Educational strategies and policy Books

Book SynopsisFor all K-12 students and staff to benefit from positive behaviour interventions and supports (PBIS), effective, evidence-based practices need to be in place schoolwide. Now there’s a valid and reliable tool that checks the effectiveness of your whole school’s PBIS efforts—without any need for an outside evaluator. SAPR™-PBIS is the most efficient, comprehensive way to compare your current PBIS efforts with evidence-based practices and benchmarks. Six to ten team members from your school fill out individual self-assessments, rating themselves on key building blocks of successful PBIS. Then your whole team comes together to discuss results, set clear goals for improvement, and assess progress. Proven in pilot studies to improve students’ social outcomes and staff satisfaction, SAPR™-PBIS gives your team the critical information you need to Strengthen all three tiers of schoolwide PBIS Link assessment results with step-by-step, evidence-based action items Boost teamwork and build consensus Track progress toward your PBIS goals Troubleshoot stalled progress toward goals Reduce time spent managing behaviour issues With this highly reliable, easy-to-use tool, you can be confident that your school is implementing evidence-based PBIS practices that help improve all students’ social and academic outcomes.

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Book SynopsisAnxiety is one of the biggest challenges faced by children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders and Asperger syndrome. Help them conquer their fears - and participate more fully in home, school, and community life - with this innovative group therapy program for children 8–14 years old and their parents. Facing Your Fears includes everything professionals need to run a successful program. With the Facilitator's Manual, group leaders will get complete guidance on conducting each session: clear step-by-step instructions, materials lists, goals, sample schedules, and helpful hints for running sessions smoothly. The Parent Workbooks and Child Workbooks (sold separately in packs of 4) give children and families a wide variety of creative activities to help them fight fears and worries head-on, both inside and outside the group setting. And the included DVD inspires and motivates kids with sample movies of real children facing their fears. Essential for every mental health professional working with children with ASD, this innovative program will help families struggling with the burdens of anxiety and increase children s odds for lifelong academic and social success.

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Book SynopsisThe school readiness of young dual language learners depends on high-quality preschool programs that meet their needs— but how should schools promote and measure the progress of children learning two languages? Find out what the research says in this authoritative resource, which investigates the experiences of dual language learners in preschool classrooms and the policy implications of these critical findings.The most comprehensive, up-to-date research volume on this topic, this book is a must for policy makers and administrators serving the growing number of dual language learners in today's classrooms. Presenting the eye-opening results of their observational studies of early education classrooms, more than 25 experts give readers the invaluable insights they'll need to-assess the quality of instruction and classroom practices with sensitive, reliable measurement tools-identify and strengthen factors that contribute to the development of English language proficiency-determine whether instruction in children's home language helps them develop school readiness skills-ensure a culturally responsive classroom environment that promotes gains in both languages-support the teacher-child relationship, vital to promoting language and literacy development-understand and improve the early learning experiences of low-income dual language learners-shape future research efforts and policy decisions with a helpful synthesis of the research in this volumeWith this compendium of current research— sure to influence preschool practices for years to come— policy makers and administrators will have the foundational knowledge they need to ensure a high-quality, appropriate education for young children learning two languages.

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Book SynopsisThe new generation of teachers needs a new kind of special education textbook—one that focuses on children, not labels. That's why Whitney Rapp & Katrina Arndt developed Teaching Everyone, the first text that fully prepares teachers to see past disability labels and work with all students' individual needs and strengths. Accessible and forward-thinking, this introductory text will get K–12 teachers ready to work effectively within today's educational system and meet the learning needs of a wide range of students. Educators will: Align their teaching with the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Initial Content Standards. Each chapter clearly explains how the content helps students meet specific standards. Discover a truly progressive, inclusive approach to education. Breaking free of a categorical approach to disability, this text reveals how to stop relying on labels to access supports for students—and work with each child as an individual instead. Get comprehensive information in one volume. Ideal for use as a primary text, this book covers all the critical topics teachers need to know about (see below), for a fraction of the cost of similar textbooks. Learn effective teaching strategies for major academic content areas. Educators will get clear, research-backed strategies for teaching reading, writing, science, math, and social studies—including guidance on keeping students engaged and assessing their progress. Get a deep and personal understanding of student and teacher perspectives. With the case studies and narratives from teachers and people with disabilities, educators will have keen first-hand insights that will inform their teaching for years to come. A foundational text for tomorrow's teachers—and a valuable reference for inservice teachers who want to sharpen and update their skills—this important volume will help usher in an era of truly inclusive classrooms where all children learn and thrive. With cutting-edge information on differentiated instruction universal design for learning instructional strategies for academic content areas assessment and evaluation social and communication skills response to intervention early intervention policy and practices classroom management positive behavioural interventions and supports (PBIS) functional behaviour assessment IEPs home-school collaboration teacher collaboration transition to adulthood special education legislation child and adolescent development Instructor materials available. Enhance your courses with student activities, discussion starters, instructor notes, Power Point slides, and more!

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Book SynopsisMake all your middle schoolers confident and competent mathematicians with this book, your accessible guide to teaching math to every learner in Grades 6-8. Focused on knocking down roadblocks to learning, this reader-friendly resource shows you how to use multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS)—a powerful, widely adopted framework for meeting each student's individual needs. You'll learn how to deliver high-quality, evidence-based math instruction; combine your instruction with meaningful assessment; and provide just-right supports that help students conquer their specific math struggles.An essential guide for in-service educators—and an important resource for teachers in training—this book gives you the in-depth knowledge and practical tools you need to support every student's success in middle school math.DISCOVER HOW TO: Implement MTSS to benefit all students: Develop and use tiered supports across your whole school, promote collaboration between general and special educators, and troubleshoot your MTSS. Build foundational numeracy skills: Help your students strengthen the three pillars of numeracy that build algebraic proficiency. Design and deliver effective math instruction: Use today's recommended practices to teach all students, and develop Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions that really help struggling learners. Choose and use effective supports: Distinguish between differentiation, accommodation, and modification, and learn when and how to use them. Use data to make decisions: Learn how to select and use screeners, diagnostic assessments, progress monitoring tools, and summative assessments—and use results to shape instruction. PRACTICAL MATERIALS: More than a dozen downloadable forms help you plan for MTSS and implement what you learned from the book, vignettes and sample problems model best practices, and interviews with real-life educators brim with valuable advice on implementing MTSS in math education.

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Book SynopsisFilled with tips, tools, and strategies, this book is the comprehensive, practical toolbox preschool administrators need to implement early childhood inclusion through systems-level change.Inclusion is clearly linked with better outcomes for young children - but recent reports from the US Department of Education show the practice has grown by just 5% over the past 27 years. This is the how-to book preschool administrators, school leaders, and child care directors need to step up the progress of early childhood inclusion through big-picture, systems-level change. Shaped by feedback from a nationwide survey of IDEA Part B Coordinators who shared their real-life inclusion challenges, this is your comprehensive toolbox of problem-solving tips, evidence-based practices, and practical checklists and handouts. You’ll learn how to overcome the challenges to a high-quality inclusive program, and you’ll create a solid action plan for building and maintaining a successful program where all children learn and grow.GET THE TOOLS YOU NEED TO: solve common challenges to inclusion through new policies and procedures establish a strong inclusion team to make collaborative decisions implement an action plan for inclusion - and measure its effects increase access, participation, and supports for children with disabilities help teachers use evidence-based practices like RTI and differentiated instruction develop effective teacher professional development practices make sound decisions about placement for each individual child PRACTICAL MATERIALS: Reproducible planning forms and tools (see sidebar); more than 100 PowerPoint slides (available online) to help structure professional development events; tips and lessons from effective school reform efforts across the country; application and reflection questions for independent study and coursework.With helpful forms and tools: Inclusion Self-Checklist Checklist of Steps to Preschool Inclusion Action Plan Template and Sample Public Policy 101 Handout Menu of Preschool Inclusion Policy and Procedure Solutions Coaching Performance-Based Feedback Form Placement Consideration Planning Form for Preschool Inclusion and more!

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Book SynopsisAs more and more early childhood settings implement inclusive practices, teachers need to blend special and general education techniques to help all children learn. They’ll find out how with the new edition of this bestselling text, which combines today’s best practices for teaching young children with and without disabilities into one comprehensive approach. Ideal for current and future early childhood educators working with children from ages 2 to 5, this comprehensive text provides explicit guidance on developing a successful curriculum framework, working effectively with families and other team members, tailoring instruction to each child’s individual needs, and embedding learning opportunities that address all children's goals. Teachers will learn from the field’s most current research, and they’ll get a full continuum of strategies for teaching young children with diverse abilities. Practical information on authentic assessment and data-driven decision-making is also woven throughout the book.An essential reference to keep and use for years to come, this book is every early childhood educator’s guide to blending the best of special and general education, developing effective curricula, and improving outcomes for all children.WHAT’S NEW Increased focus on how to implement multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) New chapters on applying blended practices in specific content areas: language, literacy, social-emotional skills, and math The latest on state and federal funding initiatives for early childhood—and how to maintain quality practices that align with these initiatives More guidance on determining the scope and sequence of what to teach children Current recommendations from key professional organizations like NAEYC and DEC, and their implications for teachers USER-FRIENDLY FEATURES: Includes visual aids and sample forms, vignettes and practical examples that illustrate key concepts and guiding principles, helpful summaries for each chapter, case studies, and learning activities that challenge students to test and expand their knowledge.

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Book SynopsisHow can inclusive early educators plan and deliver challenging instructions to help all young learners succeed in kindergarten? This guide has authoritative answers from some of todays most renowned names in early childhood education. Presenting the Children's School Success (CSS ) framework, for building a UDL-based plan for inclusive preschool instruction, this book is a powerful tool for using your existing curriculum to address each child's unique learning needs. Through practical, evidence-based strategies and guidelines, you'll discover how to equalize access to curriculum content while giving learners multiple ways to access and possess new knowledge. Keep this resource at your fingertips to guide your curriculum and instruction—so all young children have the skills they need to success in kindergarten and beyond.Learn How To: Identify a developmentall appropriate scope and sequence for your students' learning objectives Ensure a coherent, engaging curriculum that continuously builds on the knowledge and skills your students acquire Develop UDL-based activity plans that support every child’s learning Use differentiation and individualization strategies for students who need extra supports Select and implement successful progress monitoring strategies Improve your teaching through a continuous loop of planning, instruction, and monitoring Work and play well with your colleagues Engage in partnership with families to support their children’s success Practical Materials: You'll get a wealth of downloadable online resources for implementing the framework, plus specific tips and strategies on addressing key topics such as behavior, classroom organization, and collaboration with families. You'll also see the framework in action, with recurring vignettes in diverse early childhood settings, including a public preschool, a Head Start classroom, and an early childhood special education classroom.Includes essential planning resources: Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Guiding Questions checklist Sample activities and assessments for academic content areas Activity Plan Form to facilitate incorporation of UDL, differentiation, embedded learning opportunities, and progress monitoring Curriculum Content Checklist Decision-Making Checklist for Class-wide Progress Monitoring Collaboration Planning Form Family Feedback Form and more

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Book SynopsisBullying prevention starts with helping young children understand and accept diversity—the earlier the better. That's why your school team needs this ready-to-use resource, a simple, fun, and effective way to promote social acceptance in the critical early years of attitude development.Perfect for K–2 classrooms, this book presents the field-tested, research-based Making Friends program, a toolbox of adaptable, practical strategies that fit right into your regular school day. You'll help students respect and accept each other's differences through three methods: 1) reading diversity-themed stories and conducting brief whole-class discussions; 2) forming small learning groups that encourage children from diverse backgrounds to play and interact; and 3) sharing the storybooks you read with families so they can continue discussions at home. Aligned with DEC/NAEYC recommended practices and the English Language Arts Common Core State Standards, this proven program will boost students' social and academic skills as you create a welcoming, inclusive, and culturally responsive classroom.Use this Program to: enrich your existing classroom activities—circle time, class discussion, cooperative play—with important lessons on social acceptance strengthen students' literacy skills while they learn to accept and celebrate differences support friendships among children of diverse abilities, backgrounds, and family structures lay the groundwork for bully-free school environments choose books, toys, and other materials that reflect our diverse world and give young children a sense of belonging implement a universal design for learning (UDL) approach to address the needs of diverse learners "think on your feet" to work lessons on acceptance into small teachable moments and everyday conversations increase the home-school connection with strategies parents can use with their children strengthen understanding of how acceptance is developed through reflective activities for teachers and school-wide teams Practical Materials: The book includes a complete package of reproducible, adaptable materials for implementing the Making Friends program, including a sample activity schedule, discussion guides, and forms to send home with families. You'll also get step-by-step directions on working the activities into your school day, extensive lists of diversity resources, vignettes that model positive interactions, and more.

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Book SynopsisCollecting data on behavior, academic skills, and IEP goals is an essential step in showing student progress—but it can also be a complicated, time-consuming process. Take the worry and stress out of data collection with this ultra-practical resource, packed with the tools you need to organize, manage, and monitor critical information on your students’ progress. You’ll discover proven, stress-free data collection techniques used by real teachers, with strategies and shortcuts developed through the author’s extensive teaching and consulting work. You’ll also get first-person classroom examples, quizzes, definitions of key terms, and a complete package of reproducible forms and tools. An essential resource for special educators, general educators, and paraprofessionals, this toolkit will help you become a “classroom detective” who collects the right data, analyzes it skillfully, and uses it to solve each student’s challenges.

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Book SynopsisUnresolved conflicts in schools build barriers to learning, including low motivation, lack of focus, and disruptive behaviors that remove students from the classroom. When teacher-student conflicts occur, the negative effects can be long-lasting without a safe and structured way to repair the relationship.This reader-friendly guidebook has a concrete, evidence-based solution: an easy and effective 50-minute mediation technique for teachers and students in Grades K-12. School psychologist Ondine Gross guides you through the whole process of starting a teacher-student mediation programme, conducting successful mediations, and collecting and monitoring data to determine the effectiveness of the programme. You’ll also learn how to use the technique to mediate conflicts between students and between adults in schools, including staff members and parents.Highly successful as a Tier II intervention, this common-sense solution will help your school leave ineffective discipline techniques behind—and embrace more supportive approaches that model social and problem solving skills, reduce suspensions, and keep students learning.Why Mediation? Reduces disciplinary actions—82% of students who participated in mediation had no further disciplinary referrals from that teacher* Removes or reduces obstacles to student learning and achievement Gives teachers insights into student stressors so they can develop positive solutions Strengthens and repairs relationships among all members of a school community: teachers, students, staff members, and parents Boosts teacher morale Enhances social-emotional learning Builds trust and promotes an environment of caring and respect among people of different backgrounds Fits perfectly within response to intervention and systems of schoolwide positive behavior support frameworks Works in any school—embed it as a Tier II intervention in your multitiered system of supports or use it as a standalone strategy *Statistic derived from average of three years of data from the author’s schoolPractical Materials Included: Compelling case stories candid feedback from teachers, students and administrators sample mediation dialogue step-by-step mediation training and practice scenarios an intervention tracking tool a “mediation toolbox” of handouts and forms Includes “Your Mediation Toolbox”: Teacher-Student Mediation Request Form Student Mediation Request Form Sample follow-up email Student and teacher feedback surveys Student mediation contracts

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Book SynopsisThis latest volume in the Extraordinary Brain series represents a joint effort between researchers and practitioners to shape the future of early reading intervention by taking stock of the present and making recommendations for the future.Effective early reading intervention depends on research and practice that leads to positive changes in classroom practice and better student reading outcomes. This important volume promotes the valuable “research to practice to research” loop, bringing top experts and practitioners together to examine what we know—and what we need to know—about effective reading and writing intervention.The newest addition to the respected Extraordinary Brain series, this book compiles and expands on critical findings presented at The Dyslexia Foundation’s biannual symposium. More than 35 researchers and practitioners explore the latest on topics relevant to effective reading and writing education, from neurobiology and genetics to specific strategies for translating research into intervention—and learning from the results of these interventions to inform new research. The concluding chapters map out key priorities for future research and innovation.An essential text for teachers, reading specialists, reading researchers, administrators, and students in graduate courses, this volume marks a significant step toward resolving the literacy challenges of young learners. It will also help move the field toward a firmly established “research to practice to research” collaboration among researchers and practitioners.Key topics covered: neurobiological bases of word recognition and comprehension how behavioral genetics can inform education translating and applying research to the classroom designing and interpreting the results of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) the correlation between rapid automatized naming (RAN) speed and reading development the impact of eye movement research on our understanding of skilled reading reading development and difficulties among English Language Learners dialect variation in African American children the writing challenges of children with dyslexia and Language Learning Difficulty (LLD) developing research ideas from classroom and school experiences specific considerations for the field as it progresses and develops and more Trade Review“The authors are outstanding researchers who are closely attuned to the realities of the home, school, and community. I hope the book is read by everyone committed to addressing the hardest cases, children for whom reading and writing are especially difficult.” - Review by: Mark Seidenberg, Vilas Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA.“An excellent book … The chapters are comprehensive, well written, and contain the most up-to- date references. It is essential reading for all investigators in the areas of reading and reading disabilities.” - Review by: Linda Siegel, Professor Emerita, University of British Columbia, Canada.“Presents current frontiers of research on typical and atypical reading and outlines both directions and destinations for future research.” - Review by: Elena Grigorenko, Yale University“Fielding a stellar set of dyslexia researchers and educators, Connor and McCardle have produced an important volume that sheds new light on how to best move effective reading interventions from the laboratory to the classroom.” - Review by: April Benasich, Rutgers University – Newark, USA.

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Book SynopsisIn 1954 the Supreme Court decided Brown v. Board of Education; ten years later, Congress enacted the Civil Rights Act. These monumental changes in American law dramatically expanded educational opportunities for racial and ethnic minority children across the country. They also changed the experiences of white children, who have learned in increasingly diverse classrooms.The authors of this commemorative volume include leading scholars in law, education, and public policy, as well as important historical figures. Taken together, the chapters trace the narrative arc of school desegregation in the United States, beginning in California in the 1940s, continuing through Brown v. Board, the Civil Rights Act, and three important Supreme Court decisions about school desegregation and voluntary integration in 1974, 1995, and 2007. The authors also assess the status of racial and ethnic equality in education today and consider the viability of future legal and policy reform in pursuit of the goals of Brown v. Board.This remarkable collection of voices in conversation with one another lays the groundwork for future discussions about the relationship between law and educational equality, and ultimately for the creation of new public policy. A valuable reference for scholars and students alike, this dynamic text is an important contribution to the literature by an outstanding group of authors.

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Book SynopsisThough engineering design can tackle the world's most pressing challenges, engineering-related courses and experiences are often alienating, especially to people from minoritized groups. Literacies of Design: Studies of Equity and Imagination in Engineering and Making covers the latest pedagogical theories—as well as case studies and practical tips—to support diverse people in identifying problems and designing solutions through engineering and making. Engineers tackle a range of problems, big and small, from climate change to viral transmission to improved handrails for persons with disabilities. Inclusion and equity efforts include not only preparing the next generation of engineers and makers, but also creating and fostering spaces where youth can express their ideas and bring forth their whole selves. This book offers theories and real-life examples for educators and practitioners at every level, from K–12 through higher education and beyond. Table of Contents Introduction: Literacies and Design for Equity, by Amy Wilson-Lopez, Alberto Esquinca, Joel Alejandro Mejia, and Eli Tucker-Raymond 1 "It's Like a Rock Puzzle in a Wall": Multiliteracies and Design Practices in First-Grade Engineering, by Salem R. Metzger, Alison K. Mercier, and Heidi B. Carlone 2 Elementary Students' Communicative Practices in the Engineering Design Process Across Materials and Modes, by Lynn E. Shanahan, Mary B. McVee, and Katarina Silvestri 3 Amplifying a Student's Voice: An Engineering Design Unit About Communication, by Gabriel DellaVecchia and Annemarie Sullivan Palincsar 4 Engineering Design in a Dual-Language Classroom, by Alberto Esquinca and Lidia Herrera-Rocha 5 The Face-to-Face Language of Engineering Design Teams in Urban Elementary Classrooms, by Patricia Paugh, Kristen Wendell, and Christopher Wright 6 Answerability in Making Democratic Worlds: An Exploration of One Fifth-Grade Teacher's Engineering Communication in Service of Dialogic Citizenship, by Michelle E. Jordan 7 Action Civics, Literacies, and Design: Transforming Community Spaces Through Engineering and Civic Action, by Amy Wilson-Lopez, Karen Hazel Washburn, and Indhira María Hasbún 8 Twinning Critical Community and Technical Literacies: Exploring Design Literacies Toward Equitable and Consequential Making and Engineering With Historically Marginalized Youth, by Edna Tan and Angela Calabrese Barton 9 "It Will Be a Symphony of Children": Learning STEM Literacies Through Technologies of the Heart in Making Spaces, by Eli Tucker-Raymond, Brian E. Gravel, Susan Klimczak, Aditi Wagh, and Ada Ren-Mitchell 10 Make Some Noise: Teens Respond to Sound Pollution in a Community Problem-Solving Project, by Jasmine Nation, David Sañosa, Joi Duncan, and Richard Durán 11 Designing for Justice in a School-Based Makerspace, by Virginia Killian Lund and Nathan C. Phillips 12 Contortion and Contextual Literacy: How Low-Income, First-Gen Engineering Students Manage Relationships Among People, Texts, and Objects, by Jessica M. Smith and Juan C. Lucena 13 Critical Literacies in Practice: Deconstructing Engineering Through an Engineering Social Justice Course, by Joel Alejandro Mejia and Renata A. Revelo About the Contributors Index

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Book SynopsisThough engineering design can tackle the world's most pressing challenges, engineering-related courses and experiences are often alienating, especially to people from minoritized groups. Literacies of Design: Studies of Equity and Imagination in Engineering and Making covers the latest pedagogical theories—as well as case studies and practical tips—to support diverse people in identifying problems and designing solutions through engineering and making. Engineers tackle a range of problems, big and small, from climate change to viral transmission to improved handrails for persons with disabilities. Inclusion and equity efforts include not only preparing the next generation of engineers and makers, but also creating and fostering spaces where youth can express their ideas and bring forth their whole selves. This book offers theories and real-life examples for educators and practitioners at every level, from K–12 through higher education and beyond. Table of Contents Introduction: Literacies and Design for Equity, by Amy Wilson-Lopez, Alberto Esquinca, Joel Alejandro Mejia, and Eli Tucker-Raymond 1 "It's Like a Rock Puzzle in a Wall": Multiliteracies and Design Practices in First-Grade Engineering, by Salem R. Metzger, Alison K. Mercier, and Heidi B. Carlone 2 Elementary Students' Communicative Practices in the Engineering Design Process Across Materials and Modes, by Lynn E. Shanahan, Mary B. McVee, and Katarina Silvestri 3 Amplifying a Student's Voice: An Engineering Design Unit About Communication, by Gabriel DellaVecchia and Annemarie Sullivan Palincsar 4 Engineering Design in a Dual-Language Classroom, by Alberto Esquinca and Lidia Herrera-Rocha 5 The Face-to-Face Language of Engineering Design Teams in Urban Elementary Classrooms, by Patricia Paugh, Kristen Wendell, and Christopher Wright 6 Answerability in Making Democratic Worlds: An Exploration of One Fifth-Grade Teacher's Engineering Communication in Service of Dialogic Citizenship, by Michelle E. Jordan 7 Action Civics, Literacies, and Design: Transforming Community Spaces Through Engineering and Civic Action, by Amy Wilson-Lopez, Karen Hazel Washburn, and Indhira María Hasbún 8 Twinning Critical Community and Technical Literacies: Exploring Design Literacies Toward Equitable and Consequential Making and Engineering With Historically Marginalized Youth, by Edna Tan and Angela Calabrese Barton 9 "It Will Be a Symphony of Children": Learning STEM Literacies Through Technologies of the Heart in Making Spaces, by Eli Tucker-Raymond, Brian E. Gravel, Susan Klimczak, Aditi Wagh, and Ada Ren-Mitchell 10 Make Some Noise: Teens Respond to Sound Pollution in a Community Problem-Solving Project, by Jasmine Nation, David Sañosa, Joi Duncan, and Richard Durán 11 Designing for Justice in a School-Based Makerspace, by Virginia Killian Lund and Nathan C. Phillips 12 Contortion and Contextual Literacy: How Low-Income, First-Gen Engineering Students Manage Relationships Among People, Texts, and Objects, by Jessica M. Smith and Juan C. Lucena 13 Critical Literacies in Practice: Deconstructing Engineering Through an Engineering Social Justice Course, by Joel Alejandro Mejia and Renata A. Revelo About the Contributors Index

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Book SynopsisTransforming Leadership Pathways for Humanities Professionals in Higher Education includes thirteen essays from a variety of contributors investigating how humanities professionals grapple with the opportunities and challenges of leadership positions. Written by insiders sharing their lived experience, this collection provides an authentic look at the multiple roles humanities specialists play, as well as offering strategies for professional growth, sustenance, and satisfaction. The collection also considers the relationship between disciplinary areas of study, academic training, and the valuable skill sets and habits of mind that serve higher education leaders.While Transforming Leadership Pathways emphasizes that a leadership route in higher education can be a welcome and positive professional move for many humanities scholars, the volume also acknowledges the issues that arise when faculty take on administrative positions while otherwise marginalized on campus because of faculty status, rank, or personal identity. This collection demystifies the path into higher education administration and argues that humanities scholars are uniquely qualified for such roles. Empathetic, deeply analytical, attuned to historical context, and trained in communication, teachers and scholars who hail from humanities disciplines often find themselves well-suited to the demands of complex academic leadership in today's colleges and universities.

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Book SynopsisThis book answers a simple question: How would one redesign the American education system if the aim was to take advantage of everything that has been learned by countries with the world’s best education systems?With a growing number of countries outperforming the United States on the most respected comparisons of student achievement—and spending less on education per student—this question is critical.Surpassing Shanghai looks in depth at the education systems that are leading the world in student performance to find out what strategies are working and how they might apply to the United States. Developed from the work of the National Center on Education and the Economy, which has been researching the education systems of countries with the highest student performance for more than twenty years, this book provides a series of answers to the question of how the United States can compete with the world’s best.

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Book SynopsisWhich non-American education systems best prepare young people for fulfilling jobs and successful adult lives? And what can the United States—where far too many young people currently enter adulthood without adequate preparation for the twenty-first-century job market—learn, adopt, and adapt from these other systems?In Schooling in the Workplace, Nancy Hoffman addresses these questions head on, arguing that “the smartest and quickest route to a wide variety of occupations for the majority of young people in the successful countries—not a default for failing students—is a vocational program that integrates work and learning.” As she notes, the programs that successfully integrate work and learning all share a fundamental commitment to helping young people find successful careers: “The purpose is not ‘college for all,’ as in the United States today, but rather to provide the education and training young people need to prepare for a career or calling.”Schooling in the Workplace explores the vocational education programs in a wide range of countries, focusing in rich and useful detail on six in particular: Australia, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Switzerland. Framing these discussions, however, is a persistent focus on American circumstances and challenges. Far more than a survey of six “foreign” programs, this is a book prompted by and organized around the policy and practical challenges facing the United States.

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Book SynopsisWhich non-American education systems best prepare young people for fulfilling jobs and successful adult lives? And what can the United States—where far too many young people currently enter adulthood without adequate preparation for the twenty-first-century job market—learn, adopt, and adapt from these other systems?In Schooling in the Workplace, Nancy Hoffman addresses these questions head on, arguing that “the smartest and quickest route to a wide variety of occupations for the majority of young people in the successful countries—not a default for failing students—is a vocational program that integrates work and learning.” As she notes, the programs that successfully integrate work and learning all share a fundamental commitment to helping young people find successful careers: “The purpose is not ‘college for all,’ as in the United States today, but rather to provide the education and training young people need to prepare for a career or calling.”Schooling in the Workplace explores the vocational education programs in a wide range of countries, focusing in rich and useful detail on six in particular: Australia, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Switzerland. Framing these discussions, however, is a persistent focus on American circumstances and challenges. Far more than a survey of six “foreign” programs, this is a book prompted by and organized around the policy and practical challenges facing the United States.

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Book SynopsisA Reason to Read is the culminating work of the ArtsLiteracy Project, an ambitious and wide-ranging collaborative that aims to promote literacy through rich and sustained instruction in the arts. At the heart of the book is the “Performance Cycle,” a flexible framework for curriculum and lesson planning that can be adapted to all content areas and age groups. Each of the book’s main chapters delineates and explores a particular component of the cycle. A practical, readable, and inspiring book, A Reason to Read will be of immeasurable help to school teachers, education leaders, and all who have a stake in promoting literacy and the arts in today’s schools.

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Book SynopsisIn High Schools, Race, and America’s Future, Lawrence Blum offers a lively account of a rigourous high school course on race and racism. Set in a racially, ethnically, and economically diverse high school, the book chronicles students’ engagement with one another, with a rich and challenging academic curriculum, and with questions that relate powerfully to their daily lives. Blum, an acclaimed moral philosopher whose work focuses on issues of race, reflects with candour, insight, and humour on the challenges and surprises encountered in teaching—the unexpected turns in conversation, the refreshing directness of students’ questions, the “aha” moments and the awkward ones, and the paradoxes of his own role as a white college professor teaching in a multiracial high school classroom. High Schools, Race, and America’s Future provides an invaluable resource for those who want to teach students to think deeply and talk productively about race.

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Book SynopsisBy 2040, more than 30 percent of students in the United States will be immigrants or the children of immigrants. What factors can help these young people thrive in school, despite the many obstacles they face? And how can school staff best support immigrant students' academic and personal success? In Portraits of Promise, educators hear from the ultimate experts--successful newcomer students who have been in the United States for five years or less.Drawing on the students' own stories, the book highlights the kinds of support and resources that help students engage positively with school culture, establish supportive peer networks, form strong bonds with teachers, manage competing expectations from home and school, and navigate the challenges of high-stakes testing and the college application process.

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Book SynopsisA book that explores the problematic connection between education policy and practice while pointing in the direction of a more fruitful relationship, Inside the Black Box of Classroom Practice is a provocative culminating statement from one of America's most insightful education scholars and leaders.Inside the Black Box of Classroom Practice takes as its starting point a strikingly blunt question: ""With so many major structural changes in U.S. public schools over the past century, why have classroom practices been largely stable, with a modest blending of new and old teaching practices, leaving contemporary classroom lessons familiar to earlier generations of school-goers?""It is a question that ought to be of paramount interest to all who are interested in school reform in the United States. It is also a question that comes naturally to Larry Cuban, whose much-admired books have focused on various aspects of school reform--their promises, wrong turns, partial successes, and troubling failures. In this book, he returns to this territory, but trains his focus on the still baffling fact that policy reforms--no matter how ambitious or determined--have generally had little effect on classroom conduct and practice.Cuban explores this problem from a variety of angles. Several chapters look at how teachers, in responding to major policy initiatives, persistently adopt changes and alter particular routine practices while leaving dominant ways of teaching largely undisturbed. Other chapters contrast recent changes in clinical medical practice with those in classroom teaching, comparing the practical effects of varying medical and education policies. The book's concluding chapter distils important insights from these various explorations, taking us inside the ""black box"" of the book's title: those workings that have repeatedly transformed dramatic policy initiatives into familiar--and largely unchanged--classroom practices.

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Book SynopsisStrategic Inquiry is an innovative model for promoting teacher collaboration around identifying specific “learning gaps” that keep struggling students from succeeding. Gaps may include anything from the proper use of commas and conjunctions to concepts such as “slope” in math. The authors argue that addressing these critical learning gaps can lead to big changes in student success, in teachers’ sense of efficacy, and in school culture. The strategic inquiry model has been implemented in schools and districts around the country, including New York City, where it was rigorously evaluated with impressive results. As Common Core standards raise the bar for student learning ever higher, this proven approach promises to build teachers’ capacity for closing the gap between where struggling students are and where they need to be.Table of ContentsCONTENTSForeword by Michael Fullan vii Introduction 1Part I Vision, Model, and Outcomes91 How Strategic Inquiry Works 112 How Strategic Inquiry Pays Off 29Part II Strategic Inquiry in Action 513 Moving Students to Succeed 534 Moving Instructional Systems to Improve Success 695 Moving Colleagues Toward a School Inquiry Culture 83Part III System Support of Inquiry-Based Reform1096 Developing a District System of Inquiry-Based Improvement 1117 Bringing Leader Certification Programs on Board 131 Conclusion 151 Appendixes 153Notes 165Acknowledgments 175About the Authors 179Index 181

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Book SynopsisIn what ways can teachers build on youth culture to improve learning opportunities in the classroom? In this fascinating and highly readable collection, Korina M. Jocson brings together more than two dozen scholars, artists, educators, and youth workers to illustrate how nondominant youth can be engaged through various social justice arts projects. These projects range not only in type (media, digital art, playwriting, and hip-hop) but also location (California, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Cuba, and Australia, among others) to reflect the wide range of possibilities for tapping into contemporary youth culture. The projects described are part of an emerging field that examines the benefits of youth participation in literary, digital media, and civics-related projects within schools and in a variety of informal environments.Trade ReviewIn Cultural Transformations, Jocson and her colleagues have created a truly invaluable resource. In these chapters, readers will learn that there is a broad array of cultural resources, typically located outside of school, that can be drawn upon to tap into the interests and passions of their students.”—Pedro A. Noguera, Peter L. Agnew Professor of Education, New York UniversityTable of ContentsCONTENTS Introduction: Cultural Transformations 1 1 “Barely Audible”: A Remix of Poetry and Video as Pedagogical Practice 13Korina M. Jocson, with Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi 2 Life Is Living: An Arts Festival Focused on Healing, Community Collaboration, and the Creative Ecosystem 33Marc Bamuthi Joseph and Brett Cook 3 “I Am That Character”: Playmaking and Listening to Voices of Formerly Incarcerated Youth 53Maisha T. Winn 4 Representing Self Through Media: Supporting Transitions to College with Digital Self-Representations 79Michelle B. Bass and Erica Rosenfeld Halverson 5 Imaging and Reimaging Internships: Immigrant Youth, Community-Based Research, and Cultural Transformation 97Lisa (Leigh) Patel and Alexander Gurn, with Melissa Dodd, Sung-Joon Pai, Vanessa Norvilus, Eun Jeong Yang, and Roci´o Sanchez Ares 6 Pedagogies of Race: Teaching Black Male Youth to Navigate Racism in Schools 115Na’ilah Suad Nasir, Alea Holman, Maxine McKinney deRoyston, and Kihana Miraya Ross 7 “It Is Best to Know Who You Are Through Your Culture”: Transformative Educational Possibilities for Native American Youth 139Tiffany S. Lee and Nancy Lo´pez 8 In the MAC: Creating Safe Spaces for Transgender Youth of Color 165Ed Brockenbrough and Toma´s Boatwright 9 En Mi Barrio: Building on Cuban Youth Culture, Hip-Hop, and Reggaeto´n 183Ezekiel Dixon-Roma´n and Wilfredo Gomez 10 Documenting Youth Engagement with Digital Music Production in Australia 203Andy Brader and Allan LukeAfterword: Shirley Brice Heath 227Notes 233 Acknowledgments 253About the Editor 257About the Contributors 259Index 267

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Book SynopsisIn I Can Learn from You, Michael Reichert and Richard Hawley - the authors of Reaching Boys, Teaching Boys - set out to probe deeply into the relational dynamics that help boys succeed as learners. Drawing on interviews with students and teachers in thirty-five schools across six countries, they examine the particular ways boys extend and receive empathy - modes of interaction that remain consistent across a wide range of schools, teachers, countries, and cultures. The book shows how teachers can help boys form productive learning relationships and how schools can support the development of teachers' relational capacities. At the heart of the book is the belief that educators must - and can - put relational teaching at the centre of school life.Table of ContentsCONTENTSIntroduction 11 Listening to Boys and Their Teachers 72 Boys’ Underperformance in School 153 The Promise of Relational Teaching 274 Conveying Mastery and Maintaining Standards 415 Reaching Out and Responding 556 Being a Personal Advocate 737 Establishing Common Ground 938 Accommodating Opposition 1079 When Boys Cannot Relate 12110 When Teachers Cannot Relate 14111 Becoming a Relational School 165 Appendix 177Notes 187Acknowledgments 193About the Authors 195Index 197

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Book SynopsisAs a field, education has largely failed to learn from experience. Time after time, promising education reforms fall short of their goals and are abandoned as other promising ideas take their place. In Learning to Improve, the authors argue for a new approach. Rather than “implementing fast and learning slow,” they believe educators should adopt a more rigorous approach to improvement that allows the field to “learn fast to implement well.”Using ideas borrowed from improvement science, the authors show how a process of disciplined inquiry can be combined with the use of networks to identify, adapt, and successfully scale up promising interventions in education. Organized around six core principles, the book shows how “networked improvement communities” can bring together researchers and practitioners to accelerate learning in key areas of education. Examples include efforts to address the high rate of failure among students in community college remedial math courses and strategies forimproving feedback to novice teachers.Learning to Improve offers a new paradigm for research and development in education that promises to be a powerful driver of improvement for the nation’s schools and colleges.Table of ContentsContentsPreface ixIntroduction 1 A Better Way Make the Work Problem-Specific and User-Centered 21 Focus on Variation in Performance 35 See the System That Produces the Current Outcomes 57 We Cannot Improve at Scale What We Cannot Measure 87 Use Disciplined Inquiry to Drive Improvement 113 Accelerate Learning Through Networked Communities 141 Living Improvement 171 Glossary 195Appendix 203 Responses to Some Frequently Asked QuestionsNotes 211Acknowledgments 243About the Authors 247Index 251

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Book SynopsisApril 2015 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the landmark legislation that has provided the foundation of federal education policy in the United States. In Presidents, Congress, and the Public Schools, longtime policy analyst Jack Jennings examines the evolution of federal education policy and outlines a bold and controversial vision for its future.Jennings brings an insider’s knowledge to this account, off ering a vivid analysis of federal efforts in the education arena and revealing some of the factors that shaped their enactment. His rich descriptions and lively anecdotes provide pointed lessons about the partisan climate that stymies much federal policy making today. After assessing the impact of Title I and NCLB, and exploring the variety of ways that the federal government has intervened in education, Jennings sets forth an ambitious agenda for reframing education as a federal civil right and ensuring that every child has the opportunity to learn.Table of ContentsCONTENTSForeward by Michael Feuer ixIntroduction 1PART 1 EQUITY AND THE ORIGINS OF ESEA CHAPTER 1 The Road to ESEA 15 CHAPTER 2 The Evolution of Title I, 1965-1978 29 CHAPTER 3 Regulatory Burdens Lead to Change, 1978-2015 43 CHAPTER 4 Was Title I Effective? 55PART II STANDARDS, TESTING, AND ACCOUNTABILITY CHAPTER 5 Standards, Testing, and Accountability Under Four Presidents 65 CHAPTER 6 Has the Standards, Testing, and Accountability Movement Been Effective? 81PART III OTHER FEDERAL POLICIES, AND A SUMMARY CHAPTER 7 IDEA and Bilingual Education 105 CHAPTER 8 School Busing, Title IX, and Free Speech in Schools 119 CHAPTER 9 Lessons Learned from Federal Involvement in Schooling 141PART IV FRESH THINKING ABOUT THE FEDERAL ROLE IN EDUCATION CHAPTER 10 The Greatest Problems in Schooling 159 CHAPTER 11 Federal Aid to Improve Teaching and Learning 185 CHAPTER 12 Constitutional and Legal Guarantees of a Good Education 205Conclusion 219Appendix: Chronology of Major Events, 1948-2013 223Notes 227Acknowledgments 241About the Author 243Index 245

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Book SynopsisIn Tell Me So I Can Hear You, Eleanor Drago-Severson and Jessica Blum-DeStefano show how education leaders can learn to deliver feedback in a way that strengthens relationships as well as performance and builds the capacity for growth. Drawing on constructive-developmental theory, the authors describe four stages of adult growth and development and explain how to differentiate feedback for colleagues with different “ways of knowing,” which include: Instrumental knowers, who tend to see things in black and white (“Did I do it right or wrong?”) and may need to develop the capacity for reflection. Socializing knowers, who are concerned with maintaining relationships (“What do you want me to do?”) and may need support developing their own ideas. Self-authoring knowers, who have strong ideologies and values (“How does this fit with my goals and vision?”) and may need help with perspective taking. Self-transformative knowers, who are able to examine issues from multiple points of view (“How can I understand this more deeply?”) and may need guidance in resolving tensions and contradictions. The authors show how leaders can provide feedback in ways that “meet people where they are” while expanding the developmental capacities educators bring to their work. Drago-Severson and Blum-DeStefano provide real-life examples with practical strategies for creating a safe space for feedback, finding the right words, and bridging feedback and action. Tell Me So I Can Hear You offers invaluable guidance to help educators support a culture of learning in classrooms, schools, and districts.

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Book SynopsisPolicy Patrons offers a rare behind-the-scenes view of decision making inside four influential education philanthropies: the Ford Foundation, the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation. The outcome is an intriguing, thought-provoking look at the impact of current philanthropic efforts on education.Over a period of several years, Megan E. Tompkins-Stange gained the trust of key players and outside observers of these four organizations. Through a series of confidential interviews, she began to explore the values, ideas, and beliefs that inform these foundations’ strategies and practices. The picture that emerges reveals important differences in the strategies and values of the more established foundations vis-à-vis the newer, more activist foundations—differences that have a significant impact on education policy and practice, and have important implications for democratic decision making.In recent years, the philanthropic sector has played an increasing role in championing and financing education reform. Policy Patrons makes an original and invaluable contribution to contemporary discussions about the appropriate role of foundations in public policy and the future direction of education reform.Trade ReviewMegan Tompkins-Strange has succeeded in writing a concise and enlightening book...Her book is of value far beyond the US situation and makes for a reflective piece of literature embedding the case for strategic philanthropy - based on the search for leverage - in a context of foundation roles in democracy." Alliance Magazine, Volume 21, Number 4, December 2016

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Book SynopsisThis book describes how different nations have defined the core competencies and skills that young people will need in order to thrive in the twenty-first-century, and how those nations have fashioned educational policies and curricula meant to promote those skills. The book examines six countries—Chile, China, India, Mexico, Singapore, and the United States—exploring how each one defines, supports, and cultivates those competencies that students will need in order to succeed in the current century.Teaching and Learning for the Twenty-First Century appears at a time of heightened attention to comparative studies of national education systems, and to international student assessments such as those that have come out of PISA (the Program for International Student Assessment), led by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. This book’s crucial contribution to the burgeoning field of international education arises out of its special attention to first principles—and thus to first questions: As Reimers and Chung explain, “much can be gained by an explicit investigation of the intended purposes of education, in what they attempt to teach students, and in the related questions of why those purposes and how they are achieved.”These questions are crucial to education practice and reform at a time when educators (and the students they serve) face unique, pressing challenges. The book’s detailed attention to such questions signals its indispensable value for policy makers, scholars, and education leaders today.

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Book SynopsisIn Educational Entrepreneurship Today, Frederick M. Hess and Michael Q. McShane assemble a diverse lineup of high-profile contributors to examine the contexts in which new initiatives in education are taking shape. They inquire into the impact of entrepreneurship on the larger field—including the development and deployment of new technologies—and analyze the incentives, barriers, opportunities, and tensions that support or constrain innovation.Over the past decade, entrepreneurship has moved from the periphery to the center of education reform. Policy measures, philanthropic support, and venture capital increasingly promote initiatives that drive innovation within and outside the traditional education sector. These initiatives have included spectacular successes, like Khan Academy, Teach For America, and Wireless Generation, as well as highly visible failures, like the InBloom data warehouse.Educational Entrepreneurship Today offers critical perspectives on the impact of entrepreneurship and also includes lessons from leading entrepreneurs, in which they use case studies drawn from their own experience to illustrate the realities of leading disruptive change in education and pose guiding questions for the next generation of innovators.In a time of increasing polarization around education policy, this timely, frank, and insightful volume shows how we can begin to create systems in which entrepreneurial ideas and fresh thinking are welcomed, constructively employed, and held accountable for the public good.

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Book Synopsis2018 DIGITAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST FOR BEST SOCIAL IMPACT BOOK The student-athlete's life: practice, gym, weight room, film review, repeat. Simply put, sports come first. Academics is a distant second. As the revenues generated by big-time college sports continue to skyrocket, virtually all of the debate involves whether (and how much) student-athletes should be paid for play. Kenneth L. Shropshire and Collin D. Williams, Jr., argue that "student" has to come first in student-athlete: the focus should be on prioritizing a meaningful education. In The Miseducation of the Student Athlete: How to Fix College Sports, Shropshire and Williams draw on new research to reveal that it has become increasingly difficult for college athletes to balance school and sports, much less a social life, leading to serious economic, professional, and emotional consequences for young people. Given that fewer than 2% of all college men's basketball and football players will play at the professional level, the other 98% of student-athletes must be prepared to find and perform well in jobs outside of their respective field of play. In this bold call to action, Shropshire and Williams explain how we got here and what can be done about it. They lay out The Student-Athlete Manifesto, a roadmap to increase the likelihood that student-athletes can succeed both on and off the field. They also offer a Meaningful Degree Model, which ensures education pays for everyone, along with stories of success that show it is possible to be both a student and an athlete. A critical read for student-athletes, sports leadership, policy makers, and anyone who loves college sports, The Miseducation of the Student Athlete has the potential to disrupt college sport and create lasting change.Trade Review"When grades take a back seat to the playing field, the term 'student athlete' can appear to be contradictory. Shropshire (Global Sport/Arizona State; Sport Matters, 2015, etc.) and debut author Williams seek to change this perception, arguing that, while athletics pay off for a select few, education benefits almost everyone . . . . As academics, the authors are used to marshaling evidence to support their assertions, and the research they lay out here is impressive. It's clear that they're no fans of the present system, yet their discussion is refreshingly free of displays of cynicism and outrage. An uncompromising look at America's college-sports conundrum, offering a controversial solution that just might work." * Kirkus Reviews *"Kenneth L. Shropshire and Collin D. Williams, Jr., examine a controversial issue that many choose to ignore because it is either uncomfortable or not financially beneficial for them to do so. I applaud Shropshire and Williams for providing an in-depth analysis of the present reality called life for student-athletes. The public needs to analyze who benefits the most, in the long-term, from student participation in intercollegiate athletics. This is a must-read for anyone truly interested in participating in the conversation." * Brandon Copeland, Defensive End, Detroit Lions, National Football League *

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Book SynopsisThe best way for students to learn to read and to come to love reading is – surprise, surprise – by reading in quantity. Unfortunately, many of today’s students read far too little. This lack of time spent reading is particularly unfortunate, as reading constitutes a bedrock skill, essential in all subject areas. Thus, we teachers need to devote curriculum time to not only teaching students how to read but also to encouraging them to read extensively. This is what Extensive Reading is all about. Teachers Sourcebook for Extensive Reading provides hundreds of teacher tested ideas on how to do Extensive Reading. The book begins with an introduction to `the what’ and `the why’ of Extensive Reading. Thereafter, the book consists of three parts. Part 1 discusses finding materials for Extensive Reading. Part 2 offers ideas for motivating students to read and for activities that students might do after they read or while they are reading, including cooperative learning activities. Part 3 looks at how teachers can serve as advocates for Extensive Reading. Among the book’s distinctive features are breaks for reflection, first person accounts from teachers, and ideas for doing Action Research and other forms of teacher investigation and research on Extensive Reading. We hope that you will find the Teachers Sourcebook for Extensive Reading to be a practical book, but also informed by theory and research. We also hope this book will make a difference for your students in their test scores and, even more, in their attitude toward reading, now and in the future.

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Book SynopsisIn the United States, approximately 2.5 million students are diagnosed as having a learning disability and the majority of those children are placed in special education because of an inability to read as expected. As a result of this diagnosis, these children may be placed in special education classrooms - classrooms that are separate from the `mainstream’ population. For children with learning disabilities, there is likely no place, other than in school, where a student’s inability to read as expected leads to this separation from his/her peers. Once school is over, these children play alongside the kids in their neighbourhoods, participate in sports teams, and attend community activities. This book looks at the impact of being labelled as learning disabled and separated from peers in school through the eyes of Samson, a middle school student described both as learning disabled and a non-reader. This qualitative case study explores how Samson, his family, his teachers and this researcher make sense of special education and the complexities of learning to read as an adolescent. Throughout this book, there is a contrasting of the laws and procedures designed to guide special education, with the actual experiences of those impacted by these laws and procedures. Through the three years that Samson was in middle school, this book investigates his perspective on his classes, his interpretation of what it means to `be’ a student in special education, and the process by which he learns to read. How disability gets created, contested, and discussed is highlighted through the many contexts that allow disability to be recognised and to fade into the background.

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Book SynopsisIn the United States, approximately 2.5 million students are diagnosed as having a learning disability and the majority of those children are placed in special education because of an inability to read as expected. As a result of this diagnosis, these children may be placed in special education classrooms - classrooms that are separate from the `mainstream’ population. For children with learning disabilities, there is likely no place, other than in school, where a student’s inability to read as expected leads to this separation from his/her peers. Once school is over, these children play alongside the kids in their neighbourhoods, participate in sports teams, and attend community activities. This book looks at the impact of being labelled as learning disabled and separated from peers in school through the eyes of Samson, a middle school student described both as learning disabled and a non-reader. This qualitative case study explores how Samson, his family, his teachers and this researcher make sense of special education and the complexities of learning to read as an adolescent. Throughout this book, there is a contrasting of the laws and procedures designed to guide special education, with the actual experiences of those impacted by these laws and procedures. Through the three years that Samson was in middle school, this book investigates his perspective on his classes, his interpretation of what it means to `be’ a student in special education, and the process by which he learns to read. How disability gets created, contested, and discussed is highlighted through the many contexts that allow disability to be recognised and to fade into the background.

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Book SynopsisAs the title of this book suggests, how we understand, perceive and experience democracy may have a significant effect on how we actually engage in, and with, democracy. Within the educational context, this is a key concern, and forms the basis of the research presented in this volume within a critical, comparative analysis. The Global Doing Democracy Research Project (GDDRP), which currently has some 70 scholars in over 20 countries examining how educators do democracy, provides the framework in which diverse scholars explore a host of concerns related to democracy and democratic education, including the impact of neoliberalism, political literacy, critical engagement, teaching and learning for and about democracy, social justice, and the meaning of power/power relations within the educational context. Ultimately, the contributors of this book collectively ask: can there be democracy without a critically engaged education, and, importantly, what role do educators play in this context and process? Why many educators in diverse contexts believe that they are unable, dissuaded and/or prevented from doing thick democratic education is problematised in this book but the authors also seek to illustrate that, despite the challenges, barriers and concerns about doing democracy in education, something can, and should, be done to develop, cultivate and ingratiate schools and society with more meaningful democratic practices and processes. This book breaks new ground by using a similar empirical methodology within a number of international contexts to gage the democratic sentiments and actions of educators, which raises a host of questions about epistemology, teacher education, policy development, pedagogy, institutional cultures, conscientisation, and the potential for transformational change in education.

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Book SynopsisThe book's goal is to provide individuals who are teaching courses in comparative and international education, educational administration, educational policy, and politics of education with a supplementary text that can be used to help their students develop skills in policy analysis, evaluation and development.

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Book SynopsisThe book's goal is to provide individuals who are teaching courses in comparative and international education, educational administration, educational policy, and politics of education with a supplementary text that can be used to help their students develop skills in policy analysis, evaluation and development.

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Book SynopsisOnce the province and tool of elite learning in American society, and the core of the Humanities, the study of the Classics now occupies a tenuous place on the margins of curriculum in most public schools. Administrators of schools and districts with limited resources, teachers, and students of ancient Greek and Roman culture and language confront many questions regarding the relevance and utility of including the Classics in education that must address modern challenges. In this book, Toni Ryan argues that the Classics provide students with a uniquely wide range of opportunities for critical examination of the connections among language, cultural constructions of power and knowledge, and oppression in society. She proposes a rationale for incorporating a critical approach to classical studies in American public schools as a path to exploring social justice issues. Critical pedagogy in Classics offers a platform for illuminating paths for critical awareness, reflection, and action in the quest to understand and address the broad concerns of social justice. Ryan asserts the potential for education in Classics to be reconstructed to empower and emancipate, particularly through the exploration of philosophical questions that have been pondered in classical cultures (and in classical studies) since antiquity. For public school educators and students, the examination of classical language and culture allows us to safely explore critical questions in an admittedly unsafe world. Those questions that are eternally ours, that are eternally centered in the human condition, are the province of Classics.

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Book SynopsisOnce the province and tool of elite learning in American society, and the core of the Humanities, the study of the Classics now occupies a tenuous place on the margins of curriculum in most public schools. Administrators of schools and districts with limited resources, teachers, and students of ancient Greek and Roman culture and language confront many questions regarding the relevance and utility of including the Classics in education that must address modern challenges. In this book, Toni Ryan argues that the Classics provide students with a uniquely wide range of opportunities for critical examination of the connections among language, cultural constructions of power and knowledge, and oppression in society. She proposes a rationale for incorporating a critical approach to classical studies in American public schools as a path to exploring social justice issues. Critical pedagogy in Classics offers a platform for illuminating paths for critical awareness, reflection, and action in the quest to understand and address the broad concerns of social justice. Ryan asserts the potential for education in Classics to be reconstructed to empower and emancipate, particularly through the exploration of philosophical questions that have been pondered in classical cultures (and in classical studies) since antiquity. For public school educators and students, the examination of classical language and culture allows us to safely explore critical questions in an admittedly unsafe world. Those questions that are eternally ours, that are eternally centered in the human condition, are the province of Classics.

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Book SynopsisDrawing on critical race theory, this book critically examines race through a mosaic lens pointing out various issues directly connected to it, such as racial identity politics, racism, multiracialism, interracial relationships, and the hegemony of whiteness. This book goes further to analyze the manner in which socially constructed racial stereotypes contribute to and are used to justify the poor socio-economic situation and marginalization of People of Color, particularly the poor ones. Designed for a broad range of readers, this book aims to open up democratic spaces for genuine discussions about racial issues.

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Book SynopsisDrawing on critical race theory, this book critically examines race through a mosaic lens pointing out various issues directly connected to it, such as racial identity politics, racism, multiracialism, interracial relationships, and the hegemony of whiteness. This book goes further to analyze the manner in which socially constructed racial stereotypes contribute to and are used to justify the poor socio-economic situation and marginalization of People of Color, particularly the poor ones. Designed for a broad range of readers, this book aims to open up democratic spaces for genuine discussions about racial issues.

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Book SynopsisCommunication and language play a foundational role in the overall pursuit of equity and social justice in education. This volume does not take up the majority and dominant views which are especially visible in developments in the field of linguistic education and English language instruction. Rather, it travels the path less followed, to attend to the language and communication concerns of populations that possess little political and economic power and whose academic and social needs are often neglected. The volume attends to the role of language acquisition in “levelling the playing field” to enable ALL students to develop into contented family members, good neighbours, and productive citizens in an increasingly diverse and global society.The issue takes on far greater importance, as it gradually comes to light that the capacity for language corresponds to and even implements the ability to interrelate with others. Far from being a mere utilitarian tool this is now appreciated as constituting the realm of abilities to take the position of the other, to share a field of meaning, and to project and pursue truly humane and indeed inter-humane attitudes and goals. In this light communication and language, whether verbal or preverbal, constitute the field in which one first attains and progressively evolves one’s humanity.In this volume, scholars from ten different countries examine issues related to the influence of language and communication patterns on equity and social justice in the lives of disadvantaged and marginalized populations around the globe (i.e., educational opportunities, community stability, economic prospects, and political power). Critical issues addressed include: education in traditional, national, or Western languages; language integration through dialects and code switching; non-verbal academic engagement through art, signing, and photography; cross-cultural engagement through language equity in higher education; and the influence of Western language acquisition on the self-concepts of disadvantaged students. As the succession of sections in this volume makes clear, success in the realization of language and communication abilities is not simple. Rather it reflects human life and interaction in all its complexity.

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Book SynopsisCommunication and language play a foundational role in the overall pursuit of equity and social justice in education. This volume does not take up the majority and dominant views which are especially visible in developments in the field of linguistic education and English language instruction. Rather, it travels the path less followed, to attend to the language and communication concerns of populations that possess little political and economic power and whose academic and social needs are often neglected. The volume attends to the role of language acquisition in “levelling the playing field” to enable ALL students to develop into contented family members, good neighbours, and productive citizens in an increasingly diverse and global society.The issue takes on far greater importance, as it gradually comes to light that the capacity for language corresponds to and even implements the ability to interrelate with others. Far from being a mere utilitarian tool this is now appreciated as constituting the realm of abilities to take the position of the other, to share a field of meaning, and to project and pursue truly humane and indeed inter-humane attitudes and goals. In this light communication and language, whether verbal or preverbal, constitute the field in which one first attains and progressively evolves one’s humanity.In this volume, scholars from ten different countries examine issues related to the influence of language and communication patterns on equity and social justice in the lives of disadvantaged and marginalized populations around the globe (i.e., educational opportunities, community stability, economic prospects, and political power). Critical issues addressed include: education in traditional, national, or Western languages; language integration through dialects and code switching; non-verbal academic engagement through art, signing, and photography; cross-cultural engagement through language equity in higher education; and the influence of Western language acquisition on the self-concepts of disadvantaged students. As the succession of sections in this volume makes clear, success in the realization of language and communication abilities is not simple. Rather it reflects human life and interaction in all its complexity.

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Book SynopsisThe networks of Tennessee politicians, school leaders, and academics are rife with significant contributors to the national fabric of educational reform. This cadre includes Former White House Chief of Staff Howard Baker, United States Senator Bill Frist (currently Chairman of the Tennessee State Collaborative on Reforming Education) former United States Secretary of Education Lamar Alexander (currently United States Senator and Conference Chair of the Republican Party) and current Governor Bill Haslam. This network has deep, current ties to The University of Tennessee, the Knoxville area, and school systems across the state of Tennessee. The Center for Educational Leadership is a highly funded, highly visible model for education reform throughout the state of Tennessee. This 3 book series will serve as a calling card for all activities that The Center for Educational Leadership is involved in around the state of Tennessee and the United States. This includes all school leadership summits for policy makers, practitioners, scholars, and legislators. It represents the shared vision and commitment of educational leaders, politicians, educational reformers, and legislators. This book will be distributed to school leaders, professional development coaches, teacher unions, scholars at several Tennessee institutions of higher education, and members of the Tennessee legislature and Department of Education. The audience for this series is primarily school leaders and scholars who are launching and designing new programs or revising and strengthening existing programs. However, those who are discussing policy at the local, state, and national level would be interested in the information given within these pages as it relates clearly to their work in educational leadership.

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Book SynopsisThe networks of Tennessee politicians, school leaders, and academics are rife with significant contributors to the national fabric of educational reform. This cadre includes Former White House Chief of Staff Howard Baker, United States Senator Bill Frist (currently Chairman of the Tennessee State Collaborative on Reforming Education) former United States Secretary of Education Lamar Alexander (currently United States Senator and Conference Chair of the Republican Party) and current Governor Bill Haslam. This network has deep, current ties to The University of Tennessee, the Knoxville area, and school systems across the state of Tennessee. The Center for Educational Leadership is a highly funded, highly visible model for education reform throughout the state of Tennessee. This 3 book series will serve as a calling card for all activities that The Center for Educational Leadership is involved in around the state of Tennessee and the United States. This includes all school leadership summits for policy makers, practitioners, scholars, and legislators. It represents the shared vision and commitment of educational leaders, politicians, educational reformers, and legislators. This book will be distributed to school leaders, professional development coaches, teacher unions, scholars at several Tennessee institutions of higher education, and members of the Tennessee legislature and Department of Education. The audience for this series is primarily school leaders and scholars who are launching and designing new programs or revising and strengthening existing programs. However, those who are discussing policy at the local, state, and national level would be interested in the information given within these pages as it relates clearly to their work in educational leadership.

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