Figuring It Out: Standards-Based Reforms in Urban Middle Schools
The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation.
Everyone is talking about standards, but how can school districts implement them effectively to raise achievement for all students? In this new report, education journalist Anne C. Lewis documents the experiences of six school districts that are using academic standards in middle schools. Lewis provides an overview of both the successes and challenges of standards-based reform.
- Teachers regularly align lessons with standards and incorporate performance assessments.
- Students know that they must meet standards and understand the expectations for their assignments.
- Principals and teachers participate together in a professional learning environment.
- Professional development gives teachers and principals access to ongoing expertise and best practices.
- Articulate, clear, and consistent communication occurs throughout all levels of the district.
- District-level governance commits to changing practice that fosters standards-based reform.
- District policies deliberately allocate necessary resources.
- A dynamic continual process of assessment occurs across the district.
- The central office is sensitive to the pace of reforms but steadfast in the expectations of students, teachers, schools, and the district.
A free copy of the report is available from the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, c/o Best Assembly and Fulfillment Services, 373 South St., Eatontown, NJ 07724.
