concluding section discusses the future of teacher education, examining whether the… [PDF]
(1970). Library Information System Time-Sharing (LISTS) Project. Final Report. The Library Information System Time-Sharing (LISTS) experiment was based on three innovations in data processing technology: (1) the advent of computer time-sharing on third-generation machines, (2) the development of general-purpose file-management software and (3) the introduction of large, library-oriented data bases. The main body of the report contains: (1) purpose, (2) background and development of LISTS, (3) conduct of the LISTS experiment, (4) problems encountered, (5) results and (6) conclusions. The five appendices cover: (1) on-line circulation simulation, (2) LISTS system users manual, (3) LISTS system users manual for circulation control subsystem at Fullerton Junior College Library, (4) instructions for operating an on-line circulation system and (5) LISTS evaluation questionnaire. Based on this experiment, it appears that automation is an improvement over manual processing in some parts of the acquisitions process, for bibliographic searching of the Machine Readable… [PDF]
(2004). Middle Schoolers and the Blues. Social Studies, v95 n5 p197 Sep-Oct. American culture stems from a multitude of the diverse perspectives, customs, and habits of the vast groups that have made the United States their home. This nation's complexity of diverse cultures and its ability to strive for common values seem almost over-whelming. Nonetheless, from the cultures of many, one culture can emerge. Through sharing of music, language, religion, and customs, the people of the United States have strengthened and grown as a society. Many of the contributions and influences on American culture are well documented in educational texts. Unfortunately, the major influences cited in U.S. school textbooks are those from dominant cultures. Sharing only the influences from dominant cultures gives students an opportunity to explore only those voices in American culture. Other influences and contributions from groups not considered dominant are not sufficiently recognized, even though their influences are significant. To ignore or dismiss the influences of less…
(1975). Mind Transplants Or: The Role of Computer Assisted Instruction in the Future of the Library. Computer assisted instruction (CAI) may well represent the next phase in the involvement of the library or learning resources center with media and the educational process. The Lister Hill Center Experimental CAI Network was established in July, 1972, on the recommendation of the National Library of Medicine, to test the feasibility of sharing CAI materials through a national computer network. Three suppliers of CAI programs–Ohio State University, the Massachusetts General Hospital, and the University of Illinois Medical Center in Chicago–combined with one commercial time-sharing corporation to realize the network concept. CAI programs on the network are applicable to health science users at all levels and have been utilized by over 100 health science institutions. The network was initially free to users. While the institution of charges caused an initial drop in the number of users, their numbers have risen again, and the network is now self-supporting. This network method may be… [PDF]
(2010). E-Learning. InTech E-Learning is a vast and complex research topic that poses many challenges in every aspect: educational and pedagogical strategies and techniques and the tools for achieving them; usability, accessibility and user interface design; knowledge sharing and collaborative environments; technologies, architectures, and protocols; user activity monitoring, assessment and evaluation; experiences, case studies and more. This book's authors come from all over the world; their ideas, studies, findings and experiences are a valuable contribution to enriching our knowledge in the field of eLearning. The book is divided into three sections. The first covers architectures and environments for eLearning, while the second part presents research on user interaction and technologies for building usable eLearning environments, which are the basis for realizing educational and pedagogical aims, and the final last part illustrates applications, laboratories, and experiences. Contents include: (1)… [Direct]
(2005). Rethinking Silence in the Classroom: Chinese Students' Experiences of Sharing Indigenous Knowledge. International Journal of Inclusive Education, v9 n3 p287-311 Jul. Recent research has documented silence/reticence among East-Asian international students, including Chinese students, in Western/English classrooms. Students' communication competence and cultural differences from the mainstream Euro-American society have been identified as two primary barriers to participation. Placing emphasis on individual characteristics of Chinese students, however, without considering aspects of the educational context with which those characteristics interact, may over-simplify and distort the mechanism underlying their silence in the classroom. Based on a qualitative study of Chinese students' experience of sharing "indigenous knowledge" in classroom settings of Canadian academic institutions, it is argued that the pursuit of diversity in the classroom may be compromised by classroom interactions, through which, for instance, the dynamics and quality of the "knowledge exchange" of students from different socio-cultural backgrounds may be… [Direct]
(1987). The Limits of Consensus. Dynamics in the education policy arena suggest that, despite two generations of researchers extolling democratic leadership styles and consensus building over autocratic techniques, wide participation in policymaking and the broadest possible consensus are not always productive: American society has not yet agreed on what schools should accomplish. In the face of contradictory expectations, many educators feel a loss of efficacy. In addition to lost confidence, there is always the danger of lost jobs in districts where the enrollment continues to fall. To some extent, the question of power sharing and consensus building seems hollow. Sociologists have long noted that people in the human service fields encounter a dichotomy between protecting careers and protecting clients. Superintendents wishing to close schools should reorganize only with a strong board mandate. Consensus is not accountability; if interest groups agree on policies that are unpopular with the body politic, power…
(2006). My Literary Lunches with Boys. Educational Leadership, v64 n1 p67-70 Sep. When literacy specialist Jennifer Allen agreed to meet weekly with five boys who wanted to share their out-of-school writing with her, the weekly all-boys lunch-time writing group was born at Albert S. Hall elementary school in Waterville, Maine. She had intended to run the group as a writers' workshop and teach mini-lessons. But from the beginning the boys created their own structure for the group and their own acceptable behaviors, including talking over one another and writing even while another writer was sharing his work aloud. The boys have continued to be enthusiastic writers; at their urging the group has continued for two years. Allen contrasts the boys' behaviors with the norms she has experienced in all-girls writing groups. She relates her experience writing with boys to the literature on boys and learning…. [Direct]
(2006). Views from the Inside and Outside. American Psychologist, v61 n3 p259-261 Apr. This paper replies to comments on the article \Psychology and Phenomenology: A Clarification.\ Four of the five comments on my article were critical of my treatment of psychology and phenomenology. I will try to identify the sources of these disputes, but not with the intention of demonstrating the superiority of one discipline over the other. In an attempt to compare and contrast psychology and phenomenology, I analyze three concepts: objectivity, values, and falsifiability. Reber's comments were agreeable to read because of the common methodological orientation we share. Reber's optimism about humanity sharing common moral commitments appears to be contradicted by history and current events. Cloonan's plea for a \methodological pluralism\ (p. 255) in psychology sounds appealing but is basically destructive for psychology and society. You can't play chess and checkers on the same board at the same time!… [Direct]