New publicationsThe Quick-Reference Handbook for School Leaders
Sage,
2007
Written for current and aspiring school leaders in the context of Britain, this book aims to offer practical advice and guidance on key personal and school management issues. The handbook is organised into key sections with brief overviews, bullet point lists, checklists and suggestions for further reading in each. One section on organisation and management explores the school leaders’ role in effectively managing meetings, the media and conflict, while a section on teaching and learning considers the curriculum, staff development, special education and learning communities. Behaviour and discipline are covered, including codes of conduct and police protocols. The final two sections cover occupational health and safety and school leaders’ personal wellbeing, in terms of continuing professional development and achieving a work-life balance. (Adapted from distributor's description.)
KLA Subject HeadingsSchool principalsSchool administration School leadership Play to Learn: Building Literacy in the Early Years
Curriculum Corporation,
2006
A range of activities show teachers how to use play in the classroom to build early literacy skills and physical, personal and social skills. The activities are designed to extend children's oral language and build narrative competence, symbolic thinking and problem-solving skills. The book is divided into three sections, with the first section outlining activities for exploring character and roles, sequencing and predicting narrative, communicating verbally and non-verbally, using symbols, and problem solving. Activities in the second section focus on teaching narrative structure and facilitating imaginative play. Templates for exploring character attributes, settings and themes, story sequencing cards, and a board game are included. The third section outlines story-building activities, with part-stories for reading aloud and inviting student participation. Each story holds a challenge to engage learners, such as a problem to solve or needing an ending. (See distributor's description.)
KLA Subject HeadingsLiteracyPlay Taking Action on Adolescent Literacy: An Implementation Guide for School Leaders
ASCD,
2007
A school-wide approach to literacy instruction is outlined, to help students adjust to the new writing and reading demands of secondary education. Written for school leaders, the book explains how to re-allocate resources and leadership roles to support student development, and suggests ways to develop structures that involve senior staff and classroom teachers, parents and community members. It describes formative assessment strategies, targeted interventions for struggling students and tips for designing learning around students' own interests and dispositions. It also stresses the importance of integrating literacy instruction throughout content areas, illustrated through techniques and examples of best practice school environments. (Adapted from publisher's description.)
Key Learning AreasEnglishSubject HeadingsSecondary educationEnglish language teaching Literacy Profile of Nutritional Status of Children and AdolescentsA summary of the most recent national data on the nutritional intake of children and adolescents is provided, in line with recommended dietary guidelines from the new nutrient reference values. It found that only 25 percent of adolescents eat three serves of fruit per day and less than one third have four serves of vegetables, according to 2004-05 data. Younger children generally consumed sufficient iron, calcium and zinc in 1995, while inadequate calcium intake was noted in older age groups. The 1995 data also reveals that over 30 percent of older females had inadequate iron intake, and older males tended to have inadequate zinc intakes. Positive trends in breastfeeding rates are noted, with 88 percent of children under three years breastfed in 2004-05. The analysis is used to form a baseline for the Kids Eat, Kids Play (KEKP) national children’s nutrition and physical activity survey which is currently underway. (Adapted from report highlights.)
KLA Subject HeadingsNutritionObesity Health Health education Forecasting Future Demands: What We Can and Cannot Know
NCVER,
July 2007
The vocational education and training (VET) sector seeks to teach courses that will meet future demands from employers in terms of the quantity and type of skills required. This report, which is part of the larger consortium program 'A well-skilled future: Tailoring VET to the emerging labour market', examines how the VET sector might anticipate what the future needs of employers might be and describes the difficulty of projecting the evolution of the economy. It offers an initial evaluation of the accuracy of the principal model used for skills forecasting in Australia (the MONASH model) and concludes with a discussion of how best to manage the uncertainty over the shape of future skills demand. (Adapted from report summary and key messages.) KLA Subject HeadingsVET (Vocational Education and Training)Tough Choices or Tough Times
Skills Commission,
December 2006
A strategy for developing higher-level skills amongst workers in the United States is proposed in recognition of employers who frequently hire highly educated, lower-paid staff from developing countries. The policy is described in seven steps. A system restructure is suggested, to allow secondary students to sit exit examinations earlier and progress to community and technical colleges. Those who achieve higher results will remain in secondary school to undertake the International Baccalaureate program. Secondly, the report identifies key areas for future investment: a system for early education; teacher professional development; and resources for disadvantaged students. A strategy for developing a universal preschool education system is outlined. The fourth step of the report describes measures for recruiting high performing students into teaching. The fifth recommendation of the report is that schools should be managed by new third party 'school operators', preferably comprising 'teams of teachers organised as limited liability corporations'. School districts would manage the school operators through a performance contract system. Strategies for providing financial support to disadvantaged students are outlined. The report concludes with recommendations for assessment, which include the use of advanced placement tests, International Baccalaureate and Cambridge University exams. (Adapted from article by Marc Tucker in Educational Leadership, April 2007, p48-52. See also, the executive summary of the 'Tough Choices' report.) KLA Subject HeadingsUnited States of America (USA)Education policy |