Taking the Lead

Welcome, administrators. This annual special leadership issue is designed with your particular challenges in mind. To that end, we've crafted the content around the themes of practicality and efficiency.

Increasingly, professional development directors are saying that personal response systems are key to customizing presentations and facilitating the kind of interaction that leads to success. Beyond that, teachers are finding that clickers enliven lessons and motivate students. In "Making it Click," you can read what J.T. Hanley and Paul Jackson had to say after giving six of the newest systems thorough test drives.

More practical advice comes from Managing Editor Mark Smith, who takes a look at the various options for classroom sound reinforcement systems in "Can You Hear Me Now?." Sheila Riley outlines the ways districts can ensure they don't let E-Rate money go begging.

This month, T&L's experts sound off on how to increase technology integration and foster innovation on a daily basis. In "Creating a Tech-Infused Culture," Harry Tuttle describes 22 activities school leaders can perform to promote the ongoing use of technology. In "Everyday Innovation," Michael Simkins targets 10 ways administrators can model and encourage the kind of creative thinking that leads to inventive change.

This summer marks the debut of T&L's first special Funding Handbook, a comprehensive compendium of information about grants, research, and money-saving technologies. We will be mailing the Handbook out to our administrator audience in July (you can also find it online at www.techlearning.com).

As usual, our staff will be attending the upcoming National Education Computing Conference, which will be held in San Diego right after the July 4th holiday. If you're planning to be there, please drop by our booth and introduce yourself!