BEST PRACTICES & EFFECTIVE SCHOOLS

The following teaching and learning innovations have been found to lead to improved school performance.

  • Teaching for Understanding. This effort encompasses activities oriented toward higher-order thinking skills. These skills are evidenced by problem solving and creating instead of simply reproducing knowledge, greater use of interdisciplinary curriculums and cooperative learning, and assessment on samples of work that illustrate understanding and application rather than memorization and reproduction.

  • Use of Technology. Technology use is reflected by the ability to use the tools of the future workplace—in particular, a greater emphasis on the use of technology as a tool for learning and producing. It includes such computer tasks as math calculations, writing, and searching the Internet for background information.

  • Educating All Students. Reforms in this direction include individualized instruction, nongraded classrooms, and mainstreaming of students with special needs.

  • Integrated Services. Efforts in this area encompass internal integration through team teaching, that is, teams of teachers taking responsibility for a larger portion of the learning of a defined group of students. External integration is evidenced by the development of links to the community for educational purposes along with links to other relevant community services, such as agencies providing social and medical services.

  1. Integrated Curriculum
  2. My Hero: Teacher Heroes Inspiring!
  3. Honor What We Know - Voices from National Teacher's Forum
  4. Small Learning Communities
  5. Safe Schools!
  6. The Digital Learning Commons -- Resource rich site of research on best practices
  7. Effective Schools
  8. Effective Schooling Practices: A Research Synthesis
  9. Correlates of Effective Schools
  10. In-Sites into Educational Reform -- Numerous interesting links
  11. Pathways to Reform: Start With Values -- Differing philosophies can lead to a wide range of valid practices.
  12. Turnaround Schools -- A number of stories about how schools and districts surmounted hurdles and overcame failures
  13. Special Topic / Transforming High Schools -- A study of 10 high schools finds that some schools just go through the motions, whereas other schools listen to teachers, parents, and students and make sure stakeholders understand the purpose of reforms.
  14. Web Wonders / Schools as Learning Communities -- Useful tips and Links!
  15. Research for Better Schools -- Extremely useful site
  16. Schools of Hope
  17. Yreka High School School Accountability Report Card
  18. Habits of Mind
  19. Developing Creative/Critical Habits of Mind
  20. Small Schools By Choice
  21. CoNect Schools: Benchmarks
  22. Defensive Routines and Organizational Learning -- Searching for the way out of "political" decision making and leadership
  23. Engaged Learning
  24. Parent & Family Engagement
  25. Personalizing High School
  26. School Equity and Access
  27. Character Education
  28. Essential Questions In Teaching and Learning
  29. Cooperative/Collaborative {Small Group} Learning
  30. In-Sites for Brain-Compatible Learning
  31. Inclusion
  32. Service Learning
  33. Educating for Resiliency
  34. Conflict Resolution
  35. Positive Discipline
  36. California Standards for the Teaching Profession
  37. Teaching for Understanding
  38. Raising Scores, Raising Expectations -- Helps for Standardized Test Issues
  39. Homework Help
  40. Critical Issue: Rethinking Learning for Students at Risk
  41. Association for Effective Schools
  42. Inquiry-Based Learning
  43. In-Sites for Problem Based Learning
  44. Adolescent Development
  45. Reaching Younger Workers Who Think Differently -- Fascinating look at workplace need to adapt to the digital generation. For "managers" read "educators" and imagine the implications
  46. Democracy and Learning
  47. BIG STORY ["PARADIGM"] SHIFT
  48. Literature Circles
  49. Teaching Today -- Tips, Lesson Plans and More
  50. Rethinking Schools: Resources
  51. The Knowledge Loom: A database of best practice resources



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