May 24, 2006

Available Starting In August

Earn Credits with Online Classroom Management Course

What does good classroom management look like?

Is there one approach that is more effective than another?

Is there a never-fail recipe for success in this area?

How does the school atmosphere affect classroom management?

Who really knows what to do?

motivating students,

setting up an effective classroom structure,

handling parent conferences,

dealing with discipline problems, and

the role of humor.

High Schools: Next Target of Education Reform?

Have you read Breaking Ranks: Changing an American Institution, (1996), a publication of the National Association of Secondary School Principals and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching?

How about Breaking Ranks II: Strategies for Leading High School Reform (2004), a publication of the NASSP and The Education Alliance at Brown University?

If not, you might want to include them in your summer reading list because both are being used by groups, task forces, and committees around the nation to look at redesigning the public high school for more personalized learning, among other goals.

Of course, one of the motivating elements behind this push is the Elementary and Secondary Education Act standards of student performance which public schools must meet in order to remain in existence.

Both books discuss practices aimed at producing fewer dropouts, higher achievement, and post high school success for graduates. Some practices covered include the following:

Developing a Learning Community: The school develops a culture in which students and teachers know each other well and learning by both staff and students is valued. Parents and other members of the community partner with school staff to ensure that all students graduate from high school with options that lead to further achievement.

Adapting School Organization to Promote Student Success: Administrators distribute power among the staff and students. They also encourage the adaptation of school policies and structures to meet the learning needs of students.

Standards-Based Teaching to Each Student: Teachers use instructional methods that allow students with different skills, aspirations, and interests to succeed in meeting standards. They develop courses that form a unified curriculum, integrating academic knowledge with real-life problems and tasks.

Fostering Independent Learning: Students learn to design pathways toward their own futures through personalizled learning plans, an advisory system, and student-led conferences. These and other strategies help them to identify and achieve personal and educational goals.