The Kappan is the flagship magazine of PDK International, a professional association for educators that focuses on tenets of service, research, and leadership. Selected Kappan articles are presented here through a content-sharing partnership with Education Week.
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Curriculum Management Training
Leading by Learning
When principals immerse themselves in learning about formative assessments and how students learn, they become better instructional leaders for teachers, Susan M. Brookhart and Connie M. Moss write. (May 1, 2013)
Do As They Say: It's the Law
Edwin C. Darden writes that by their nature, schools are places of rampant intellectual discourse. But school employees rarely have leeway to refuse direct or implied orders from higher-ups. (May 1, 2013)
Principals: Don't Settle for the Rolling Boulder
In selecting, training, socializing, and mentoring leaders, we have unwittingly encouraged caged leadership, writes Frederick M. Hess. (May 1, 2013)
Raising the Bar for Teaching
A rigorous board exam for teachers could change who is attracted to the profession, and greatly increase public regard for teachers and teaching, write Jal Mehta and Joe Doctor. (April 1, 2013)
Teacher Preparation: Not an Either-Or
James V. Shuls and Gary W. Ritter write that the whole debate about teacher preparations isn't particularly productive because teachers and students are too diverse for a single prescription. (April 1, 2013)
Does Safety Conflict With Parental Rights?
School systems are taking greater precautions to secure schools against tragedy, but parents and guardians are viewed as potential perpetrators, writes Edwin C. Darden. (April 1, 2013)
Scattered Challenges, Singular Solutions: The New Latino Diaspora
According to a group from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, educators can draw on the skills and knowledge of Spanish-speaking students to foster student success. (March 1, 2013)
If It's Good Enough for Joe...
Videos can provide teachers and leaders with the opportunity to find and fix small mistakes that can have a big impact on learning, says Paul Bambrick-Santoyo. (March 1, 2013)
Todo tiene que ver con lo que se habla: It's all about the talk
With a collective focus on academic rigor, administrators and teachers in Cula Vista, Calif., were able to improve the academic achievement of its Hispanic and Latino students, experts found. (March 1, 2013)
Do We Need School Districts?
Opponents say districts are unwilling or unable to adopt change; proponents say they serve a crucial, practical role implementing and preserving local input. Where's the middle ground? (Feb. 1, 2013)
New 'Chief' Will Stay the Course
Choosing Chris Minnich to lead the Council of Chief State School Officers means the organization likely will stay focused on helping states adopt and adapt to the Common Core. (Feb. 1, 2013)
Having Allies Makes a Difference
One of the nation’s only schools created specifically to be gay-friendly has made the difficult teenage years easier for a population of students who often struggle. (Feb. 1, 2013)
Knowing the Warning Signs of Sexual Misconduct
Educators can prevent much of the sexual misconduct in schools if they know how to recognize and respond to suspicious patterns and if administrators enforce an environment of high expectations for behavior. (Feb. 1, 2013)
Literature Opens Doors for All Children
Inclusion literature can broaden perspectives for all readers and create classrooms where all are accepted, says Donna L. Miller. (Dec. 1, 2012)
Preparing Parents to Advocate for a Child With Autism
Educators have a vital role to play in helping parents develop the skills to become effective advocates for children with autism, say Anne Foster, Debbie Rude, and Caroline Grannan. (Dec. 1, 2012)
Staying Optimistic in Tough Times
Shrinking budgets and unrelenting demands for higher achievement are threatening education, but education around the world is still better than ever, writes Ben Levin. (Dec. 1, 2012)
G-R-O-U-P W-O-R-K Doesn't Spell Collaboration
Timothy Quinn outlines a guide for assigning and administering collaborative work among students. (Dec. 1, 2012)
Beginning Teacher Induction: What the Data Tell Us
Induction support programs for beginning teachers is an education reform whose time has come, says Richard M. Ingersoll. (May 16, 2012)
Philanthropy Gets in the Ring: Edu-Funders Get Serious About Education Policy
If education philanthropists want to influence policy, then they must open themselves to more public debate about their plans and goals, writes Frederick M. Hess. (May 16, 2012)
Is Modeling Enough?
Leaders must be explicit if they want teachers and others to get the messages they're trying to communicate, says Khym G. Goslin. (April 1, 2012)
Let's Keep Moving
The nationwide effort to battle childhood obesity is making progress, but schools should continue and expand efforts to promote healthy lives for children, writes First Lady Michelle Obama. (April 1, 2012)
Teaching to the Common Core by Design, Not Accident
The Gates Foundation's investment in developing the Common Core State Standards now depends on translating big ideas into practices that teachers can and will use, write Vicki Phillips and Carina Wong. (April 1, 2012)
Evaluating Teacher Evaluation
Popular modes of evaluating teachers are fraught with inaccuracies and inconsistencies, but the field has identified better approaches, write Linda Darling-Hammond, Audrey Amrein-Beardsley, Edward Haertel, and Jesse Rothstein. (March 1, 2012)
Rightsizing a School District
A dramatic self-examination led Kansas City, Mo., schools to cut $68 million from its annual budget, write Mary Esselman, Rebecca Lee-Gwin, and Michael Rounds. (March 1, 2012)
A Smart ALEC Threatens Public Education
Coordinated efforts to introduce model legislation aimed at defunding and dismantling public schools is the signature work of this conservative organization, write Julie Underwood and Julie F. Mead. (March 1, 2012)
Triggering Reform at Public Schools
Proponents of parent trigger laws must find ways to promote stability in the aftermath of a successful petition, writes Andrew P. Kelly. (March 1, 2012)
Yes, Black Males Are Different, But Different Is Not Deficient
Stop pretending that all students are alike; teaching to their differences will improve their chances for academic success, argues Christopher Emdin. (Feb. 1, 2012)
Saving Black and Latino Boys
Solving the educational challenges facing black and Latino boys is an American responsibility, not just the responsibility of the black and Latino communities, says Pedro A. Noguera. (Feb. 1, 2012)
The Voices of Young Black Males
These profiles reveal how family and culture affect the educational outcomes of urban youths. (Feb. 1, 2012)
Emphasize the Ambitious: Q&A With Kati Haycock
A warrior in the battle to close achievement gaps reflects on the value of NCLB, what's she learned about the task, and what's required to move ahead. (Nov. 1, 2011)
Decentralized Education
in New Zealand
Global Voices Column: School change in New Zealand is made more difficult by the high degree of decentralization and the unwillingness to build a national approach to improvement, writes Ben Levin. (Nov. 1, 2011)
TFA: How Long Do They Teach?
Why Do They Leave?
Most TFA alumni continue to teach after completing their two-year obligation. Those who leave the profession exit because of the same poor working conditions that drive away other young teachers. (Oct. 1, 2011)
Conversations With Arne Duncan
The national push for new teacher evaluations is real; educators should not miss this opportunity to influence policy makers with solid evidence, write Carol Corbett Burris and Kevin G. Welner. (Oct. 1, 2011)
Improving Teaching When Budgets Are Tight
Spending limited dollars strategically is key in an era when funding is tight and expectations are high. (Sept. 1, 2011)
R&D Column: The Minority Teacher Shortage: Fact or Fable?
Over the past two decades, efforts to recruit new minority teachers have been very successful, but retaining them has not, write Richard M. Ingersoll and Henry May. (Sept. 1, 2011)
Leading Through a Fiscal Nightmare
A survey of principals and superintendents reveals high levels of professional and personal anguish from the ongoing pressure to cut budgets, people, and programs. (May 1, 2011)
Washington View Column: In the Game
A little-known Senate staff person is playing a leading role in the ESEA reauthorization, writes Thomas Toch. (May 1, 2011)
Manage 'Human Capital' Strategically
Our current education system doesn't recruit, train, hire, induct, deploy, develop, retain, or strategically manage the top talent we needed to accomplish our goals. These shortcomings are most acute in the largest urban districts and in many rural districts. (April 1, 2011)
Thoughts on Teaching Column: Change, Sputnik, and Fast Food
We need change, but it should be careful, thoughtful, considered change that responds to individual needs and is grown much closer to home than the office buildings of Washington, D.C., writes Bobby Ann Starnes. (April 1, 2011)
Finding Fairness for Rural Students
One-third of American children attend school in rural or small towns, but we overlook their needs and fund their schools poorly. (March 1, 2011)
Global Voices Column: Survey Shows Rise of Asia
While there is no one "Asian" way to academic success, high-performing Asian school systems share some common characteristics, writes Vivien Stewart. (March 1, 2011)
Keeping Youths in School: An International Perspective
Blending work and learning may provide pathways that ensure that more students are able to complete high school and successfully enter the workforce. (February 1, 2011)
Innovation Column: Learning Deserts
Bold transformation plans are necessary if we want to prevent more urban communities from becoming learning deserts, writes Monica Martinez. (February 1, 2011)
Pressuring Teachers to Leave
Harassing supervision is a rational response to an irrational system —and an unavoidable reality until we address its root causes. (December 1, 2010)
Teacher Unions Are Dead! Long Live Teacher Unions!
Washington View Column: With more than 3 million members and vast political networks, teachers' unions are a powerful force. That won't change, but they'll have to make peace with reform, writes Thomas Toch. (December 1, 2010)
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