Title I 2000 Resource Guide

Section 1: Major Resources top

Evaluating Whole-School Reform Efforts: A Guide for District and School Staf
2000
This practical resource walks educators through the steps involved in planning, designing, and carrying out effective evaluation of their comprehensive school reform programs. The guidebook describes how to plan and prepare for an evaluation; develop evaluation questions; collect, analyze, interpret, and report data; and use the findings to make program improvements. Different evaluation models are outlined, and both print and online resources for evaluating schoolwide programs are provided. Transparencies and handouts also are included for workshops and presentations to staff.

Format: Hard copy, $14.95
Contact: Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL) Attn: Jennifer
101 SW Main Street, Suite 500
Portland, OR 97204
(503) 275-9481
(503) 275-9500
(800) 547-6339
www.nwrel.org

Using Data to Improve Schools: Raise Student Achievement by Incorporating Data Analysis in School Planning
1998
The resources in this toolkit enable schools and district personnel to collect, understand, and use data for creating and revising school action plans designed to increase student achievement. Special emphasis in examples and resources has been placed on schoolwide planning and raising achievement for traditionally low performing students.

Format: Hard copy $35.00 plus disks
Contact: New England Comprehensive Center EDC
55 Chapel Street;
Newton, Ma 02458
(800) 332-0226
e-mail: compcenter@edc.org

Standards-Based Accountability Systems
2000
In light of the increasing pressures on educators to strengthen, revise, or implement accountability systems, this policy brief attempts to summarize research results and provide guidance regarding decisions associated with school accountability. The document analyzes the role of state and local policymakers and clarifies federal goals and requirements. Now that most states have adopted content standards, the issue of assessment is the greatest challenge. Common sense suggests no one type of assessment is the best choice in every situation. Using multiple types of assessments that combine results from commercially available, standardized tests with those from locally developed, alternative assessments is perhaps the best way for educators to gain a complete picture of student achievement. A related issue and dilemma for educators is the inclusion issue. When all students, including English language learners and special needs students, are tested, the results may be inaccurate. In addition, the legality of high-stakes testing continues to be debated. This policy brief discusses these issues of most importance.

Format: On-line: www.mcrel.org/products/ policy-briefs/index.asp
Contact: Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning
2550 S. Parker Road, Suite 500
Aurora, CO 80014
(303) 337-0990
e-mail: info@mcrel.org

A Map for Teaching and Assessing California's English Language Development and English Language Arts Standards for English Learners
2000

This document links ELD and ELA content standards in a format that allows teachers to see clearly and easily where the standards match and how ELD standards build proficiency to the ELA standards. The ELD standards are clustered from Beginning to Advanced performance by specific content topic for a grade span. Across from the cluster of ELD standards are matching actual state standards for each grade in the grade span. This document is useful for teachers and administrators responsible for ELD standards and assessment.

Format: Hard copy $10.00 plus S&H
On-line: www.wested.org
Contact: Tom Ross, Resource Specialist
West Ed 300 Lakeside Drive, 18th Floor
Oakland, CA 94612-3534
(415) 615-3144
(415) 512-2024 (fax)
e-mail: tross@wested.org

Educators' Guides to Collecting and Using Data
1999-2000

There are four booklets in the Educators' Guide to Collecting and Using Data series. (Each costs $5.00.) Conducting Focus Group Research, Conducting Surveys, Conducting Classroom Observations, and Conducting Self-Studies offer practical advice and tools to help educators conduct quality data collection and analysis to improve their schools and districts.

Format: Hard copy, $5.00
Contact: RMC Research Corporation
1512 Larimer St., Suite 540
Denver, CO 80202
(800) 922-3636
(303) 825-3636
(303) 825-1626 fax
e-mail: rmc@rmcdenver.com
www.rmcdenver.com

Crafting Standards-Based Education: A Facilitator's Guide for the Alignment of Standards-Based Assessment, Curriculum, and Instruction
1999
This guide was developed for facilitators who are leading New York State school district efforts to align district standards with state, national, or local standards and to plan, implement, and monitor the effectiveness of standards-based education. The manual's activities can be used with standards and curriculum resource materials from any content domain, governmental body, or teaching organization. For purposes of a consistent follow-through, the New York State English language arts standards and curriculum, resource materials are the focus of the guide.

Format: Hard copy, $50.00
Contact: Dr. LaRuth Gray The New York Technical Assistance Center (NYTAC)
Metro Center for Urban Education
NYU School of Education
82 Washington Square E., #72
New York, NY 10003
(212) 998-5100
(212) 995-4199 (fax)
e-mail: laruth.gray@nyu.edu

Standards-Based Alignment
1999

Standards-based alignment has recently received considerable attention from state departments of education and local school districts as an important strategy for improving the quality of teaching and learning. In this paper, written by Cheryl Liebling, standards-based alignment is viewed as a means of enhancing the coherence of the PreK-12 educational program through consistent connections of standards, assessment, curriculum, and instruction. Nevertheless, jumping to the "how-to" of alignment without adequate time for reflection on the "why-to" runs the danger of encouraging compliance with policy without personal commitment to the shared vision of standards-based education. Implementing standards-based alignment guided by reflection, inquiry, and mindful teaching will help districts move a step closer toward creating the coherence in educational programs that is necessary for the achievement of higher standards for all.

Format: Hard copy, $10.00
Contact: Dr. LaRuth Gray The New York Technical Assistance Center (NYTAC)

Metro Center for Urban Education
NYU School of Education
82 Washington Square E., #72
New York, NY 10003
(212) 998-5100
(212) 995-4199 (fax)
e-mail: laruth.gray@nyu.edu

Analyzing, Disaggregating, Reporting, and Interpreting Students' Achievement Test Results: A Guide to Practice for Title I and Beyond
1997
Schools and school districts can capitalize on the opportunity created by the Title I requirements by analyzing their students' test performances in new and creative ways for a host of purposes, including analysis of current school policies, evaluation of the effectiveness of current school programs, planning the development of innovative instructional interventions, and reporting to parents and citizens on students' collective achievement status and progress. This report illustrates, analyzes, and summarizes achievement test results by schools and school districts that have chosen a route that offers many potential benefits but requires diligence and appropriate caution.

Format: Hard copy, $10.00
Contact: Council of Chief State School Officers
1 Massachusetts Ave. NW
Washington DC 20001-1431
(202) 336-7016
(202) 408-8072 fax
www.ccsso.org

Handbook for the Development of Performance Standards
1998
This handbook describes methods for developing performance standards in the aligned system of standards and assessments required by IASA/Title I. Reasons for the handbook's emphasis on performance standards include: the needs of states concerned with implementing legislative requirements and their underlying intent, inexperience with and the relative difficulties of developing and implementing defensible performance standards, and the importance of evaluating the extent to which all students achieve optimal learning and performance.

Format: On-line: www.ccsso.org
Contact: Council of Chief State School Officers
1 Massachusetts Ave. NW
Suite 700
Washington, DC 20001-1431
(202) 336-7016
(202) 408-8072 fax

Primary Level Assessment for IASA Title 1: A Call for Discussion
2000
This report is the work of the State Collaborative on Assessment and Student Standards, Comprehensive Assessment Systems for IASA Title 1 (SCASS CAS) study group on early childhood assessment. It discusses appropriate assessment procedures for prekindergarten through grade 3, particularly as related to the program accountability requirements of Title 1. Because of the dearth of appropriate operational models, the purpose of this paper is to showcase emerging approaches and to serve as a catalyst for further discussion and work in the area of early childhood accountability assessment. The paper is designed to serve as a resource for state and local educational agency administrators as they search to identify or develop good primary-level assessment that can be used for Title 1 accountability. The report also helps explain to policymakers why these types of assessment are important and why further research and development efforts are needed.

Format: On-line: www.ccsso.org
Contact: Council of Chief State School Officers
1 Massachusetts Ave. NW
Suite 700
Washington, DC 20001-1431
(202) 336-7016
(202) 408-8072 fax

State Standards and State Assessment Systems: A Guide to Alignment
2000
This report is the work of the State Collaborative on Assessment and Student Standards, Comprehensive Assessment Systems for IASA Title 1 (SCASS CAS) study group on aligning assessments to standards. Alignment of content standards, performance standards, and assessments is crucial whether assessment data are used to make policy decisions, funding allocations, or recommendations for student learning. Although alignment of these three major components makes intuitive sense, making it a reality is the challenge and the focus of this guide. This document is designed to provide state and local education agencies with a useful resource for addressing alignment issues. The component parts of an aligned system are examined and methodology for achieving and evaluating alignment is explored in this guide, and it includes a review of current literature, as well as personal communication. This research is woven together with a few basic assumptions, best practice, and practical reality to produce a resource for planning and achieving a comprehensive aligned system of standards and assessments.

Format: On-line: www.ccsso.org
Contact: Council of Chief State School Officers
1 Massachusetts Ave. NW
Suite 700
Washington, DC 20001-1431
(202) 336-7016
(202) 408-8072 fax

A Guide to Schoolwide Programs and Practices for Improving Literacy
1999
This guide to research-based programs and practices for early literacy is designed to assist low-performing schools and districts in planning early literacy instruction. The research base for this guide is Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children (PRD), a recent report by the Committee on the Prevention of Reading Difficulties in Young Children. This report, with its emphasis on preventing reading failure among high-risk populations, provides a concise synthesis of research for educators whose busy days allow little time for examining the range of qualitative and quantitative studies of early literacy that are available.

Format: Hard copy, $13.00 Free (to schools in high poverty areas)
Contact: New England Comprehensive Center
EDC 55 Chapel Street
Newton, MA 02458
(800) 332-0226
e-mail: compcenter@edc.org

Alignment of Science and Mathematics Standards and Assessments in Four States
1999
Establishing alignment of standards and assessments alone is not enough for attaining the full impact of standards-based reform, but it is an early indicator that helps assure a state's standards and assessments will reach their full potential. This analysis demonstrates one process for qualifying the alignment between standards and assessments, using specific criteria. It summarizes the findings from an alignment analysis of the standard and assessments from four states conducted with the participation of experts in science and mathematics education as reviewers.

Format: Hard copy, $7 On line: www.ccsso.org/pdfs/ AlignmentPaper.pdf
Contact: Council of Chief State School Officers
1 Massachusetts Ave. NW
Washington DC 20001-1431
(202) 336-7016
(202) 408-8072 fax

Choosing a Standards-Based Mathematics
1998
This book is intended for use by educators responsible for the curriculum review and selection process within a district. For the selection phase, the book focuses on assembling a selection committee, assessing resources and needs, and creating guidelines and criteria for evaluating different programs. The curriculum implementation section focuses on ways districts can work toward successful use of material they have purchased - planning a realistic and effective roll-out strategy, supporting teachers, and building community buy-in and assistance.

Format: Hard copy, $23.00
Contact: Heinemann, Inc.
88 Post Road West
POBox 5007
Westport, CT 06681-5004
800-793-2154

Help At Last Series for Teachers and Parents
1998, 1999, 2000
The Help At Last series offers practical tips, tools, and activities for teachers and parents to use as they translate research into practice. Titles include: Monthly Activities for Family Involvement, Monthly Activities for Parent Involvement in Secondary Schools, Integrating Reflection Into Literacy Instruction, A Teacher's Guide to Promoting Early Literacy by Using Parent Tutors, Using Technology to Create Productive Learning Environments and Activities to Nurture Character Development in Elementary Children.

Supporting Parent, Family, and Community Involvement in Your School
2000
This guide offers research-based suggestions on creating positive family and community involvement in schools. It is intended to help school staff and others design long-term approaches to fostering partnerships with other important adults in students' lives. The guide includes a brief review of key research findings on the positive role families can play in their children's learning. It identifies six types of partnerships schools can foster, including those based on parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision making, and collaborating with the community. Tools are included to help schools measure how well they are reaching out to involve families and community members.

Format: Hard copy, Free On-line: www.nwrel.org/ csrdp/family.pdf
Contact: Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL)
101 SW Main Street, Suite 500
Portland, OR 97204
(503) 275-9500
(800) 547-6339

Knowledge Loom Ongoing
This web site features resources on best practices related to priority areas targeted by the Secretary of Education. Each spotlight gathers information about an area of educational practice, going in depth on a particular area of practice, presenting lists of best practices, success stories, and a host of research and resources related to the topic. Spotlights featured to date include:
Literacy practices nationally
Literacy practices in the northeast
Technology leadership
Middle school math
Parent involvement (forthcoming)

Format: http://knowledgeloom.org (note: do not include "www")
Contact: LAB-The Northeast and Islands Regional Educational Laboratory at Brown University
The Education Alliance
222 Richmond St., Suite 300
Providence, RI 02903-4226
(800) 521-9550
(401) 421-7650 (fax)
e-mail: publications@lab.brown.edu
www.lab.brown.edu

Curriculum and Report Cards
2000
The Right Question Project, Inc. is dedicated to making democracy work better for all people on a fundamental level. Curriculum and Report Cards is a training module to increase parent participation in education. Parents participating in this session will be able to explore issues related to curriculum and report cards. They will develop a crucial but often overlooked skill - question formulation that will help them identify their concerns and more effectively participate in their children's education. In the 120 minute workshop, parents will define the meaning of the curriculum, explore its impact in their children's education, explore the relationship between curriculum and report cards, experience the question formulation technique, examine three different roles they can play in their children's education, and develop their own action plan.

Format: Hard copy, $30.00
Contact: The Right Question Project
2464 Massachusetts Ave., Suite 314
Cambridge, MA 02140
617-492-1900
617-492-1950 Fax
e-mail: info@rightquestion.org

Keep Talking: The Family on Your School's Agenda
2001 forthcoming
This product presents five conversation guides that help principals facilitate discussion about family partnerships. They are designed to encourage teachers, parents, and administrators to think and talk about family and community partnerships in a different way. The five critical topics are achievement, family partners, learning energy, connections, and activities. These five topics are critical to achieving effective family partnerships that support student learning. According to research, when partnerships fail, these are usually the areas administrators need to consider.

Format: Hard copy, single copies free Ask about our quantity pricing
Contact: LAB-The Northeast and Islands Regional Educational Laboratory at Brown University
The Education Alliance
222 Richmond St., Suite 300
Providence, RI 02903-4226
(800) 521-9550
(401) 421-7650 (fax)
publications@lab.brown.edu
www.lab.brown.edu

Parent Guide: Making a Difference for Indian Students: Families and Schools Honoring Achievement
2000
This booklet, developed by ORBIS Associates, has been written by an American Indian parent to help other parents and families of Indian students play a bigger role in their children's education. Different types of participation are discussed. Different ways to participate are discussed. In addition, some suggestions are made in the guide about specific actions that parents and family members might take to improve schools through parent involvement. This Parent Guide, uses the PTA's six standards Communicating, Parenting, Student Learning, Volunteering, School Decision-making and Advocacy, and Collaborating with Community as a springboard for identifying ways Indian families can be more involved in their children's education.

Format: Hard copy, free
Contact: Dr. LaRuth Gray
The New York Technical Assistance Center (NYTAC)
Metro Center for Urban Education NYU School of Education
82 Washington Square E., #72
New York, NY 10003
(212) 998-5100
(212) 995-4199 (fax)
e-mail: laruth.gray@nyu.edu

What Schools Can Do to Welcome and Meet the Needs of All Students and Families
1997
This guidebook offers program ideas and resource aids that can help address some major barriers that interfere with student learning and performance. The guidebook includes the following: Schools as Caring, Learning Environments; Welcoming and Social Support; Toward a Sense of Community Throughout the School; Using Volunteers to Assist in Addressing School Adjustment Needs and Other Barriers to Learning; Home Involvement in Schooling; Connecting a Student with the Right Help; Understanding and Responding to Learning Problems and Learning Disabilities; Response to Students' Ongoing Psychological and Mental Health Needs; Program Reporting: Getting Credit for All You Do, and; Toward a Comprehensive, Integrated Enabling Component. The School Mental Health Project (SMHP) was created in 1986 to pursue theory, research, practice and training related to addressing mental health and psychosocial concerns through school-based interventions. Their website, listed below, contains numerous additional resources for mental health in schools.

Format: Hard copy, $35.00 Online: http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/
Contact: UCLA / School Mental Health Project Center for Mental Health in Schools Department of Psychology
P.O. Box 951563
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1563 310
825-3634
310 206-8716 fax
e-mail: smhp@ucla.edu

Teacher Evaluation to Enhance Professional Practice
2000
How can we reinvent teacher evaluation so that it really makes a difference - so that everyone in school benefits from it, so that teachers and administrators learn from it, so that students succeed as a result of it? The bad news is that many schools and districts seem to be stuck in old ruts, involving The Observation, The Behavior Checklist, The Conference, and The Judgment. The good news is that many districts have paved the way for teacher evaluation to actually become professional development, by using a three-track evaluation system: Track I, for beginning teachers, promotes growth and new learning through mentoring, frequent observations, and support systems. Track II, for tenured teachers - that is, most teachers in the system - promotes professional learning experiences through self-assessment, goal setting, data collection, formative evaluations, study groups, action plans, and evaluation in which teachers play an active role. Track III, for tenured teachers needing assistance, focuses on remediating difficulties and recommending further action. More good news: Through concrete examples, useful forms, and assessment tools, this book provides a clear roadmap to effective teacher evaluation systems that combine quality assurance with professional development for all teachers.

Format: Hard copy, $24.95
Contact: Educational Testing Service, Pathwise
Rosedale Road, MS-18D
Princeton, NJ 08541
(800) 297-9051

Investigating Motion Trips: A Professional Development Module for K-8 Teachers
2001
This learning module explores students' understanding of science. It interweaves teachers' inquiries about the mathematics of motion with students' ideas and ways of knowing. Clear instructions provide a step-by-step approach to learning in a scientific discipline, both by studying the mathematics of motion, and by teaching practitioners to look closely at children's thinking. In combination, the two modes of learning challenge practitioners' assumptions about what learners from diverse backgrounds bring to the classroom. The module helps teachers see and hear the strengths of children different from themselves, and to see them as scientifically sound thinkers. The Toolkit includes: detailed agendas for each learning session, outlining the activities and preparation needed; facilitator's notes on how to support professional inquiry among teachers, how to respond to students' questions and ideas, and examples from TERC's Cheche Konnen seminars; a videotape and annotated transcripts of discussions, keyed to themes in the module; and annotated readings, with discussion questions.

Format: Toolkit, $20
Contact: LAB-The Northeast and Islands Regional Educational Laboratory at Brown University
The Education Alliance
222 Richmond St., Suite 300
Providence, RI 02903-4226
(800) 521-9550
(401) 421-7650 (fax)
e-mail: publications@lab.brown.edu
www.lab.brown.edu

Voices From The Field Ongoing
"Voices from the Field" (www.lab.brown.edu/voices) is a quarterly publication featuring stories generated by classroom teachers. The publication combines thoughtful essays with interactive questions and forums. Readers are invited to pose questions, share their own stories, and comment on the spotlighted theme. Each issue of this online periodical features a cover story and opportunities for reader input. Five different issues are currently available online:
Action Research: Classroom Study
Teaching City Living with Simulation Software
Becoming a Teacher n Teaching in an Era of School Violence
Relationships in the Classroom

Format: Online: www.lab.brown.edu/public/voices/index.html
Contact: LAB-The Northeast and Islands Regional Educational Laboratory at Brown University
The Education Alliance
222 Richmond St., Suite 300
Providence, RI 02903-4226
(800) 521-9550
(401) 421-7650 (fax)
e-mail: publications@lab.brown.edu
www.lab.brown.edu

Components of Professional Practice
1999
This booklet identifies the aspects of a teacher's responsibilities, as documented through empirical studies and theoretical research, that promote improved student learning. Although not the only possible framework, these responsibilities seek to define what teachers should know and be able to do in the exercise of their profession. Each of the four domains of the framework refers to a distinct aspect of teaching. To some degree, the components within each domain form a coherent body of knowledge and skill, which can be the subject of focus independent of the other domains. This booklet describes the 22 components of professional practice within the framework of the four domains.

Format: Hard copy, $10.00
Contact: Region XIV Comprehensive Center
Educational Testing Service
1000 North Ashley Drive, Suite 312
Tampa, FL 33602
(800) 756-9003
www.ets.org/ccxiv

School-Based Planning Team: Consensus Building and Conflict Resolution Skills
1998
This booklet, written and compiled by Barbara Barnes, addresses a specific concern of groups working together for school reform. In delineating a New York Technical Assistance Center workshop on the consensus approach to decision-making, it describes effective ways for dealing with conflict and differences of opinion, and it reviews communication and negotiation skills that are necessary to make collaboration work.

Format: Hard copy, free
Contact: Dr. LaRuth Gray The New York Technical Assistance Center (NYTAC)
Metro Center for Urban Education
New York University School of Education
82 Washington Square E., #72
New York, NY 10003
(212) 998-5100 (212)
995-4199 (fax)
e-mail: laruth.gray@nyu.edu

An Idea Book for Title IX Staff Supporting School Improvement for Indian Students
2000
This Idea Book, developed by ORBIS Associates, provides Title IX staff members with examples of the various comprehensive plans necessary for supporting districts' improvement efforts concerning all Indian students to ensure the quality of services that these students deserve. It identifies three essential areas in which Title IX staff must undertake as active roles as possible. Each of these three areas is associated with furthering the goals of school improvement and ensuring that the needs of Indian students are being addressed in that process. The three areas are (1) Communication with the Indian community; (2) Advocacy, within schools, on behalf of Indian students; and (3) Mobilizing Indian students into action.

Beating the Odds in Teaching All Children to Read
1999
To increase understanding of how to help all children learn to read, especially those at risk for academic failure, Taylor and her colleagues have approached the experts - those teachers and principals who are helping young learners beat the odds. In this study, Taylor, Pearson, Clark, and Walpole focus on both instructional (classroom-level) and organizational (school-level) factors that might explain how and why some schools are particularly successful in teaching at-risk children to read.

Format: Hard copy, $6.50 Please specify CIERA Report #2-006 when ordering On-line: www.ciera.org
Other excellent CIERAReports include: The Scarcity of Informational Texts in First Grade, #1-007
Learning to Read Words: Linguistic Units and Strategies, #1-008
Contact: CIERA/University of Michigan
610 E. University Ave., 1600 SEB
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1259
(734) 647-6940
(734) 615-4858 fax
e-mail: ciera@umich.edu

Improving the Reading Achievement of America's Children: 10 Research-Based Principles
1998
The 10 Principles are available for free by contacting us directly or by download from our website: www.ciera.org.

Format: Hard copy, Free On-line: www.ciera.org/ciera/information/principles/
Contact: CIERA/University of Michigan
610 E. University Ave., 1600 SEB
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1259
(734) 647-6940
(734) 615-4858 fax
e-mail: ciera@umich.edu

Every Child a Reader
1998
An innovative series of eight six-page pamphlets summarizing the state of current research in reading education, written for teachers and teacher educators. Extensive research over the past 30 years has established the classroom and home experiences that support independent reading by the end of third grade. Every Child a Reader draws on this research in providing teachers with practical suggestions on improving children's reading achievement. Written in clear, concise language, Every Child a Reader includes practices easily incorporated in any classroom, along with vital references to help teachers learn more. Eight topics include: Oral Language; Early Concepts; Phonics; Fluency; Strategies; Writing; Engagement; School Programs.

Format: Hard copy, $10.00 On-line: www.ciera.org
Contact: CIERA/University of Michigan
610 E. University Ave., 1600 SEB
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1259
(734) 647-6940
(734) 615-4858 fax
e-mail: ciera@umich.edu

Here's Proof Prevention Works
1999
One of the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention's (CSAP) primary missions is to translate research into practice for the prevention field. The service providers responsible for delivering these much needed services seek guidance in the form of easy-to-understand, practical materials identifying "best practices" and supporting their desire and ability to implement effective programs. This publication offers accessible profiles of seven prevention programs that have met high standards. They are based on sound theoretical principles and have undergone rigorous evaluation, with high confidence in the results. This set of materials contains information on the programs' goals, activities, outcomes, materials, etc.

Format: Hard copy, free
Contact: National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information
(800) 729-6686
www.health.org

Health is Academic
1998
"Health is Academic" details the importance of putting children's health at the center of school programs and policies as a pre-requisite for learning. With expert contributions from over 70 leading professional associations in health and education, the book includes chapters on: Coordinated School Health Programs, Implementation, State and National Roles.

Format: Hard copy, $24.95
Contact: Teachers College Press
P.O. Box 20
Williston, VT 05495-0020
(800) 575-6566

Raising the Achievement of Low-Performing Students
2000
This policy brief synthesizes seven papers from nationally know experts on diversity issues. Its purpose is to identify some causes of marginalized students' low performance, then offer research-based suggestions to help improve these students' academic achievement. There are many factors within a school that affect student achievement that this policy brief groups into six main areas of concern: weak or inappropriate curricula, ineffective instruction, disengaging classroom discourse, poor student self-concept, unsuccessful adjustment to school culture, and prejudice. Curriculum and instruction issues include concerns about minority students being given less-rigorous curricula and less-experienced teachers. It is also noted that teachers' methods of student engagement should be changed, that teachers should strive to maximize self-concepts of minority students, and that teachers should understand that fear of being stereotyped is a significant hindrance to minority student achievement.

Format: On-line: www.mcrel.org/products/ policy-briefs/index.asp
Contact: Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning
2550 S. Parker Road, Suite 500
Aurora, CO 80014
(303) 337-0990
e-mail: info@mcrel.org

Comprehensive School Reform Research-Based Strategies to Achieve High Standards
2000
The purpose of this guidebook is to provide a coherent framework for planning schoolwide improvements. It is intended to help educators begin to redesign schools, to move beyond piecemeal reforms, and to reconfigure entire academic programs to help every student meet challenging standards. The guidebook describes the context and key elements of comprehensive school reform, and it offers a process for conducting comprehensive data analysis, planning and implementation. It includes tools and activities to facilitate planning and implementation, profiles of successful schools, and lists of additional resources. The guidebook also includes two videos. One is an overview of comprehensive school reform. The other visits several schools as they implement their respective reform efforts.

Format: Hard copy, On video, On-line Hard copy with video: $59.95, Video: $20.95
Contact: Tom Ross, Resource Specialist
West Ed 300 Lakeside Drive, 18th Floor
Oakland, CA 94612-3534
(415) 615-3144
(415) 512-2024
e-mail tross@wested.org
www.wested.org

Creating Schools for the 21st Century
2000
This booklet describes the process and strategies undertaken by the Region XIV Comprehensive Center at ETS to turn around high poverty, low performing schools. Outcomes are reported for improved student achievement, enriched curriculum and instruction, productive school climate, and meaningful parent and community involvement. Individual school profiles highlight major changes in five areas.

Format: On-line: www.ets.org/ccxiv/pubs.html
Contact: Region XIV Comprehensive Center at Educational Testing Service
1000 North Ashley Dr., Suite 312
Tampa, FL 33602
(800) 756-9003
(813) 228-0632

Effective Instructional Practices
2000
The Research into Practice Series captures best practices from years of field experience and research on teaching and learning by McREL. There are currently four modules in the series that are designed to assist schools and districts improve student learning: Implementing Standards in the Classroom; Classroom Assessment, Grading, and Record Keeping; Enhancing Reading Development; and Effective Instructional Practices. A participant manual forms the basis for each module. Each participant's manual provides users with research findings and practical strategies for standards-based classrooms. Effective Instructional Practices presents an overview of nine categories of instructional practices that research links to improved student achievement. These instructional strategies can be widely applied and are generally effective for any student, at any grade level, in any subject area. The discussion of each category includes a synthesis of the research and suggestions for classroom practice. McREL offers two-day training to prepare educators who are interested in leading others through these workshops. Individuals attending these sessions receive a facilitator's kit, which contains a facilitator's guide, a video tape that includes further explanation of key concepts, and blackline masters of workshop overheads and a participant's manual.

Format: Hard copy, $79.95 facilitator kit $18.75 participant manual
Contact: McREL Attn: Resource Center
2550 S. Parker Road, Suite 500
Aurora, CO 80014
(303) 337-0990
(303) 337-3005
e-mail: info@mcrel .org
www.mcrel.org

Leadership for Student Learning: Changing Expectations
2000
The widespread adoption and implementation of standards-based reform has changed the definition of successful educational leadership. While in the past principals needed excellent management and community-relations skills, today they also need to be able to raise student achievement scores. Instructional leadership is now principals' main criterion for success, but attending to instructional matters can be difficult since other issues like discipline, meeting with parents, counseling stressed staff and record keeping often take up much of their time. In light of these competing issues, 18% of the principals who responded to a survey by the U.S. Department of Education said it is not reasonable to expect principals to be instructional leaders - and only 16% said the expectation of instructional leadership is reasonable. It is time for the education community to take action and to think of new ways to distribute leadership and administrative duties so as to build a support structure that will allow principals and other school leaders to be successful.

Format: Hard copy, free Online: www.goodschools.gwu.edu
Contact: The National Clearinghouse for Comprehensive School Reform
2121 K Street, Suite 250
Washington, DC 20037
(877) 766-4CSR
(877) 833-4891 (fax)
e-mail: AskNCCSR@goodschools.gwu.edu

Step by Step
2000
Step by Step is a collection of the best tools available that are specifically designed to assist schools with the stages of comprehensive school reform (CSR) - from planning to demonstrating success. With brief introductions and direct links to a variety of online tools, Step by Step helps educators think through the issues, challenges and rewards of schoolwide improvement. Resources are provided on each of the following:
Planning and Assessing n Matching Models to School Needs
Conducting Site Visits n Examining CSR Models n Communicating with Other Schools
Negotiating with External Providers
Implementing CSR
Evaluating Success

Format: On-line: www.goodschools.gwu.edu
Contact: The National Clearinghouse for Comprehensive School Reform
2121 K Street, Suite 250
Washington, DC 20037
(877) 766-4CSR
(877) 833-4891 (fax)
AskNCCSR@goodschools.gwu.edu Is.gwu.edu/SBS/index.html

Academic Standards and Comprehensive School Reform
2000
Rigorous standards and assessments are challenging educators across the nation to rethink how they approach teaching and learning. In looking for more effective methods for everything from instruction to resource allocation, many educators are turning to comprehensive school reform models. What do schools need to consider relative to standards and assessments as they plan to implement CSR? The most important issues are choosing a CSR model that aligns with state and district standards, offering professional development on both the model and how it can be aligned to meet accountability requirements, and remaining committed to model implementation for several years. Savvy consumers of CSR models ask how a model addresses state and/or local standards and expect the model developer to work with teachers and other school staff on alignment with standards and assessments. These consumers also consider how much time they have to show results. In this age of accountability, educators have to decide whether they need a quick boost in test scores or are ready for a long-term improvement effort.

Format: Hard copy, free On-line: www.goodschools.gwu.edu
Contact: The National Clearinghouse for Comprehensive School Reform
2121 K Street, Suite 250
Washington, DC 20037
(877) 766-4CSR
(877) 833-4891 (fax)
e-mail: AskNCCSR@goodschools.gwu.edu

Evaluating for Success. Comprehensive Reform: An Evaluation Guide for Districts and Schools
1999
This 45-page manual is designed for the practicing educator who is not expert in program evaluation. It provides a step-by-step process for evaluating comprehensive school reform initiatives, along with practical information, tips, and tools. Participants in the federal Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration program will find that this guide can assist in meeting that program's evaluation requirements. Furthermore, much of the information provided in this guide is applicable to any local jurisdiction engaged in school reform that wants to know how its initiatives are working and the changes that are needed to improve them. Schools that intend to implement comprehensive school reform using other funding sources should also find this guide useful.

Format: Hard Copy, $20.00
Contact: McREL Resource Center
2550 S. Parker Rd., Suite 500
Aurora, CO 80014
(303) 337-0990
(303) 337-3005 fax
e-mail: info@mcrel.org
www.mcrel.org

CSR Briefs
1999
These articles cover issues related to the implementation of the Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration (CSRD) Program, including these topics: Key features of comprehensive school reform and descriptions of how the CSRD Program can support schools in this process; how whole school models address the nine key components of a comprehensive research approach required for a CSRD grant, what a school needs to implement school reform initiatives; how schools using data-driven improvement processes incorporate CSRD models into their programs; how to select a school reform model that addresses need; the examination of resources needed to support and sustain reform initiatives; and the importance of parent and community involvement in many of the comprehensive School Reform Models.

Format: On-line: www.ceee.gwu.edu/ csrbriefs.htm
Contact: Region III Comprehensive Center
George Washington University
1730 N. Lynn St., Suite 401
Arlington, VA 22209-2004
(703) 528-3588 or
(800) 925-3223
www.ceee.gwu.edu

The Dynamics of Change in High School Teaching: A Study of Innovation in Five Vermont Professional Development Schools 2001
Written in an engaging style, this book provides an up-close look at how teachers and students supply the necessary energy to initiate organic change in high schools, and it examines the process by which such innovations can be sustained in the broader educational system. Though all of the examples given were drawn from professional development schools, they illuminate change processes in almost any school because the authors keep the focus on high school reform in general. For this reason, the book can broadly appeal to policymakers, school administrators, and researchers, as well as practitioners.

Equity in Public Schools: The Federal Role
1998
This guide, edited by Karla Foy, is intended to provide guidance on Federal law, Federal regulations, and important programs that are related to equity and impact K-12 public education throughout the country. It was produced by the Equity Assistance Center at the Metro Center for Urban Education.

Format: Hard copy, $10.00
Contact: Dr. LaRuth Gray The New York Technical Assistance Center (NYTAC)
Metro Center for Urban Education NYU School of Education
82 Washington Square E., #72 New York, NY 10003
(212) 998-5100
(212) 995-4199 (fax)
e-mail: laruth.gray@nyu.edu

Building on Strengths: ESL Curriculum Ideas for Working with Migrant Students
1999
Developed by Virginia M. Tong, Ph.D. and Migdalia Romero, Ph.D., this guide is intended to assist those working with ESL Migrant students. It proposes four curriculum principles and instructional strategies that emphasize meaningful tasks and content as well as functional language.

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