Reference Room

Independent Education gathers research and other materials on a wide range of topics of value to our members and others. Please don’t hesitate to recommend additional resources.

Resources by Topic

Assessments & Data

Demographics

Environmental Sustainability

Financial Sustainability

Governance/Leadership

Independent Schools and the Community

School Organization

Teacher Evaluation/Professional Development

Technology

21^st Century Skills & Standards

Assessments & Data

• "Data-Driven Schools," Independent Education News Briefing, April 2010
  • Read the newsletter brief
  • Read Rick Hess's and Jon Fullerton's "The Numbers We Need" in the American Enterprise Institute's Education Outlook
• "Tracking Schools' Graduates," Independent Education News Briefing, February 2010
  • Read the newsletter brief
  • Read Chad Aldeman's Education Sector report, "College and Career Ready: Using Outcome Data to Hold High Schools Accountable for Student Success"

• "Student Outcomes that Measure the School's Value-Added," by Amada Torres and Jefferson Burnett for the National Association of Independent Schools

• "Creating an Academy of Learning: Authentic Assessment, Peer Review, and the College and Work Readiness Assessment," by John Austin, Independent School, Spring 2009

• "Beyond Basic Skills: The Role of Performance Assessment in Achieving 21^st Century Standards of Learning," by Frank Adamson and Linda Darling-Hammond for the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education

Demographics

• "The Boy-Girl Gap," Independent Education News Briefing, April 2010
  • Read the newsletter brief
  • Read the Center on Education Policy's report, "State Test Score Trends through 2007-08, Part 5: Are There Differences in Achievement Between Boys and Girls?"
• "Media Mania," Independent Education News Briefing, February 2010 
  • Read the newsletter brief
  • Read the New York Times article, "If Your Kids Are Awake, They're Probably Online," by Tamar Lewin
  • Read the Kaiser Family Foundation's report, "Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8- to 18-Year-Olds"
• "The Burgeoning Latino Student Population," Independent Education News Briefing, November 2009
  • Read the newsletter brief
  • Read the Pew Hispanic Center research findings
• "A Boy's Life," by Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic, November 2008    

• "Coming Out in Middle School," by Benoit Denizet-Lewis, The New York Times Magazine, September 23, 2009

• Teaching Diverse Students Initiative, the Southern Poverty Law Center

Environmental Sustainability

• Dot Earth Blog, by Peter C. Rivkin, hosted by The New York Times

• The Earth Institute, directed by Jeffrey Sachs, Columbia University

Financial Sustainability

• "Private Schooling in the U.S.: Expenditure, Supply, and Policy Implications," by Bruce Baker, Education and the Public Interest Center & Education Policy Research Unit

• “Independent Perspective: Financing Independent Schools for the 21st Century,” by Patrick Bassett, Independent School, Fall 2003

• “Out of the Box: Fundamental Change in School Funding,” by David H. Monk, School Finance Redesign Project

• "Breaking Down School Budgets," by Marguerite Roza, Education Next, Summer 2009

Governance/Leadership

• "Leadership Styles and Stress Outcomes," by Mark Hanna, Wharton Leadership Digest, Jan.-Feb. 2010

• "When You Go to See the Wizard, Take Toto: Reflections on Savvy Leadership," by Rob Evans, Independent School, Spring 2009

• "A Whole New School: The Art of Reflection, Innovation, Transformation," by Jamie Feild Baker, Independent School, Spring 2009

• "School Governance and the Board-Savvy Head," by Doug Eadie, Independent School, Spring 2009

• “The Lessons Are in the Leading,” by Gordon A. Donaldson, Jr., Educational Leadership

• "Lead Like the Great Conductors," lecture by Itay Talgam

• "Faculty Professional Development: A Primer for School Leaders," by Lynn Friedman

• "Organizational Change in the Independent School: Promise or Peril," by Lynn Friedman

• "First Families: A Toolkit for Trustees," by Lynn Friedman

• "After Crisis Comes Understanding... and Growth," by Lynn Friedman

• "Developing a Strategy for Pursuing Work-Life Goals," by Lynn Friedman

Independent Schools and the Community

• "How Community Happens: Shared Endeavor, Scrambled Roles, and the Spirit of Celebration," by Jill Donovan, Independent School, Winter 2010

• "Smart Empathy: Cultivating a Self-Reliant Parent Body in Times of Crisis," by Wendy Mogel, Independent School, Winter 2010

• "Changing the Face of the Academy: Innovative Approaches to Faculty Recruitment," by Ara C. Brown and James J. Greenwood, Independent School, Winter 2010

• "The Multiplier Effect: The Case for Multi-School, Global Education Programs," by Rik Dugan and Matt Nink, Independent School, Winter 2010

• "Bias Among the Well-Intentioned: How It Can Affect the Hiring Process," by Christine Savini, Independent School, Winter 2010

• "What Will It Take?," lecture by Paul Tough

School Organization

• "Towards a Solution to Education's Productivity Problem," Independent Education News Briefing, Feb. 2010
  • Read the newsletter brief
  • Read Steven F. Wilson's report, "The Efficient Use of Teachers," prepared for the American Enterprise Institute and Thomas B. Forham Institute conference
• "Two-Year High Schools?," Independent Education News Briefing, March 2010
  • Read the newsletter brief
  • Read the New York Times article, "High Schools to Offer Plan to Graduate 2 Years Early,"by Sam Dillon
• "Pushing the Envelope," Independent Education News Briefing, May 2010
  • Read the newsletter brief
  • Read Ted Kolderie's paper, "Innovation-based Systemic Reform," for Education Evolving
• "Achievement by the Numbers," Independent Education News Briefing, Nov. 2009
  • Read the newsletter brief
  • Read a review of William Ouchi's book, The Secret of TSL
• “Class Size Reduction and Student Achievement: The Potential Tradeoff between Teacher Quality and Class Size,” by Christopher Jepsen and Steven Rivkin

• “Kaleidoscope Learning: An Overview of Integrated Studies,” by Douglas Cruickshank

• “Learning to Change/Changing to Learn,” video by the The Pearson Foundation & The Consortium for School Networking

Teacher Evaluation/Professional Development

• "Great Teaching: Mystery or Science?," Independent Education News Briefing, Feb. 2010
  • Read the newsletter brief
  • Read Amanda Ripley's article, "What Makes a Great Teacher?," in The Atlantic
• "The Recipe for Teaching Success?," Independent Education News Briefing, March 2010
  • Read the newsletter brief
  • Read the New York Times article, "Building a Better Teacher," by Elizabeth Green
• “Most Likely to Succeed: How do we hire when we can’t tell who’s right for the job?,” by Malcolm Gladwell, The New Yorker

• The Widget Effect, by The New Teacher Project

Technology

• "More Productive Schools through Online Learning," by John E. Chubbs

• "Transforming Schools with Technology," by Andrew A. Zucker, Independent School, Winter 2009

• "School Marketing and the Social Web: Can You Hear Me Now?," by Lorrie Jackson, Independent School, Winter 2009

• "How to Build for the Future of Technology in Schools," by Catherine J. Hall and Alexander C. Pearson, Independent School, Winter 2009

• "School 2.0: Finding Relevance in an 'Always-On' World," by Tim Fish, Independent School, Winter 2009

• "Here and Now in the School of the Future," by Jonathan Howland and Howard Levin, Independent School, Winter 2009

• “Learning: Peering Backward and Looking Forward in the Digital Era,” by Margaret Weigel, Carrie James, and Howard Gardner, International Journal of Learning and Media

• “Mini-multitaskers,” by Rebecca A. Clay, Monitor on Psychology

21^st Century Skills & Standards

• "The Most Daring Education Reform of All,” by Diane Senechal, American Educator

• "Teaching for the 21st Century," Educational Leadership, September 2009

• Curriculum 21: Essential Education for a Changing World, edited by Heidi Hayes Jacobs

• "U.S. Common-Standards Push Bares Unsettled Issues," by Sean Cavanaugh, Education Week

• "Debunking the Case for National Standards," by Alfie Kohn, Education Week

• “Education: The Case for Making it Personal,” by Ron Wolk, Educational Leadership

• “Foreign Languages Fade in Class – Except Chinese,” by Sam Dillon, The New York Times

• "Myths v. Facts About the Common Core Standards," James B. Hunt, Jr. Institute for Educational Leadership and Policy