SISI - Standards and Indicators

Standard 1 - Academic Performance – Curriculum
1.1c The district initiates and facilitates discussions between schools in the district in order to eliminate unnecessary overlaps and close gaps.

Standard 2 - Academic Performance - Classroom Evaluation/Assessment
2.1d Test scores are used to identify curriculum gaps.
2.1e Multiple assessments are specifically designed to provide meaningful feedback on student learning for instructional purposes.
2.1h Samples of student work are analyzed to inform instruction, revise curriculum and pedagogy, and obtain information on student progress.

Standard 3 - Academic Performance – Instructional
3.1b Instructional strategies and learning activities are aligned with the district, school, and state learning goals and assessment expectations for student learning.
3.1c Instructional strategies and activities are consistently monitored and aligned with the changing needs of a diverse student population to ensure various learning approaches and learning styles are addressed.
3.1f Instructional resources are sifficient to effectively deliver the curriculum.
3.1g Teachers examine and discuss student work collaboratively and use this information to inform their practice.

Standard 4 - Learning Environment - School Culture
4.1a There is leadership support for a safe, orderly, and equitable learning environment (e.g., culture audits/school opinion surveys.
4.1b Leadership creates experiences that foster the belief that all children can learn at high levels in order to motivate staff to produce continuous improvement in student learning.
4.1e-Teachers recognize and accept their professional role in student success and failure.
4.1f The school intentionally assigns staff to maximize opportunities for all students to have access to the staff's instructional strengths.
4.1i Multiple communiation strategies and contexts are used for the dissemination of information to all stakeholders.

Standard 5 - Learning Environment - Student, Family, and Community Support
5.1a Families and the community are active partners in the educational process and work together with the school/district staff to promote programs and services for all students.
5.1c The school/district provides organizational structures and supports instructional practices to reduce barriers to learning.
5.1d Students are provided with a variety of opportunities to receive additional assistance to support their learning, beyond the initial classroom instruction.
5.1e The school maintains an accurate student record system that provides timely information pertinent to the students' academic and educational development.

Standard 6 – Learning Environment - Professional Growth Development and Evaluation
6.1a There is evidence of support for the long-term professional growth needs of the individual staff members. This includes both instructional and leadership growth.
6.1b The school has an international plan for building instructional capacity through on-going professional development.
6.2a The school/district provides a clearly defined evaluation process.
6.2b Leaderships provides the fiscal resources for the appropriate professional growth and development of certified staff based on identified needs.

Standard 7 - Efficiency – Leadership
7.1b Leadership desicions are focused on student academic performance and are data-driven and collaborative.
7.1d There is evidence that the school/district leadership team disaggregates data for use in meeting the needs of a diverse population, communicates the information to school staff and incorporates the data systematically into the school's plan.
7.1i Leadership provides a process for the development and the implementation of council policy based on anticipated needs.
7.1j There is evidence that the SBDM council has an intentional focus on student academic performance.

Standard 8 - Efficiency - Organizational Structure and Resources
8.1a There is evidence that the school is organized to maximize use of all available resources to support high student and staff performance.
8.1c The instructional and noninstructional staff are allocated and organized based upon the learning needs of all students.
8.1d There is evidence that the staff makes efficient use of instructinal time to maximize student learning.
8.2d State and federal program resources are allocated and integrated (Safe Schools, Title I, IDEA, FRYSC's, ESS) to address student needs identified by the school/district.

Standard 9 - Efficiency – Comprehensive and Effective Planning
9.2a There is evidence the school/district planning process involves collecting, managing, and analyzing data.
9.3a School and district plans reflect learning research and current local, state, and national expectations for student learning and are reviewed by the planning team.

Scenario

Around this time last year I’d probably have been loading up my high school backpack, getting ready for another 10 months of aching shoulders. But now that I’m out, I confess. From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., I was a member of the Dead Students Society -- one of the many who took his classroom seat and put his life on hold, waiting for the end of another deadly day, five times a week.

Not that I was a bad student. I worked hard to get high marks, but my real ambitions lay beyond the classroom. Sure, I had lots of friends, lots of laughs, and lots of imagination, but that wasn’t enough to save me from the mind-numbing traditions of credits, class notes, and curriculum.

One day my frustration reached a head. I came home and asked my parents if I could drop out of school so that I might have more time to fulfill my ambition of becoming a writer. They refused, of course. But they cut me a deal - if I continued to get high grades and remain on the honor roll, I could fast-track, finish a year early, and spend my spare year working on the writing projects that I’ve had to shelve along the way (Morgan, 2002).

Introduction

Reaching students like Evan in the above scenario involves creating an equitable learning environment that engages all students, including those that are not necessarily struggling in the school system. Often students like Even fall through the cracks of the system because they are not a problem as it is usually defined. As we see from his perspective, traditional schooling was not able to encourage or engage Evan, particularly with respect to his unique and blossoming talents.

Kentucky faces unique challenges because its wide distribution of students leaves many high schoolers with unequal access to the large variety of resources and services that are necessary for a high school curriculum. In addition, teachers and students in many areas may feel isolated or disconnected from the types of programs that are most helpful to students at this age, including social services, advanced coursework, and vocational education programs.

 An equitable learning environment could serve to help reduce this isolation through networks of learning, such as the Kentucky Virtual High School, the Kentucky Virtual University, the Kentucky Virtual Library, and other Kentucky-wide technology. These new technological institutions are one of the ways that equitable learning for all students might be achievable in very d ifferent geographic locations across the state.

School reform efforts have been numerous over the last two decades. Despite these reforms, there continues to be a marked achievement gap that appears by income, race, and ethnicity. Large percentages of low-income, African American, Latino, and Native American students appear at the lower end of the achievement ladder while middle and high-income white and Asian students are at the top (Johnson, 2002).

However, Ruby Payne (1998) notes that affluent minority students have similar achievement levels as affluent white children. Johnson says there are gaps among these groups regardless of socioeconomic level. Minority groups are over represented in special education.

The technology divide is "denying large numbers of students exposure to the kinds of software that give students access to high levels of knowledge," (p. 5). In stating current statistics about poverty, Payne (1998) explains, "Regardless of race or ethnicity, poor children are much more likely than non-poor children to suffer developmental delay and damage, to drop out of high school, and to give birth during the teen years (p. 11-12).

There is also a gender divide. In 1998, A. I. F. Research reported that:

• 6 percent of women are in nontraditional careers
• women cluster in 20 of the more than 400 job categories
• two of three minimum-wage earners are women
• one study of 14 School-to-Work sites found that more than 90 percent of the young women were clustered in five traditionally female occupations

A 1997 review of School-to-Work initiatives across the country similarly found that:

• boys tended to dominate-almost to the point of exclusion-in many industrial and engineering programs
• boys repeat grades and drop out of school at a higher rate than girls
• girls who repeat a grade are more likely to drop out than boys who are held back
• in 1995, 30 percent of females that were Hispanic, of ages 16-24, had dropped out of school and not yet passed a high school equivalence test

These are only some of the findings listed in the report. These statistics indicate that the problems with equity in schools are far reaching, yet many schools have found success.

Carter (2000) identified seven common traits of 21 high performing, high poverty schools:

1. Principals must be free to make decisions in the best interest of their schools
2. Principals use measurable goals to establish a culture of achievement
3. Master teachers bring out the best in a faculty
4. Rigorous and regular testing leads to continuous student achievement
5. Achievement is the key to discipline
6. Principals work actively with parents to make the home a center of learning
7. Effort creates ability

While stated differently, Johnson (2002) sites a number of references indicating that the following factors mitigate perceived achievement barriers in schools with large populations of low-income students and students of color:

• High goals, standards, expectations, and accountability for adults and students
• Whether or not students receive well qualified and culturally competent teachers
• Curriculum content and rigor
• Continuous inquiry and monitoring through the use of data (p. 6)

Providing an equitable learning environment involves more than just teachers knowing their students; it involves knowing themselves as teachers, as well as considering how and what they teach. Moreover, it also involves understanding the way that school culture functions to create or inhibit a congenial atmosphere of sharing and community. 

 Louis & Smith (1996) describe four distinctive types of teacher engagement for vital and effective teaching:

1. Engagement with the school as a social unit
2. Engagement with students as unique, whole individuals rather than as "empty vessels to be filled"
3. Engagement with academic achievement
4. Engagement with a body of knowledge needed to carry out effective teaching

Secada defines equitable learning as making a distinction between equal and equitable. Equitable learning provides more specifically for the individual needs of a student.

Equality is quantitative and concerns parity among groups along some index, e.g., access to computers.

Equity is qualitative and concerns issues of justice; equity may demand inequality, being even-handed may not always be the answer. For some groups to have an even chance may require special efforts” (Secada, 1989).

In other words, equity ensures that, not only will students have equal access to materials, they will also have the special instruction and environment they might need, above and beyond what other students might need at that particular time, or for that particular subject or skill.

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Strategies

See "Resources" to find ordering or web access to all the materials or references identified throughout this document not otherwise indicated.

There are many different ways in which equitable learning can and should be encouraged in schools. According to Nieto, however, a successful equitable learning environment implies a multicultural education that encompasses all aspects of the schooling experience: "A true multicultural approach to education is pervasive. It permeates everything: the school climate, physical environment, curriculum, and relationships among teachers and students and community" (Nieto, 1998). Therefore, equitable learning strategies can be approached through all stages of the educational process, including school culture, classroom structure, curriculum, instruction, assessment, and professional development.

For high school students, equitable learning becomes even more of a challenge because at this age students require many more social services, such as health and sex education and drug counseling.  These are in addition to future employment advising, or vocational education programs that attempt to bridge the gap between school and work. These many challenges require many strategies, as high school is the time when students are most at-risk for dropping out and becoming disillusioned with life and the schooling process. Equitable learning is a goal for the school at large, in addition to the community, and it needs to be approached from as many different levels as possible in a consistent and fair manner.

Strategy #1                                     School Culture

Culture shapes the lens through which we see the world and how we interact with it.  It forms the bases for our perceptions and affects how we learn.  Culture consists of the following components:

• Value (worth, assessment, cost, importance, appreciation, price)
• Beliefs (conviction, principles, confidence, ideas, faith)
• Attitudes (approach, stance, outlook, manner, position, feeling, thoughts, mindsets, ways of thinking)
• Language (communication, ways of communicating including verbal/non verbal, actions, and reactions)

These components interact and systemically impact each other.  They are further influenced by our environment, experiences, and relationships and are reflected in our behavior.  Sometimes this behavior can be misunderstood when the hidden rules of one culture are assumed understood by all cultures. 

School culture can clash with home/community culture.  For instance, some Navajo students found it embarrassing to be singled out when their names were displayed on a high achievement board in a classroom and their parents complained (National Research Council, (2000).

School culture can be either accidental or intentional.  Accidental culture is largely based on assumptions and misinformation; connections are made at random, and relationships are mandated, not valued.  These traits are in sharp contrast to desirable, intentional culture:

• Driven by an understanding of its value
• Celebrates differences
• Connection constantly sought
• Relationships valued
• Often measured, constantly monitored

Intentional culture influences focus and efforts.  The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) has developed standards for school culture.  The traits listed above are reflected in the following standards:

Standard 4 - Learning Environment - School Culture~~The school/district functions as an effective learning community and supports a climate conducive to performance excellence.

Performance Expectations:
The school leader sets high expectations for all students to learn higher-level content.
Standards for this Indicator:
4.1a - Leadership support for safe, orderly environment
4.1b - Leadership beliefs and practices for high achievement
4.1c - Teacher beliefs and practices for high achievement
4.1d - Teachers and non-teaching staff involved in decision-making
4.1e - Teachers accept their role in student success/failure
4.1f - Effective assignment and use of staff strengths
4.1g - Teachers communicate student progress with parents
4.1h - Teachers care about kids and inspire their best efforts
4.1i - Multiple communication strategies used to disseminate information
4.1j - Student achievement valued and publicly celebrated
4.1k - Equity and diversity valued and supported

The culture of a school and the way it works together as a community can greatly affect the way students feel about their education. The school culture refers to norms cemented over time and becomes the history of the school.  School culture is often majority driven, intangible, and hard to describe.  It can be difficult to change, especially in a short period of time (Stolp, S., & Smith, S. C., 1995).

Stolp & Smith (1995) distinguish between school culture and school climate.  School climate is the shared perceptions and communication of a school's norms, beliefs, and values through various behaviors and interactions of staff and students. 

 The daily interactions of leadership, staff, students, and parents drive school climate.   It is often leadership driven, more easily manipulated than culture, and sensitive to change.  Presence, absence, or degree of school collegiality, communication, decision-making, trust, expectations, ideology, leadership, recognition, celebration, support, and experimentation are traits through which climate can be monitored.

If the school climate reflects pride in its appearance and the accomplishments of all its students with wall displays, reward ceremonies, and honorable mentions in public settings, students begin to feel connected to the goals of the school as a whole, and part of something larger. Equitable learning involves a close tie with outside communities supporting the school, and strong bonds between parents, teachers, and administrators within the school.

In middle school, it is especially important to help students feel a part of a community because they are facing many transitions and many changes in their lives and are often beginning to feel the outside pressure of peers in the form of cliques and gangs. In addition, they are attending a new school with different classes and teachers throughout the day, which adds to an already unstable environment.  Following are some strategies to improve school climate and culture.

Strategy #2                 Develop Relationships with Students

Payne states, "When students who have been in poverty (and have successfully made it into middle class) are asked how they made the journey, the answer nine times out of ten has to do with a relationship-a teacher, counselor, or coach who made a suggestion or took an interest in them as individuals." (p. 143).  She cites the work of Steven Covey in explaining how to develop these relationships.  Successful relationships occur when emotional deposits are made to the student, and emotional withdrawals are avoided. 

Following is a synopsis of deposits to be made and withdrawals to be avoided:

• Seek first to understand rather than first to be understood.
• Keep promises rather that break promises.
• Show kindness and courtesy rather than unkindness and discourtesy.
• Clarify expectations rather than violate expectations.
• Show loyalty to the absent rather than disloyalty and duplicity.
• Apologize rather than display pride, conceit, arrogance
• Be open to feedback rather than reject feedback (p.144)

The culture of a school and the way it works together as a community can greatly affect the way students feel about their education. Many aspects of the school culture and climate can be changed with systematic reform concerning school organization. For instance, reforms focusing on smaller schools and schools within schools have proven to be effective in creating a more equitable learning environment, especially for high schools where anonymity and isolation can increase due to the larger size and greater numbers of students (Raywid, 1996; Fine and Somerville, 1998).

Small Schools

Small schools have been found to make a significant difference in student retention and graduation.  When adopted, in combination with distance education institutions, they can offer as varied and diverse a curriculum as many larger high schools. Smaller schools also contribute to an overall better school climate with more personalized attention for each individual student.

Current Literature on Small Schools (Raywid, 1999, January) is a summary of research on small schools.  One of the items this article addresses is "How small is small?" Suggested numbers for high schools range between 500-900 students.  The small school is considered an essential element in much of school reform and teacher empowerment literature. 

Small schools are associated with accountability. Sergiovanni (as cited in Raywid, 1999, January) argues that schools must change their self-image and governing metaphor from organization to community with size being a pivotal condition (section: New Directions in Small Schools Research).

The ERIC Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small Schools includes a compilation of ERIC resources on small schools, including a small schools directory, grant information, conferences relating to small schools, and other funding agencies.

The Small Schools Workshop is a group of educators, organizers and researchers collaborating with teachers, principals, parents, and district leaders to create new, small, innovative learning communities in public schools.  This link provides a collection of resources on the benefits of small schools that include raising student achievement, reducing violence, increasing attendance and retention, and improving the school climate.

Block Scheduling

This strategy can increase equity by providing more continuous academic instruction and utilize teachers as professionals where they can more easily work in a concentrated and focused academic environment. Research suggests that block scheduling often increases the amount of time teachers spend using methods, such as group instruction and team teaching, that benefit diverse student learners and improve the overall equitable learning environment (Westfall and Pisapia, 1997).

Rettig and Canady (as cited in Cromwell, updated 2003: Section: The Philosophy Behind the Trend) maintain that a handful of factors are motivating middle and high schools across the United States to adopt block scheduling:

When students attend as many as eight relatively short classes in different subjects every day, instruction can become fragmented; longer class periods give students more time to think and engage in active learning.

A schedule with one relatively short period after another can create a hectic, assembly-line environment.

A schedule that releases hundreds or thousands of adolescents into hallways six, seven, or eight times each school day for four or five minutes of noise and chaotic movement can exacerbate discipline problems.

Teachers benefit from more useable instructional time each day because less time is lost with beginning and ending classes.

There are many different methods for block scheduling:

In the alternate-day schedule, students and teachers meet every other day for extended time periods rather than meeting every day for shorter periods.

In the 4/4 semester plan students complete four "yearlong" courses that meet for about 90 minutes every day during a 90-day semester.

Students take two or three courses every 60 days in a trimester plan to earn six to nine credits per year (Cromwell, updated 2003, Section: What is Block Scheduling?).

Selected ERIC Abstracts on School Violence includes abstracts of several articles on block scheduling and school violence.

The Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement, provides a large annotated bibliography of resources and on-line links including research, perspectives, and implementation strategies on block scheduling.

Year-Round Schooling

Year-round education (YRE) involves the same amount of in-class days, but splits the school year up into a number of smaller breaks, thereby reducing the long summer break. Research suggests that at-risk students may retain more and make more progress when they have more breaks and do not go too long without instruction, and test scores may improve, particularly in reading (Gandara and Fish, 1994). Other research states that positive results are often not statistically significant.

 There are several types of year-round programs:

Single-track YRE provides a balanced calendar for a more continuous period of instruction.   Students and all school personnel follow the same instructional and vacation schedule.   Single-track does not reduce class size, nor does it allow a school to accommodate more students.   The rescheduled vacation is placed throughout the school year into periods called "intersessions," allowing time for remediation and enrichment throughout the school year.  

Multi-track YRE is used primarily to alleviate overcrowding, although it also incorporates the educational values of single-track YRE, including intersessions. It was designed specifically for schools with a shortage of classroom space. Multi-track avoids double sessions and the extended school day. It also alleviates the need to build costly new buildings with their attendant operating costs.  

Multi-track divides students and teachers into groups, or tracks of approximately the same size. Each track is assigned its own schedule. Teachers and students assigned to a particular track follow the same schedule and are in school and on vacation at the same time. Multi-track creates a "school-within-a-school" concept.  

Example: implementing a four-track year-round calendar extends the capacity of a school by 33%. A school with the capacity of 750 students can accommodate 1,000 students, as only three tracks of 250 would be in school at the same time; there would always be one track on vacation or intersession every day of the school year.

Extended Year calendars lengthen the school year substantially, from the usual 180 or so days annually up to 240 days of instruction.   

Intersessions are the periods of time rescheduled from summer vacation and redistributed within the school year. They can be used as vacation but are usually utilized as instructional time for remediation and enrichment with both single and multi-track calendars.

 Intersessions typically involve school staff and community resources to provide a safety net and an academic boost to avoid failure or enhance achievement   (Bardstown City Schools, Section: Basic YRE Types).

The B. C. Teachers' Federation offers summaries of research on year-round schooling.  The outcome of most of the selected research views year-round education in a negative manner stating that evidence does not support it.

The National Association for Year-Round Education is a nationally recognized organization of teachers, administrators, and parents who are working to increase student achievement through its focus on time and learning.

Bardstown City Schools has implemented year-round education (YRE). Their Web site, Bardstown City Schools' Year Round Education Page provides much useful information about YRE.

School Support Systems

Payne (1998) describes support systems as, "…the friends, family, and backup resources that can be accessed in times of need" (p. 90). The following is a list of suggested support systems that could be implemented in the schools:

• Schoolwide homework support:  some schools build homework support into their school day. 
• Many poor students do not have adult support at home to help with homework.
• Supplemental schoolwide reading programs:  e.g. Accelerated Reader
• Keeping students with the same teacher(s) for two or more years or having a school within a school
• Teaching coping strategies
• Schoolwide scheduling
• Parent training and contact through video
• The direct teaching of classroom survival skills
• Requiring daily goal-setting and procedural self-talk
• Team interventions:  This requires positive and supportive intervention with parents (pp. 95-96).

Bias

Eliminating bias regarding gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, language, and other areas is equally important. Dialogue between students and educators must be encouraged as well as movement towards the goal of understanding and challenging prejudicial thoughts and beliefs that often serve as underlying themes in hate crimes and violence in schools.

Strategy #2                       Curriculum and Materials

Overall, the curriculum should be closely tied to students’ own personal experiences and backgrounds and should attempt to engage the student through a variety of flexible approaches to curriculum. In high school, this is especially important because students reach an age when nonacademic activities become an integral part of their educational experience and can work to shape their futures in potentially powerful ways. As outlined in the scenario, Evan needs to feel a stronger connection between his future life and his experiences in school.

The curriculum is also another way that inequities can be reinforced or transformed in schools. From the gender bias in textbooks to the computer-student ratio, the material artifacts of schools are an important part of the ways a "hidden curriculum" can be passed along. Foremost among these, in terms of gender differences, are the resources allocated to different athletic programs, and the materials that schools use to promote extra-curricular activities, such as art and band.

Overall, the curriculum should be closely tied to students’ own personal experiences and backgrounds, and should attempt to engage the student through a variety of flexible approaches to curriculum. Resnick, L. B. (as cited in National Research Council, 2000) reported three major differences between everyday settings and the school environments that impact how students learn:

School environments place much more emphasis on individual work than most other environments.  In everyday settings people often must work collaboratively.
Tools are heavily used to solve problems in the everyday setting, compared with mental work in the school environment.  In practical environments, people use tools to work almost error free.

Abstract reasoning is often emphasized in school, whereas contextualized reasoning is often used in the everyday environment.  Problem solving is done in concrete contexts.
Following are some suggestions for improving curriculum and instruction:

Textbook Selection

One of the first steps in creating an equitable learning environment is to understand the subtle bias in text and curriculum materials. For example, textbooks can present a one-sided or distorted view of gender by the stories that they include and by the roles that characters play in these stories. Unfortunately, what is left out of textbooks can often be just as damaging. Some Practical Ideas for Confronting Curricular Bias by D. Sadker to evaluate school textbooks for stereotypes using seven forms of bias in instructional materials.

Gender Awareness

Addressing and integrating gender equity in the classroom as part of a preventive strategy is necessary in all schools. Gender Equity- Lesson Plans and Teacher Guide is an on-line resource which offers numerous, innovative, and fun high school activities and lesson plans that are designed to increase gender awareness among students, such as role playing games where genders are switched. 

Rigorous Curriculum

It is imperative  that the inequities in what gets taught to whom are changed.  Schools that place students in lower curriculum tracks will relegate those students to receiving a watered-down curriculum and low-paying service positions.  Based on test scores, an A in a low-income school would be a C in a high-income school.   When a curriculum is labeled as "on grade level" when it is, in fact, below grade level, students are cheated and mislead.  Low-level instructional strategies, curricula, and expectations can become accepted, institutionalized practices (Johnson, 2002). This may be based on institutionalized racism.

Cummins (as cited in Johnson, 2002) describes institutionalized racism:

Institutionalized racism can be defined as ideologies and structures that are used to systematically legitimize unequal division of power and resources between groups that are defined on the basis of race….  The term "racism" is being used here in a broad sense to include discrimination against both ethnic and racial minorities. 

The discrimination is brought about both by the ways particular institutions (e. g., schools) are organized or structured and by the (usually) implicit assumptions that legitimize that organization.  There is usually no intent to discriminate on the part of educators; however, their interactions with minority students are mediated by a system of unquestioned assumptions that reflect the values and priorities of the dominant middle class culture.  It is in these interactions that minority students are educationally disabled (p. 15).

Connecting Curriculum to Everyday Life Experiences

As stated above, application is everything. Connecting the curriculum to what students already know is essential for their assimilation of knowledge. Students bring many different kinds of experiences and expectations to the classroom, and sometimes, in schools, knowledge is packaged in different ways. Research suggests that schools are more likely to reach at-risk students if they vary the curriculum and connect it to the real-life experiences of students (Buckingham, 1998). 

The most obvious case of connecting the curriculum to what students already know is that of bilingual education.  This is where students can draw on their facility in another language to build upon their continuing education in English (Goodman 1998 and Garcia 1991). Moreover, bridging the gap between school and society is particularly important in establishing a democratic learning community, and thus, an equitable learning environment.

Information Problem Solving Research Models provides lesson plans in different subject areas for high school students. They connect the curriculum to real-life issues and activities, such as the funding of stem cell research, and how violence has impacted the community.

The Kentucky Association for Environmental Education has developed numerous programs to help make students more aware of their communities and environment, such as through stream monitoring programs, or learning how they can create a more sustainable and healthy environment locally.

The following link, Kentucky’s Underground Railroad, is a site that provides information for teachers to integrate history into their curriculum and includes a discussion forum, video/audio segments, and a timeline.

Increasing Access to Technology

Research suggests that access to technology in schools will help prevent an information or knowledge gap among disparate groups. Computer proficiency and knowledge of the Internet are increasingly becoming essential components of a well-rounded education in this technological world. However, Johnson (2002) states that the "technology divide" has the potential to perpetuate a gap between those that have and have not.  This is not only in the area of hardware, but more importantly, by denying large numbers of students exposure to the kinds of software that gives them access to high levels of knowledge.  Kohl (as cited in Johnson, 2002) discusses the technology divide:

Schools with predominantly minority enrollments are more likely to use their state-of-the-art technology for drill, practice, and test-taking skills.  Meanwhile, white students in more affluent communities are creating Web sites and multimedia presentations.  The computers become nothing much more than trivial workbook and control mechanisms for kids in the heavily minority schools….  In other communities, they are instruments used toward the success and the futures of kids (p. 5).

It must be our goal as educators to prevent the technology divide.  The National Research Council (2000) identifies five ways that technology can be used to help meet the challenges of establishing effective learning environments:

• Bringing real-world problems into classrooms through the use of videos, demonstrations, simulations, and Internet connections to concrete data and working scientists.
• Providing "scaffolding" support to augment what learners can do and reason about on their path to understanding, allowing them to participate in complex cognitive performance.
• Increasing opportunities for learners to receive feedback from software, tutors, teachers, and peers; engaging in reflection on their own learning processes; and receiving guidance toward progressive revisions that improve their learning and reasoning.
• Building local and global communities of teachers, administrators, students, parents, and other interested learners.
• Expanding opportunities for teachers' learning (p.243).

One way that Kentucky is broadening its reach to serve all students is by enlisting new virtual institutions, such as the Kentucky Virtual High School, which offers students the option of taking advanced placement courses through distance education programs. In addition, the Virtual High School offers online summer courses for high school students who may want to get ahead or make up a class.

Following are some successful practices and programs for increasing access to technology:

Closing the Equity Gap in Technology Access and Use: A Practical Guide for K-12 Educators provides an overview of technology use, checklists for technological inequities, and funding search strategies.

Kentucky Department of Education Technology Page provides valuable resources related to how technology is a part of standards, curriculum documents, teaching and learning strategies, and assessment instruments.

iHigh provides high schools with a free web site that connects scholastic, sports, and other activities to the premiere high school network. Students, parents, alumni and other school supporters can easily connect with schools at a local, state and national level to follow local sports statistics, find activity schedules, or support their school with on-line commerce and advertising. See

KentuckyiHigh. com.

Extracurricular Activities/Out-of-School Enhancement

While some argue that a back-to-basics curriculum provides the best sort of educational experience for students, it seems to be the case that extracurricular activities are essential for providing students with non-academic connections to the school. 

These activities make it more likely that the students will achieve in other, more academic, endeavors, and will have a positive effect on social behavior and self-esteem.  Extracurricular activities also provide enrichment for students in at-risk situations.  

The Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed at Risk (as cited in Schargel, F. P. & Smink, J., 2001) distinguishes among three different types of out-of-school arrangements:

1. Daycare Programs-Daycare programs provide a safe, supervised environment for children whose parents are working or otherwise engaged.  They do not necessarily have an academic focus; instead, they tend to emphasize recreational and cultural activities.
2. After-School Programs-These are more likely to emphasize academic as well as nonacademic, recreational activities.  Examples include Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCA and YWCA, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, 4-H, ASPIRA, church programs, and municipal parks and recreation programs.
3. School-Based Extended Day Programs-These programs, housed in a school, are directly connected to what takes place during the school day.  Most extended day programs have an academic focus but may also include enrichment, recreational, and cultural activities (p.128).

Schargel & Smink (2002) explain that high-quality programs should include the following components: academic, recreational, and cultural/social. 

 The following factors are critical in order to implement effective out-of-school programs:

• Train staff and volunteers
• Create a program with structure
• Evaluate the program
• Include families and children in planning
• Have an advisory board

Following are some links that highlight components of successful out-of-school programs:

Afterschool.Gov connects to federal resources that support children and youth during out-of-school hours. 

Afterschool Alliance is a non-profit organization that raises awareness of after-school programs.

Kentucky's 21st Century Community Learning Centers are school/community partnerships for after-school programs. These partnerships are supported by U. S. Department of Education grants. The focus of this partnership, re-authorized under Title IV, Part B, of the No Child Left Behind Act, is to provide expanded academic enrichment opportunities for children attending low performing schools.

Tutorial services and academic enrichment activities are designed to help students meet local and state academic standards in subjects such as reading and math. In addition, 21st Century Community Learning Centers programs provide youth development activities, drug and violence prevention programs, technology education programs, art, music, recreation programs, counseling, and character education to enhance the academic component of the program.

Title IX states that:

No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, or denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving federal assistance.   (Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 to the Civil Rights Act of 1964)

What Is Title IX?  provides a good description of the components of Title IX.

Language Instruction for Limited English Proficient and Immigrant Students

Language instruction for limited English proficient and immigrant students is generally classified in one of two ways: English immersion or bilingual education. In English immersion programs, such as those seen in California and Arizona, students receive all instruction in English; thus the term “immersion.”

In California, scores on standardized tests given in English have risen dramatically for the past several years, since the state passed a proposition to switch from bilingual education to English immersion. Introducing English immersion programs is on the ballot in a number of states (e.g., Massachusetts, Colorado). Bilingual education, on the other hand, is the gradual introduction of the English language whereby students learn math, science, and other subjects in their native language as they slowly receive instruction in English.

The Kentucky Department of Education page for Title III Language Instruction for Limited English Proficient and Immigrant Students provides information about funding allocations, program requirements, and resources.

Business and Community Partnerships

For high school students, close ties between businesses and schools can help to bridge the gap between school and work and serve to establish a closer bond between schools and society. Business Connections for Excellence in Education, designed in collaboration with the Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation, provides some business partnership ideas. This is a  statewide collaboration to guide quality involvement of business in education and to improve learning opportunities and academic achievement for all students in science and technology.

 The Taft-Career Academic Internship Program, (T-CAP) helps high school students prepare for entry-level positions in their chosen fields. Another program helps connect students with "business buddies" and "shadowing programs" that build partnerships between schools and local businesses.

Job-Shadowing 2003 is a resource for help to start a job shadow program at your school.

School-to-work and mentoring programs, like Take our Daughters and Sons to Work, that are specifically geared toward gender can be particularly helpful in combating bias in the workplace and schools by showing males and females that a variety of future job roles are available to them. 

The success of components of Kentucky's Career and Technical Education (KDE) programs depends on community relationships.  It is an essential element of the high school curriculum. For many students, it represents as much as a third of their high school experience. It is an integral part of meeting the needs of students in academic achievement, career exploration, career preparation, and leadership development.

Successful transition to postsecondary education, work, or the military is one of the goals of Kentucky's educational system. This page provides many curriculum ideas and work-based learning experiences for high school students.

Resources for VocEd (Sorg and Paugh, 2001) has been one of the top sites on the World Wide Web referencing vocational education resources for a variety of programs, including many examples of school-to-work programs.

Mentoring

MentorNet is an e-mentoring network for women in Engineering and Science.  It offers valuable information and resources for current and prospective MentorNet partners, including corporations, foundations, professional societies, government labs, agencies, and colleges and universities.

MentorGirls is a resource for connecting girls to industry leaders in the community.

Strategy #3                                   Instruction

Duckworth (as cited in National Research Council, 2000) describes an accomplished teacher as one who is successful with students, "…by respecting and understanding learners' prior experiences and understanding, assuming that these can serve as a foundation on which to build bridges to new understandings” (p. 136). 

Allen (2002) describes five precepts (a conviction that certain things are true) of instruction:

1. Teach People not Content-Learners are first and foremost people, and each person is unique (pp. 9-10).
2. Awareness Leads to Choice-Teachers make choices that affect how learners encode, process, and relate to information (pp. 13-14).
3. Learning + Enjoyment = Retention-Connecting positive emotions with new information should produce longer retention levels (pp. 17-18).
4. Application is Everything-Learners must be able to see it for themselves (pp. 20).
5. Stories are Great-A good story creates a lasting impact and assists the learner in remembering information (pp. 23-24).

There are also a number of important ways that teachers can improve their overall effectiveness for reaching all students and providing an equitable learning environment, such as team teaching and becoming facilitators of learning rather than authority figures.

 In high school, as students are maturing and gaining competency in certain subjects, they are better able to be self-directed; therefore, the role of the teacher can be reduced in certain cases so as to allow for a learning environment that encourages discovery and cooperative peer learning.

Some strategies for improving instruction follow:

Team Teaching

In many cases, team teaching can be beneficial for both students and teachers because it allows students to work with two different role models who may have different teaching styles; team teaching also allows teachers the opportunity to learn from one another. The combination of different teaching methods and authorities helps to establish a more diverse approach to learning and can help teachers work together to create an equitable learning environment.

Teachers as Facilitators

In high school, teachers can lessen their roles as authorities in order to help students develop their own motivations toward learning and to help generate peer collaboration among students. This often improves the classroom climate, making students feel as if they are important participants in their own education.

Strategy #4                             Professional Development

Equitable learning can also be addressed through attention to professional training and development. Perhaps, of most use are professional resources for ongoing theory in diversity and equity management through means of workshops and professional development. Other aspects of professional development that may increase attention to an equitable learning environment are the informal and formal networking and sharing possibilities that may occur through professional organizations and other teacher networks and communities.

According to the U. S. Department of Education (as cited in Schargel & Smink, 2000) a high-quality professional development program:

• is focused on teachers as central to student learning, yet includes all other members of the school community.
• is focused on individual, collegial, and organizational improvement.
   respects and nurtures the intellectual and leadership capacities of teacher, principals, and others in the school community.
• reflects the best available research and practice in teaching, learning, and leadership.
• enables teachers to develop further expertise in subject content, teaching strategies, uses of technologies, and other essential elements in teaching to high standards.
• promotes continuous inquiry and improvement in the daily life of schools.
• is planned collaboratively by those who will participate in and facilitate that development.
   requires substantial time and other resources.
• is driven by a coherent and long-term plan.
• is evaluated ultimately on the basis of its impact on teacher effectiveness and student learning, and this assessment guides subsequent professional development efforts (p.148).

Both teachers and students can benefit from awareness workshops that might address a number of topics, such as multicultural awareness, gender awareness, sexuality, and other areas that specifically address at-risk groups and their specific needs.

Teachers or administrators can take the Equity Quiz to determine the gender-awareness of their school.

KDE's equity page provides a link to Resources for Schools. This site has other links for teacher learning. View the following topics for a wealth of information: What's New?, Equity Links, Conference Registrations, Underground Railroad, Jewish American Heritage, Multicultural Curriculum Resources, Diversity Clubs, and Division of Equity E-source Center.

Kentucky Educational Television (KET) provides professional development television seminars for all grade levels and all levels of experience, and includes options for satellite feed and videos. http://www.ket.org/profdev/ 

The Journal is a popular (free) journal for educators in higher education that addresses professional development issues.

The Virtual High School offers professional development courses online.

TAPPED-IN is an international teacher resource for K-12 teachers and professionals who want to use educational technology.  It includes newsletters, forums, and training tips. Its goal is to help professional development projects, education agencies, philanthropic organizations, and for-profit organizations use the Internet to connect with and support teachers via the Web.

Teachers.net is an online chatboard for teachers in Kentucky.

Assessment

Ruth Johnson (2002) proposes a strategy of self-examination for all schools.  She explains that a data-based evaluation can:

• highlight the gaps between rhetoric and reality by breaking data down by race and grade to determine the schools most meaningful learning opportunities.
• point to the steps that must be taken to close achievement gaps.
• bond teachers together in a common understanding that they are part of a larger team of professionals responsible for creating a culture of high achievement for all students (p.xii).   
  

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Barriers

• Some research suggests that small schools may benefit only at-risk students and can actually hold back high achieving students, and as a corollary, some worry that small schools will create or exacerbate a system of "haves" and "have nots" between schools. 
• Block scheduling requires fundamental instructional changes to succeed.
• Year-round schooling creates some additional scheduling problems for both parents and teachers who rely on and use the large block of summer vacation. For some teachers, the summer provides a time when they can seek additional employment in order to make ends meet. Maintenance is also more difficult when schools are being used year-round. There is also the suggestion that year-round schooling needs to be integrated within the entire school district at every level. Moreover, research is still contradictory and inconclusive at this point.
• Developing curriculum that will engage all students requires more work and careful planning on the part of the teacher. Many schools many not have access to many community or outside activities.
• Access to technology requires ongoing expertise and management so as to keep current with technology and to provide continuous and reliable educational resources. It can also involve a significant investment in financial resources and may involve undesirable commercial partnerships to sustain access.
• Business and community partnerships require careful planning and monitoring in order to be successful. They often rely on the help of volunteers and can be costly and time-consuming.
• Team teaching can be confusing for students who might not understand how they are being evaluated. Different styles lead to different expectations. It can also be challenging for teachers who must adapt and modify teaching styles and expectations when they are used to working independently.
  

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Resources

Kentucky Specific Resources

Bristow, D. (2000).  Education in rural Kentucky. Retrieved on July 5, 2003, from http://www.webcom.com/duane/educ/educindx.html

This link provides some excellent resources (articles and research) for rural educators in Kentucky.

CAT (Community Accountability Team) (2003). Retrieved on June 22, 2003 from http://www.prichardcommittee.org/cat/index.html

This is a site developed to improve middle school learning in Jefferson County.

Kentucky Association for Environmental Education.  Retrieved on July 5, 2003, from http://www.kaee.org/links.htm

Includes numerous programs to help make students more aware of their communities and environment, such as through stream monitoring programs, or learning how they can create a more sustainable and healthy environment locally.

Kentucky Department of Education (2003).  Career and Technical Education.  Retrieved on July 5, 2003, from  http://www.kde.state.ky.us/KDE/Instructional+Resources/Career+and+Technical+Education/default.htm 

This site provides many curriculum ideas and work-based learning experiences for high school students.

Kentucky Department of Education (2003).  Equity.  Retrieved on June 22, 2003, from the Web Site: http://www.kentuckyschools.net/KDE/Instructional+Resources/Equity/default.htm

This site provides equity resources from the Kentucky Department of Education.

Kentucky Department of Education (2003).  Kentucky's 21st century community learning centers.  Retrieved on June 25, 2003 from:  http://www.kentuckyschools.net/KDE/Instructional+Resources/Community+Engagement/Kentucky%27s+21st+Century+Community+Learning+Centers+.htm

This program supports school/community partnerships for after-school programs.

Kentucky Department of Education (2003).  Program guidelines for multicultural education.  Retrieved on June 25, 2003 from the KDE Web site: http://www.kentuckyschools.net/KDE/Instructional+Resources/Equity/Program+Guidelines/Multicultural+Education.htm 

Kentucky Department of Education (2003).  Standard 4 - Learning environment - School culture.  Retrieved June 23, 2003 from: http://www.kentuckyschools.net/KDE/Administrative+Resources/School+Improvement/Standards+and+Indicators+for+School+Improvement/Standard+4/default.htm

Kentucky Department of Education (2003).  Technology.  Retrieved on June 25, 2003 from the KDE Web site: http://www.kentuckyschools.net/KDE/Instructional+Resources/Technology/default.htm

In these pages you will find valuable resources related to how technology is a part of standards, curriculum documents, teaching and learning strategies, and assessment instruments.

The Kentucky Department of Education.  Title III Language Instruction for Limited English Proficient and Immigrant Students. Retrieved on June 25, 2003 from the KDE Web site: http://www.kentuckyschools.net/KDE/Instructional+Resources/High+School/Language+Learning/English+Language+Learning/Title+III%3a++Language+Instruction+for+Limited+English+Proficient+and+Immigrant+Students.htm

This page provides information about funding allocations, program requirements, and resources.

Kentucky Educational Television (KET).  Retrieved on July 5, 2003, from: http://www.ket.org/profdev/ 

KET provides professional development television seminars for all grade levels and all levels of experience, and includes options for satellite feed and videos.

Kentucky’s Underground Railroad Retrieved on July 5, 2003, from . http://www.ket.org/underground/resources/

This site provides information for teachers to integrate history into their curriculum and includes a discussion forum, video/audio segments, and a timeline.

Roeder, P.(2002).  Education reform and equitable excellence: The Kentucky experiment,. Foresight, 7 (2). Retrieved on July 5, 2003, from http://www.kltprc.net/foresight/Chpt_37.htm 

This is an article about the success of KERA and the equitable distribution of resources throughout Kentucky.

Kentucky Virtual High School. Retrieved on June 22, 2003, from the Kentucky Department of Education Web Site: http://www.kvhs.org

The Kentucky Virtual High School is a statewide educational service delivering high school courses and online learning opportunity to Kentuckians. A PowerPoint tour of KVHS may be viewed at http://www.seirtec.org/Academy2001/KYVHS01.ppt 

YES (Youth Enhancement Services). Retrieved on June 22, 2003 from Jefferson County Delinquency Prevention Council Web Site: http://www.oyes.org/about.asp 

Provides information on a diverse range of quality prevention and intervention services that support the development and well-being of children and youth, and their families.

Other Resources

American Association of University Women (2003).  Equity quiz.  Retrieved on June 27, 2003, from http://www.american.edu/sadker/equityquiz.htm

Teachers or administrators can take the quiz to determine the gender-awareness of their school.

Baltimore Co. Public Schools Library Information Services (2001).  Information problem solving research models.  Towson, MD: Author.  Retrieved on July 5, 2003, from http://www.bcps.org/offices/lis/models/highcore.html

This link provides some lesson plans in different subjects for high school students that connect the curriculum to real-life issues and activities, such as the funding of stem cell research, and how violence has impacted the community

Bardstown City Schools' Year Round Education Page.  Retrieved on July 5, 2003, from Bardstown City Schools Web site: http://www.btown.k12.ky.us/yre/ 

This school system has implemented year-round education (YRE). This site provides much useful information about YRE and includes valuable links.

Buckingham, D., ed. (1998). Teaching Popular Culture: Beyond Radical Pedagogy. Bristol, PA: UCL Press.

Campbell, P. B. (1995). One project, many strategies: making pre-service teacher education more equitable, The Teacher Education Equity Project (TEEP), Campbell-Kibler Associates, Inc. Retrieved June 22, 2003 from http://www.wri-edu.org/equity/teep.html 

This project assisted instructors in teacher education programs nationwide with materials, resources, and teaching activities for instructing their preservice (student) teachers in gender equity.

Cameron, P., Madden, K., & Flanagan, J., (2002).  The cost of education:  Two classes in one room (ISBN 0-9580475-1-0).  Australia: Anglicare Tasmania Inc.

Email: j.flanagan@anglicare-tas-org-au .  This is an excellent resource on the school costs passed onto families and the significant barriers it causes to low-income children's participation in school.

Childs, R. A. (1990). "Gender bias and fairness." ERIC Digest. The Education Resources Information Center, Washington DC. ED328610

Closing the Equity Gap in technology access and Use: A Practical Guide for K-12 Educators.  Retrieved on June 27, 2003 from http://www.netc.org/cdrom/equity/html/index.htm

This site provides an overview of technology use, checklists for technological inequities, and funding search strategies.

Cromwell, S. (updated 2003). Block scheduling:  A solution or a problem?  Education World.  Retrieved on July 5, 2003, from http://www.education-world.com/a_admin/admin029.shtml 

This is an article that describes block scheduling and the debate surrounding it.       

Edge (Education for Disability and Gender Disability).  Retrieved on July 5, 2003 from: http://www.disabledwomen.net/edge/curriculum/index-netscape.htm 

This site has resources on disability and gender and provides lessons for high school students to try.

The ERIC Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small Schools.  Retrieved on July 5, 2003, from the AEL Web site: http://www.ael.org/eric/page.cfm?&scope=ss&pub=x

This site includes a compilation of ERIC resources on small schools, including a small schools directory, grant information, conferences relating to small schools, and other funding agencies.

Everybody counts! Helping your child succeed: Gender equity, multicultural links (2003). Retrieved on June 22, 2003 from the New Mexico State University Web s ite: http://mathstar.nmsu.edu/teacher/multi_links.html 

This site includes many good multicultural resources, including bilingual resources.

Fine, M. & Somerville J. I. (Eds.), (1998). Small schools, big imaginations: A creative look at urban public schools (pp. 22-35). Chicago: Cross City Campaign for Urban School Reform.

Gandara, P. & Fish, J. (1994). "Year Round Schooling as an Avenue to Major Structural Reform." Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, vol. 16 no. 1, pp. 67-85, Spring.

Garcia, E. E. (1991). "‘Hispanic’ children: Theoretical, empirical and related policy issues." Educational Psychology Review

GEAR UP Program (2003).  Retrieved on June 25, 2003 from the University of Kentucky Web site: http://www.louisville.edu/edu/collaboration/gear.html 

GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) is a federal initiative that encourages young people to stay in school, study hard, and take the right courses to go to college. The program provides a range of services to low-income students by creating new or expanded initiatives to strengthen schools. It also offers professional development opportunities for teachers.

Ginorio, A. and M. Huston. (2001). Si, Se Puede! Yes, We Can: Latinas in School. Washington, DC: American Association of University Women Educational Foundation.

Goodman, E. (1998). The Bilingual Question.  Retrieved on July 5, 2003 from the Center for Research on Education, Diversity & Excellence (CREDE) Web site: http://www.ucsc.edu/oncampus/currents/97-98/04-20/crede.htm

Hoff Sommers, C. (1996). Where the boys are. Education Week, June 12. Retrieved June 22, 2003 from the Education Week Web Site: http://www.edweek.org/ew/vol-15/38sommer.h15#author

This article explores the gap in reading proficiency between males and females [favoring girls].

Jackson, A.W., and G.A. Davis. (2000). Turning Points 2000: Educating Adolescents in the 21st Century. New York: Carnegie Corporation.

Jacobson, C. (1995). Non-sexist language, Purdue University. Retrieved June 22, 2003 from the Stetson University Web site: http://www.stetson.edu/artsci/history/nongenderlang.html

Provides notes on using non-gender specific language.

Johnson, R. S. (2002). Using data to close the achievement gap. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, Inc., http://www.corwinpress.com .

The Journal.  Retrieved on July 5, 2003, from www.thejournal.com/ 

This is a popular (free) journal for educators in higher education that addresses professional development issues.

Louis K. S., & Smith B. (1996).  Teacher engagement and real reform in urban schools.  In Williams, B. (Ed.), Closing the achievement gap (pp. 120-147). Alexandria, VA:  Association for Supervision and curriculum Development.

McGroarty, M. (1993). Cross-cultural issues in adult ESL literacy classrooms. ERIC Digest. ERIC Clearinghouse on Literacy Education for Limited-English-Proficient Adults, Washington DC. ED358751

MentorGirls (2003).  Retrieved on July 5, 2003, from http://www.mentorgirls.org 

This is a resource for connecting girls to industry leaders in the community.

MentorNet (2003).  Retrieved on July 5, 2003, from http://www.mentornet.net/ 

This is an e-mentoring network for women in Engineering and Science.

Morgan, E. (2002). Dead student's society.  Retrieved on July 5, 2003, from http://www.upsidedownschoolroom.com/deadstudentsociety.shtml  

Moses, B.  The algebra project.  Retrieved on June 25, 2003 from http://www.algebra.org/index.html 

The National Association for Year-Round Education.  Retrieved on July 5, 2003 from . http://www.nayre.org/ .

This is a nationally recognized organization of teachers, administrators, and parents who are working to increase student achievement through its focus on time and learning

The National Research Council (2000).  How People Learn ( Expanded ed.)..  Washington, D. C.: National Academy Press.

Nieto, S. (1998). Affirming Diversity: The Sociopolitical Context of Multicultural Education, 2nd ed. White Plains, NY: Longman.

Orenstein, P. (1995). School Girls: Young Women, Self-Esteem, and the Confidence Gap. New York: Anchor Books.

Payne, R. K. (1998). A framework for understanding poverty. Highlands, TX: RFT Publishing.

Pisapia, J., & Westfall, A. (1997). Alternative high school scheduling. A view from the student’s desk. Research report. Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium, Richmond, VA.

Policy Studies Associates. Raising the educational achievement of secondary school students: An idea book, Volume 2, Profiles of promising practice.  Retrieved on July 5, 2003 from the U. S. Department of Education Web sit: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/Raising/raise2/

A list of great resources (also for middle schools) that discusses reform strategies for at risk students, or students who are in danger of dropping out.

Prescriptions for improvement: The four principles (1994, Sept.).  Systemic Reform: Perspectives on Personalizing Education.  Retrieved on July 5, 2003, from the U. S. Department of Education Web site: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/EdReformStudies/SysReforms/tharp5.html

This link is an article to research about four different principles that help to create culturally responsive schools, including connecting the curriculum to everyday life experiences, creating strong teacher/student relationships and common goals, and developing dialogue.

The Public Policy Assessment Society, Inc. (December, 1997). Gender equity - secondary education in the ACT. Retrieved June 22, 2003 from The Public Policy Assessment Society Inc. Web Site: http://members.optusnet.com.au/~polsoc/ppas_ed6.htm .

Raywid, M. A. (1999, January).  Current literature on small schools (ERIC Publication No. EDO-RC-98-8).  ERIC Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small Schools.  Retrieved on July 5, 2003, from the AEL Web site: http://www.ael.org/eric/page.cfm?&scope=ss&id=218 

This article presents a brief overview of research literature on the effectiveness of small schools.

Raywid, M. A. (1996). Taking stock: The movement to create mini- schools, schools-within-schools, and separate small schools. Urban Diversity Series No 108. New York: ERIC Clearinghouse on Urban Education, Teachers College, Columbia University. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 396 045)

Research, A. I. f. (1998). Gender gaps. Washington, D. C., AAUW Educational Foundation: 21.

Sadker, D., Some practical ideas for confronting curricular bias.  Retrieved on June 25, 2003 from the American Universities Web Site: http://www.american.edu/sadker/curricularbias.htm 

This site identifies seven forms of bias that can be used to evaluate instructional materials.

Sadker, D. (1999). "Gender equity; still knocking on the classroom door." Educational Leadership (April, 1999): 22-26.

Sadker, D. (2000, July 30).  Answering the backlash Gender games.  Washington Post.  Retrieved on July 5, 2003 from the Myra Sadker Advocates for Gender equity Web site: http://www.sadker.org/gendergames.htm

Discusses high school gender inequities and test scores.

Sanders, J. (1997). "Teacher education and gender equity." ERIC Digest. ED408277

Small Schools Workshop.  Retrieved on July 5, 2003, from:  http://www.smallschoolsworkshop.org/info3.html 

This link provides a collection of resources on the benefits of small schools that include raising student achievement, reducing violence, increasing attendance and retention, and improving the school climate.

Saphier, J., & King, M. (1985). Good seeds grow in strong cultures. Educational Leadership, 42(6), 67-74.

Schargel, F. P., & Smink, J. (2002).  Strategies to help solve our school dropout problem.  Larchmont, N. Y.: Eye on Education. 

This book offers hope and suggestions on how to resolve the dropout problem using effective strategies taken from research and observations of dropout prevention programs in many school settings across America.

Secada, W.G. (1989). Educational equity versus equality of education: An alternative conception. In W.G. Secada (Ed.), Equity in Education (pp. 68-88). New York, NY: Falmer.

Sistermentors.  Retrieved on June 23, 2003 from http://www.sistermentors.org/home.htm  

A program that offers mentors for girls of color in middle and high school in the Washington D.C. area.

Sorg, S., & Paugh, R. (2001).  Resources for VocEd.  Retrieved on July 5, 2003 from the University of Central Florida Web sit:  http://reach.ucf.edu/~voced/mainresources.htm

This has been one of the top sites on the World Wide Web, referencing vocational education resources for a variety of programs, including many examples of school-to-work programs

Stolp, S., & Smith, S. C. (1995).  Transforming school culture (ED No. 386783).  ERIC/Clearinghouse on Educational Management.

TAPPED-IN.  Retrieved on July 5, 2003 from http://www.tappedin.org/ 

This an international teacher resource for K-12 teachers and professionals who want to use educational technology and includes newsletters, forums, and training tips.

Teachers.net Retrieved on July 5, 2003 from http://teachers.net/states/ky/

This an online chatboard for teachers in Kentucky.

Western Massachusetts Gender Equity Center (1999).  Gender equity- Lesson plans and teacher guide.  Author.  Retrieved on July 5, 2003, from http://www.genderequity.org/book/contents.html#lesson_plans  

This an on-line resource which offers numerous, innovative, and fun high school activities and lesson plans that are designed to increase gender awareness among students, such as role playing games where genders are switched. 

Wellesley College Center for Research on Women (1992). How schools shortchange girls. Annapolis Junction, MD, AAUW Educational Foundation: 8.

What Is Title IX?  Retrieved on June 27, 2003 from http://www.american.edu/sadker/titleix.htm

This link supplies a good description of the components of Title IX.

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Key Words

School Culture, Equitable Environment, Elementary,Curriculum,Equal,Academic,Engagement,Multicultural,School Climate,Resources,Community,Leadership,Relationships,Celebrations,Ceremonies,Partnerships,Classroom,Ability Grouping,Textbook,Technology, Programs,Title IX,Team Teaching,Language,Immigrant Assessment,Professional Development,Alternative Portfolios, Barriers,Best Practice

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