Web Wonders

A rudimentary Web search will find many education programs called “Project SOAR”—perhaps because most people are enamored of flying. As EL author James M. Mitchell (p. 78) points out, this particular Project SOAR exists to provide support and services that prepare students to become college freshmen. The program serves 3,500 students in the Oakland Unified School District, California. Visit the site to discover how your school district might begin such an ambitious program.

First Amendment Schools

http://webserver3.ascd.org/web/firstamendment

An ASCD partnership with the Freedom Forum's First Amendment Center sponsors a consortium of schools that explore the rights and responsibilities of citizens in a democracy—and at school. EL author Sheldon H. Berman (p. 35) writes about a consortium school, Hudson High School, which also developed conflict resolution and peer mediation programs through Educators for Social Responsibility (www.esrnational.org).

Coalition of Essential Schools

www.essentialschools.org

“Instead of serving as a ‘cookie-cutter model,’ CES uses its Common Principles to inspire a school community to examine its priorities,” according to this site. The common principles include this statement: “Teaching and learning should be personalized to the maximum feasible extent.” EL author Dan Hoffman (p. 30) is Director of the Ohio Center for Essential School Reform, whose mission is

Building Safe and Serious Schools to improve student achievement through development of the intellect and personalization and by improving leadership, classroom practice, school design, and community connections.

Children on the Edge

www.nccp.org

Authors Philip S. and Nancy D. Hall (p. 60), in their recent ASCD book, Educating Oppositional and Defiant Children, present research findings from the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) at Columbia University, which has many resources to support educators trying to make a difference in the lives of children suffering from poverty, aggression, and abuse. For example, see the center's series of policy papers, “Promoting the Emotional Well-Being of Children and Families.”

The Glasser Institute

www.wglasser.com

Are you interested in Choice Theory, Reality Therapy, and Lead-Management? Perhaps you want your school to become a “Quality School.” This site provides guidance and assistance. EL author Jonathan C. Erwin (p. 19), a faculty member of the William Glasser Institute, has written about schools of choice, where the emphasis is on conflict resolution, stress reduction, and character development. This site provides information about the institute's philosophy and programs.

MIT Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science

http://cognet.mit.edu/MITECS/Entry/morris

Want to learn something new about student and teacher behavior as it relates to classroom relationships and student success? This site can give you the basics on communication theory, including “attribution theory,” which Israeli scholars and EL authors Ely and Lea Kozminsky (p. 50) use in their program. And visit this Web site for a PowerPoint presentation of the principles of “attribution training” (www.cognitivebehavior.com/training/theory/Attribution%20Training%205A5.ppt).

ASCD Resources

www.ascd.org

To view excerpts from ASCD books on classroom management, go to the ASCD Web site and click on Publications, then Books, then Books by Author. ASCD members can find the entire content online in the Membership area in a password-protected Online Library. Check out Teaching What Matters Most: Standards and Strategies for Raising Student Achievement by EL author Richard Strong and his co-authors Harvey Silver and Matthew Perini (p. 24); and the recent member book by Robert J. Marzano, What Works in Schools: Translating Research into Action. To purchase copies of either of these books, go to the Online Store.