As if your own job in the central office is not burdensome enough, the Director of Public Relations has a new task for you.

As if your own job in the central office is not burdensome enough, the Director of Public Relations has a new task for you. She plans to prepare a lengthy article for the local newspapers in which she will defend certain approaches being used in the district. Because you are familiar with all of them, she wants your input. You know that teachers are using best practices and achieving measurable results with several strategies and programs. Generate a document that provides a rationale for each of the components below and provide examples of how teachers are utilizing (or could be) them:

• critical thinking components in all lesson plans and units
• classroom environments that foster creativity
• a character education approach that is directly linked to the culture of the classroom and the school
• teacher accountability and the standards-based curriculum
• teaching skillfully (See Chapter 18) and thinking skillfully (See Chapter 20)