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May 2011 Number 5, Vol. 68Latino Leadership and LearningPromising practices for English learners, and fast tracking underserved students
by LIBIA S. GIL AND DARREN W. WOODRUFF
The authors, affiliated with the American Institutes for Research, describe a Southern California school district's application of response to intervention for all students to bring about successful academic outcomes.
Similar Reading: Site-Based Teams Customize Chula Vista's Instruction and Additional Resources
by ANA DIAZ-BOOZ
The principal of a high school in San Diego details her school's ability to retain its Latino students through a college-going culture based on non-negotiables.
Similar Reading: A Co-Teaching Model Raises English Learner Proficiency
by WILLIAM R. HOLLAND
A complex tangle of factors works against improvement in student learning at a troubled high school. The author wrote a recent book on the Rhode Island school.
by CARLOS A. GARCIA
How the author’s personal odyssey navigating unaccommodating school systems early in his career contributed to the startup of a new advocacy group for Latino educators.
Similar Reading: The Making of a Culturally Proficient Community
Personal Adversity, Professional Excellence by PAUL RIEDE
Penny Fisher endured a lot of personal adversity early in life, but lately she’s been recognized for her professional excellence as one of the four finalists for National Superintendent of the Year.
Reasons for Wariness About ‘Evidence-Based’ Claims by WILLIAM J. MATHIS
When free-market-oriented think tanks wave around glossy reports touting research-supported findings, all too often the ideas are advanced by vested interest groups. Readers must be cautious.
How Parent-Friendly Are Your Schools? by STEPHANIE D. SANDIFER
A short list of questions compiled by a former district administrator for gauging how welcoming your campuses feel to visitors.
A Referendum Campaign Mounted on a District Website by GEOFFREY W. ZOELLER JR.
Tactics of a New Jersey school district that primarily used electronic communication tools to gain public approval of a $17 million building referendum.
What Hospitals Can Teach Us About Performance by JUSTIN D. BAEDER
While tending to a premature newborn for three weeks, the author, an elementary principal, drew parallels between delivery of service in hospitals and schools.
Going Back to School … at Age 62 by DENNIS W. KELLISON
What would motivate someone with 20 years in the superintendency to enter a doctoral program in organizational leadership just months into his retirement?
A One-Team Mentality by JOE S. FRONTIERA
What to do when you inherit a board culture that features an us versus them dynamic? Though it may be hard to know where to start, the author discusses five measures to cultivate a more productive working environment.
Something to Ponder by EDGAR B. HATRICK
Diane Ravitch’s words to the assembled at AASA’s national conference in Denver continue to reverberate. She served compelling criticism of federal efforts, calling out those leaders “who misled either intentionally or from lack of understanding.”
The Unfortunate Devolution of Bilingual Instruction by DANIEL A. DOMENECH
As a young administrator, one of his first projects involved training teachers to be effective in bilingual classrooms. AASA’s executive director still is fighting for educational opportunity for Latino students.
People
With the end of the school year in sight, the list of superintendent retirements grows large. This month’s transitions also include some recent promotions.