February 2012 Issue
Raising High School Graduation Rates How Schools Can Save More Students From Dropping Out
Ben Levin, former Deputy Minister for Education in Ontario and author of the new book, More High School Graduates, joins us to talk about what it will take to raise our extremely low high school graduation rates and save more kids from dropping out. Only 72% of American students who enter high school currently graduate — a huge problem for the kids and for our economy. But the problem is not limited to the so-called dropout factories. Even in the best schools in the U.S. there are kids who should graduate, but don't. During Ben Levin's tenure as Deputy Minister for Education over the last decade, high schools in Ontario raised their graduation rate from 68% to 81%. It can be done in the U.S. as well and Ben Levin talks about what it will take in this fascinating interview. Continue
Improving Student Learning When Budgets Are Tight
How do you stay focused on increasing student learning when budgets are tight or being cut? Allan Odden, an international authority on educational leadership, and the author of the new book, Improving Student Learning When Budgets Are Tight, joins us to discuss why it’s so critical for school leaders to remain focused on improving student learning during tough economic times. Continue
Effective Communication: It’s Not What You Say …
Communication between teachers and school leaders can be one of the most frustrating aspects of an administrator’s day, but this doesn’t have to be the case, as Shelly Arneson explains in this segment. Continue
Teachers in the Age of Digital Instruction
In this segment, Bryan Hassel, co-author of the recent report, “Teachers in the Age of Digital Instruction,” provides us with a look at what teaching will increasingly look like as digital tools become more commonplace and why teacher effectiveness in … Continue
Motivational Lessons for School Leaders
Pete Hall is the principal of Shaw Middle School, a Title I school in Spokane, Washington and a school leader who has been honored with ASCD’s Outstanding Young Educator Award and Phi Delta Kappa’s Emerging Leaders Award. He is the … Continue
What Can Schools Learn From High-Reliability Organizations?
What we can learn from organizations whose jobs (and lives) depend on getting it right? Nationwide, nearly a third of high school students never graduate and another third graduates unprepared for college or the workplace. This level of failure is … Continue
Update On Educator Evaluation Reform
Nationwide, as states and school districts seek new ways to evaluate teachers and school administrators, there is a focus on developing structured, transparent processes that incorporate student performance into the evaluation results and link evaluation to ongoing professional development. Sherri … Continue
Why Is Managing Change So Hard?
Of all the aspects of McREL’s Balanced Leadership program, the one that has most captivated school leaders is the research and content related to managing change and understanding that not all change is the same. In this segment, McREL Senior … Continue