Readings and Publications on Teacher and School Leader Excellence
The Professional Personified. Districts find results by combining a vision of professionalism with the use of common tasks and goals. Teachers use prescribed standards and practices to improve student learning.
Judy Wurtzel
Fall 2007, Journal of the National Staff Development Council
Lessons from Abroad. Some other nations do a better job than the U.S. in attracting, supporting and retaining effective teachers. Lessons from Abroad: Teaching Policy to Improve Student Learning, a special report commissioned by the Aspen Institute, describes eight nations' approaches and their implications for the U.S.
Lynn Olson
February 2006, Education Week
Attracting and Retaining Teachers. Concerns about the supply and quality of teachers are generating new policies in many OECD countries. This article summarizes findings of an Aspen-OECD seminar held in October 2006.
Robert Schwartz, Harvard Graduate School of Education; Judy Wurtzel, The Aspen Institute; and Lynn Olson, Education Week
May 2007 edition of the OECD-Observer
Readings on Teacher and School Leader Excellence from 2007 Summer Workshop on Rethinking Human Capital in K-12 Education
Readings from 2006 Aspen-OECD Conference on Learning from Abroad: International Teacher Policy
Readings and Publications on High School Reform
The Professional Personified. Districts find results by combining a vision of professionalism with the use of common tasks and goals. Teachers use prescribed standards and practices to improve student learning.
Judy Wurtzel
Fall 2007, Journal of the National Staff Development Council
Transforming High School Teaching and Learning: A District-wide Design. Provides new insights on how to substantially improve high school teaching and learning across an urban school district. Drawing on the expertise of teachers, principals, superintendents, policy makers and researchers, the new Aspen Institute Program on Education and Society report offers both an analytic framework and concrete suggestions for a new approach to high school improvement.
Judy Wurtzel
2006
Remaking Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century: What Role for High School Programs? This report from JFF and the Aspen Institute's Education and Society Program summarizes what we know (and don’t know) about the value of high school career-focused education--and it proposes a reform agenda for high school career and technical education.
Richard Kazis
April 2005
Review of Selected High School Reform Strategies. This paper is a comprehensive overview of the field of high school reform. An update to this paper is in progress.
Jennifer Husbands and Stacey Beese
Updated 2004
Rethinking High School: The Next Frontier For State Policymakers. Originally commissioned for the Aspen 2002 High School Transformation workshop, this report provides a useful comparison of four state high school reform efforts.
Patricia W. McNeil
Updated 2003
Transforming the American High School: New Directions for State and Local Policy. Based on several aspen Workshops, this report is an analysis of policy action required to transform American high schools.
Michael Cohen
2002
Transforming American High Schools: Early Lessons and New Challenges. This paper presents an overview of the conclusions and recommendations of the three related Aspen workshops on transforming high school.
Rob Reich
2002
Readings on High School Instructional Improvement for 2005 Summer Workshop
Readings and Publications on Strengthening Urban School Districts
The Role of Interim Assessments in a Comprehensive Assessment System: A Policy Brief. As school districts increasingly use interim assessments as a key strategy, this policy brief provides guidance to states and districts on effective use of these assessments. This report is co-published with Achieve, Inc., and the National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment.
Marianne Perie, Scott Marion, Brian Gong (National Center for the Improvement of Education Assessment) and Judy Wurtzel (The Aspen Institute)
November 2007
Strong Foundation, Evolving Challenges: A Case Study to Support Leadership Transition in the Boston Public Schools. While most urban school districts face rapid turnover in leadership and limited results, Boston has won national attention for its stability and success. This report examines Boston’s accomplishments and challenges and provides lessons for other large urban school districts.
Aspen Institute and Annenberg Institute for School Reform
March 2006
Look Back, Look Ahead. To ensure a smooth transition in leadership, boards should take time to study where the district has been—and where it hopes to go.
Ellen Foley, Robert Rothman, Judy Wurtzel, and Deanna Burney
Journal of the American School Board Association, March 2007 edition
The Cleveland Literacy System: A Comprehensive Approach To Changing Instructional Practice. This report was commissioned for the Urban Superintendents Network. It illustrates how one urban district has positioned formative assessment, linked to a clearly specified curriculum, as a key lever in efforts to improve classroom practice and student learning. The report is co-published with the Stupski Foundation.
Helen Williams
2005
Coaching: A Strategy for Developing Instructional Capacity-Promises and Practicalities. This paper was commissioned for the Urban Superintendents Network. It focuses on coaching as an effective professional development practice to improve teaching and learning, describing what coaching is, what coaches do, the kinds of supports coaches need, and the potential benefits to both educators and students. Jointly published by the Aspen Institute and the Annenberg Institute for School Reform.
Barbara Neufeld and Dana Roper
2003
| 
