A recent report from the not-for-profit, nonpartisan National Council on Teacher Quality showed that many states' laws and regulations discourage promising new teachers from remaining in the profession, while doing little to identify and council out ineffective teachers. The report found that states:

Tony Danza, the TV actor who played a none-too-bright cab driver on "Taxi" and a baseball-player-turned-housekeeper on "Who's the Boss?" is teaching 10th grade English this fall in a Philadelphia inner-city school.

Last month, The Journal of Gerontology published its most recent findings about the benefits of having senior citizens volunteer in school classrooms. After following Experience Corps volunteers—a group of paid volunteers that consists primarily of African-American women age 60 and older—over a period of years, researchers from Johns Hopkins University found that students who interact with the Experience Corps volunteers showed significant gains in reading comprehension when compared to students in control classrooms.

Posting labor law posters (and bulletins) is another one of those nasty, mandated laws that all businesses have to follow. There is no choice regarding whether you should post the most current information or not—it's a must. So, it's wise to see what your state has updated and/or changed this year so you're compliant.

Noel Tichy, in his book The Leadership Engine: How Winning Companies Build Leaders at Every Level, says that in stand-out organizations, the leaders teach their key deputies the leadership skills they need to become effective leaders themselves. While Tichy is writing specifically about business, his premise works for private-independent School Heads and their Management Teams.

Research conducted at Northwestern University in Illinois has important implications in two areas—for educators dealing with the ongoing debate about "how early is too early" to start teaching students a foreign language, and for schools that offer dual-language immersion programs.

Your school may have been one of the many that downsized this year in response to the economy's tumble. Morale is always affected in such circumstances, so if you're sensing an aura of gloom throughout your administrative offices, this is common—and in time, will pass. Why are those still employed seemingly so blue? Great question. Some suffer from what is known as "survivor syndrome." Survivor syndrome can be defined as those still employed, although grateful to be working, end up feeling guilty to be among those selected to stay on, and in some cases resentful for the extra work thrown their way because of the lack of hands on deck.

Every year the IRS updates the federal standards for mileage reimbursement. On January 1, the new rates for 2009 were posted, which are down slightly from July 2008. This alteration will affect any school whose policy meets the highest federal allotment. You will need to adjust your rates to comply with the following regulations:

Attention Deficit Disorder, known as ADD, is one of the most common conditions that affects youth today. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, is another common disorder affecting school-aged children. It's estimated that 4.4 million 4-17 year-olds are struggling with ADD and ADHD, both of which can interrupt their learning progress, and often leads to academic failure.

How many meetings do you sit in on, or host, where the material is dry and driven by facts and policies? Ever look around and see all the nodding heads and droopy eyes? The truth is, most people tune out after a few minutes if the material isn't interactive and somewhat motivating.