May 1998

Table of Contents

• Dear state or local leader letter

• Presidential Directive

• Executive Summary

• Introduction: An Urgent Need for Action

• Raising the Stakes: Setting High Standards for Performance
  • Holding Schools Accountable
  • Identifying Low-Performing Schools

• Focus on Learning: Promising Strategies for Improving Student Achievement
  • Gaining Control of the School Environment: A Prerequisite
  • Improving Curriculum and Classroom Instruction
  • Starting Early for School Readiness
  • Preparing for Classroom Change: Professional Development
  • Implementing Comprehensive Reform Programs

• Building School Capacity: Systemic Support for the Process of Change
  • Building Leadership, Trust, and Ownership
  • Mobilizing Resources to Support School Improvement
  • Using Performance Data to Drive Continuous Improvement
  • Working in Partnership with Parents and Community
  • Stimulating Innovation and Change

• Intervening in Chronically Low-Performing Schools
  • Collaborative Efforts to Redesign Low-Performing Schools
  • School Reconstitution: A Strategy of Last Resort
  • Intervention Strategies: Lessons and Considerations

• Conclusion

• Checklist for Improvement
  • Suggestions for Local and State Policy Makers
  • Suggestions for School Leaders
  • Suggestions for Families, Businesses, and Community Organizations

• U.S. Department of Education Inventory of Support for Turning Around Schools
  • Proposed Initiatives
  • Programs to Improve Low-Performing Schools
  • Other Programs That Can Help Support Reform Efforts

• Bibliography

• Acknowledgments

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[ Return to Improving America's Schools Act of 1994 (IASA) ]