Primary and middle schools Books

Book SynopsisHow did a young generation of activists come together in 1990s Los Angeles to shake up the education system, creating lasting institutional change and lifting children and families across southern California?Critics claim that America's public schools remain feckless and hamstrung institutions, unable to improve even when nudged by accountability-minded politicians, market competition, or global pandemic. But if schools are so hopeless, then why did student learning climb in Los Angeles across the initial decades of the twenty-first century? In When Schools Work, Bruce Fuller details the rise of civic activists in L.A. as they emerged from the ashes of urban riots and failed efforts to desegregate schools. Based on the author's fifteen years of field work in L.A., the book reveals how this network of Latino and Black leaders, civil rights lawyers, ethnic nonprofits, and pedagogical progressives coalesced in the 1990s, staking out a third political ground and gaining distance from corpoTrade ReviewWhen Schools Work is not a dry tome. It illumines the lives of several remarkable people who made the changes happen—The Washington PostTable of ContentsNotes on the VernacularPrologue. Pluralist Politics Move Institutions1. Civilizing Los Angeleswith Melissa Ancheta and Sarah Manchanda2. Palace Revolt3. Outside Agitatorswith Malena Arcidiacono, Caitlin Kearns, and Joon Ho Lee4. Organizing Pluralist Politicswith Sarah Manchanda5. Pluralist Politics and Institutional ReformAcknowledgmentsNotesReferencesIndex

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Book SynopsisShortchanged is a brilliant book.The Washington Post Author and high school English teacher Annie Abrams reveals how the College Board's emphasis on standardized testing has led the AP program astray. Every year, millions of students take Advanced Placement (AP) exams hoping to score enough points to earn college credit and save on their tuition bill. But are they getting a real college education? The College Board says that AP classes and exams make the AP program more accessible and represent a step forward for educational justice. But the program's commitment to standardized testing no longer reflects its original promise of delivering meaningful college-level curriculum to high school students. In Shortchanged, education scholar Annie Abrams uncovers the political and pedagogical traditions that led to the program's development in the 1950s. In revealing the founders' intentions of aligning liberal arts education across high schools and colleges in ways they believed would protecTrade ReviewAbrams usefully shakes us out of our complacency about a program that seems good enough only because we expect so little of it.—Wall Street Journal[Abrams] says the [AP] program hurts students and the values of the liberal arts....The most damning portions of the book are on the present state of AP.—Inside Higher EdShortchanged is a brilliant book not just because of its content, but because of the way that Abrams grapples with the potential of a humanities....This book is everything we say that the humanities can do. And it's everything that, according to Abrams, the Advanced Placement regime is likely to destroy.—Washington PostAnnie Abrams's new book, Shortchanged, puts the story of Advanced Placement courses in perspective.It's an important read for anyone contemplating the time honored courses, either from a teacher or student perspective. And it is a reminder that while the name 'College Board' sounds like some sort of quasi-governmental entity overseeing higher education, they are simply a private company with products to market.—Peter Greene, ForbesTable of ContentsIntroduction: Collecting DataPart 1: Validity1. Rational Reform2. Common Purposes and Common Standards3. The BlueprintPart 2: Accountability4. Copy Paste Classroom5. Artificial Intelligence6. Better CitizensConclusion: Opportunity and TransparencyEpilogue: Formative AssessmentsAcknowledgmentsNotesIndex

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Book SynopsisOn the interdependent relationship between health and academic achievement. Research indicates that healthy children are more likely to succeed in school and that individuals who attain higher levels of education are more likely to experience better health outcomes in adulthood. To promote and support children's academic success, educators must view student health as an education issue. At the same time, public health professionals must view students' academic success as a public health issue. In Leveraging the Education-Health Connection, David A. Birch explores this interdependent relationship and lays out strategies to improve outcomes for both education and health. Birch provides evidence and recommendations on the links between student health and academic success and between education attainment and adult health outcomes; the impacts of social injustice and early childhood experiences on health and education; strategies for minimizing absenteeism, promoting students' and theirTable of ContentsPreface1. Health and Education – An Interdependent Relationship2. Education and Health Disparities: The Connection to Social Justice3. Early Childhood4. High School Graduation – Attending, Connecting, Succeeding5. Quality School: Important Considerations6. The Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child Model: A Commitment to Health and Learning7. Moving Forward: Mobilizing a Social MovementAppendixReferencesIndex

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Book SynopsisThe definitive history of the report card. Report cards represent more than just an account of academic standing and attendance. The report card also serves as a tool of control and as a microcosm for the shifting power dynamics among teachers, parents, school administrators, and students. In Report Cards: A Cultural History, Wade H. Morris tells the story of American education by examining the history of this unique element of student life. In the nearly two hundred-year evolution of the report card, this relic of academic bookkeeping reflected broader trends in the United States: the republican zealotry and religious fervor of the antebellum period, the failed promises of postwar Reconstruction for the formerly enslaved, the changing gender roles in newly urbanized cities, the overreach of the Progressive child-saving movement in the early twentieth century, andby the 1930sthe increasing faith in an academic meritocracy. The use of report cards expanded with the growth of school buTable of ContentsList of FiguresAcknowledgmentsIntroduction. Civil War, Pandemic, and Report CardsChapter 1. Rousing the Attention of ParentsChapter 2. Unity, Efficiency, and Freed PeopleChapter 3. Overworn Mothers and Unfed MindsChapter 4. The Eye of the Juvenile CourtChapter 5. Mobility, Anxiety, and MeritChapter 6. The Pursuit of Educational DignityConclusion. Pulling Weeds and Foucault FatigueAppendix I. Depiction of African American Parents in American Missionary, 1867–1881Appendix II. Ladies Home Journal and the Defense of TeachersNotesEssay on SourcesIndex

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Book SynopsisOffers a model for increasing equity in STEM education at the K12 level in the United States. In STEM Education in Underserved Schools, editor Julia V. Clark addresses an urgent national problem: the need to provide all students with a quality STEM education. Clark brings together a prestigious group of scholars to uncover the factors that impede equity and access in STEM education teaching and learning and provides research-based strategies to address these inequities. This contributed volume demonstrates that students of color and those from lower socioeconomic communities have less access to qualified science and mathematics teachers, less access to strong STEM curriculum, less access to resources, and fewer classroom opportunities than their peers at other schools. Identifying the challenges and best practices related to producing more equitable and inclusive routes to access STEM education and professions, contributors explain how to positively impact the trajectory of individuaTable of ContentsForewordEdmund W. GordonAcknowledgmentsChapter 1. An Overview of STEM Education in the United StatesJulia V. ClarkChapter 2. The Role of Assessment in Driving Change in STEM Teaching and LearningJoseph Krajcik, Emily Adah Miller, and Susan CodereChapter 3. The Achievement Gap in Mathematics and Science: Barriers to a Quality STEM EducationJulia V. ClarkChapter 4. Transforming Teaching and Learning in the STEM ClassroomEllen B. MeierChapter 5. Science and Engineering Curriculum and Instruction That Promotes Equity and Justice: Hidden Spots, Bright Spots, Hot Spots, and Gathering SpotsHeidi B. Carlone and Elizabeth A. DavisChapter 6. Chronicling Education Challenges in STEM EducationJulia V. ClarkChapter 7. Finnish Middle School Curriculum of STEM Subjects Emphasizes PISA and Transversal CompetenciesJari M. Lavonen and Do-Yong ParkChapter 8. STEM Education in Singapore: Issues of Equity, Access, and ExcellenceJason TanChapter 9. Building Synergies to Ensure Greater Access to Quality STEM Opportunities for All Australian StudentsDebra PanizzonChapter 10. STEM Education Reform through International Innovation and CollaborationJulia V. ClarkChapter 11. Equity, Access, and Excellence: Making STEM a World-Class Education for All StudentsJulia V. ClarkContributorsAbout the EditorIndex

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Book SynopsisExplains and expands on practical aspects of the Writers Matter approach, emphasizing a focus on free expression and establishing connections between the curriculum and students' personal lives. This book offers proven ways to motivate adolescents to write, work diligently to improve their writing skills, and think critically about the world.Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments PART I 1 Empowering Young Writers through the Writers Matter Approach 2 Posing Intriguing Themes to Stimulate Adolescents’ Writing 3 Inspiring Students to Write about Their Lives With Erin Bloom and Dianna Newton 4 Building Relationships and Community in the Classroom PART II 5 Building Writing Self-Efficacy through Writers’ Workshops 6 Implementing the Writers’ Workshop With Steve Clark 7 Teaching Revision with Honesty With Dianna Newton PART III 8 Using Poetry and Mentor Texts to Stimulate Personal Writing Reflections With Erin Bloom 9 Integrating Literature and Writing With Dianna Newton 10 Making Deeper Connections through Integrated Learning 11 Integrating History, Reading, and Writing With Francesca Cantarini PART IV 12 Making Community and World Connections through Writing APPENDIX A: Students’ Writing Relating to the Five Writers Matter Themes APPENDIX B: Web Resource for Teachers References Index

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Book SynopsisAlice Bradbury discusses how the meritocracy myth reinforces educational inequalities and analyses how the recent educational developments of datafication and neuroscience might challenge how we classify and label children as we rebuild a post-pandemic schooling system.Trade Review"Though the author speaks about the English school system, this book is a valuable addition to feminist pedagogy anywhere. It expands upon a framework for critiquing the educational “normal” and encourages us to question how education works, including its oppressiveness." Feminist PedagogyTable of ContentsIntroduction Ability and its use in schools How does the idea of ability relate to inequalities? The infl uence of neuroscience Data and the solidifi cation of ability Challenging ability, inequality and the myth of meritocracy in the post- pandemic era

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Book SynopsisThe first book-length critical reception of Barrie Thorne's classic book, Gender PlayBarrie Thorne's Gender Play was a landmark study of the social worlds of primary school children that sparked a paradigm shift in our understanding of how kids and the adults around them contest and reinforce gender boundaries. Thirty years later, Gender Replay celebrates and reflects on this classic, extending Thorne's scholarship into a new and different generation.Freeden Blume Oeur and C. J. Pascoe's new volume brings together many of the foremost scholars on youth from an array of disciplines, including sociology, childhood studies, education, gender studies, and communication studies. Together, these scholars reflect on many contemporary issues that were not covered in Thorne's original text, exploring new dimensions of schooling, the sociology of gender, social media, and feminist theory. Over fourteen essays, the authors touch on topics such as youth rTrade ReviewPrior to Barrie Thorne, sociologists viewed children as little more than future adults, not worthy of serious attention. She taught us how to treat children as full human beings. Gender Replay honors the creativity of children and the scholar who started it all. * Christine L. Williams, author of Gaslighted: How the Oil and Gas Industry Shortchanges Women Scientists *Through both her pioneering work in childhood studies and her decades of thoughtful mentorship, Barrie Thorne defined the genre of feminist sociology. She taught us that adulthood and expertise are ideological constructs, that learning is living, that play is an engagement with possibility, and that social change is made possible, not by oppositionality, but by mutuality in opposition. This book is a cogent, illuminating, and loving tribute to Barrie’s work, intellectual legacy, and the generations of feminist sociology she inspired. After decades of reflection on Gender Play and its afterlives, I still found novel lessons here, new ideas, and exciting new insights on old ones. * Tey Meadow, author of Trans Kids: Being Gendered in the Twenty-First Century *For those of us who have had the privilege of knowing the feminist sociologist Barrie Thorne, Gender Replay reads like a love letter to her legacy of mentoring, her marvelous ethnographic eye, her moral compass, her transformational work on the sociology of childhoods, and her ability to build community. And for those who do not know Barrie Thorne, the chapters of Gender Replay model for all how to do responsible ethnography, how to mentor with love and creativity, and how to persist with the questions that enable transformational scholarship. In both cases, the book is an absolute delight. * Raka Ray, co-author of The Social Life of Gender *

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Book SynopsisThe first book-length critical reception of Barrie Thorne's classic book, Gender PlayBarrie Thorne's Gender Play was a landmark study of the social worlds of primary school children that sparked a paradigm shift in our understanding of how kids and the adults around them contest and reinforce gender boundaries. Thirty years later, Gender Replay celebrates and reflects on this classic, extending Thorne's scholarship into a new and different generation.Freeden Blume Oeur and C. J. Pascoe's new volume brings together many of the foremost scholars on youth from an array of disciplines, including sociology, childhood studies, education, gender studies, and communication studies. Together, these scholars reflect on many contemporary issues that were not covered in Thorne's original text, exploring new dimensions of schooling, the sociology of gender, social media, and feminist theory. Over fourteen essays, the authors touch on topics such as youth rTrade ReviewPrior to Barrie Thorne, sociologists viewed children as little more than future adults, not worthy of serious attention. She taught us how to treat children as full human beings. Gender Replay honors the creativity of children and the scholar who started it all. * Christine L. Williams, author of Gaslighted: How the Oil and Gas Industry Shortchanges Women Scientists *Through both her pioneering work in childhood studies and her decades of thoughtful mentorship, Barrie Thorne defined the genre of feminist sociology. She taught us that adulthood and expertise are ideological constructs, that learning is living, that play is an engagement with possibility, and that social change is made possible, not by oppositionality, but by mutuality in opposition. This book is a cogent, illuminating, and loving tribute to Barrie’s work, intellectual legacy, and the generations of feminist sociology she inspired. After decades of reflection on Gender Play and its afterlives, I still found novel lessons here, new ideas, and exciting new insights on old ones. * Tey Meadow, author of Trans Kids: Being Gendered in the Twenty-First Century *For those of us who have had the privilege of knowing the feminist sociologist Barrie Thorne, Gender Replay reads like a love letter to her legacy of mentoring, her marvelous ethnographic eye, her moral compass, her transformational work on the sociology of childhoods, and her ability to build community. And for those who do not know Barrie Thorne, the chapters of Gender Replay model for all how to do responsible ethnography, how to mentor with love and creativity, and how to persist with the questions that enable transformational scholarship. In both cases, the book is an absolute delight. * Raka Ray, co-author of The Social Life of Gender *

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Book SynopsisWinner, 2024 Bourdieu Best Book Award, given by the Sociology of Education Section of the American Sociological AssociationHonorable Mention, Outstanding Scholarly Contribution Award, given by the Children and Youth Section of the American Sociological AssociationAn inside look at the racial and class divides between Head Start and private pre-K classrooms for children and their familiesThe benefits of preschool have been part of our national conversation since the 1960s, when Head Start, a publicly funded preschool program for low-income children, began. In the past two decades, forty-four states have expanded access to preschool, often citing preschool as an anti-poverty policy. Yet, as Casey Stockstill shows, two-thirds of American preschools are segregatedconcentrating primarily poor children of color or affluent white children in separate schools. Stockstill argues that, as a result, segregated preschools entrench ratheTrade Review"Casey Stockstill’s False Starts exposes how racial inequality in the US begins in preschool. This is a thorough account of the history... [and] an enlightening study of the promises and obstacles of US preschools." * Foreword Reviews *"This is a compelling study of two preschools in Madison, Wisconsin, one 95 percent white students and the other 95 percent students of color. Adeptly illustrating that the segregation of students reflects and reinforces structural inequalities of racial and class divides, sociologist Casey Stockstill provides antidotes to decrease these inequalities as we seek to expand access." * Ms. Magazine *"Crisp storytelling and keen analysis... The brilliance of Stockstill’s work is in how she brings readers down from the abstract to nitty-gritty reality. Whether you are a child care veteran or new to the issue, you’ll walk away from False Starts buzzing with thoughts." -- Elliot Haspel * Early Learning Nation *"False Starts is an absolutely fantastic book. Beautifully written. Exceptionally researched. Accessible to a broad audience. Casey Stockstill has made daycare a necessary part of the conversation for cultural sociologists and the sociology of education." * Shamus Rahman Khan, author of Privilege: The Making of an Adolescent Elite at St. Paul’s School *"In this searing account, Stockstill shows how class and race inequalities are baked into children’s experience of preschool, shaping the lessons they learn about insecurity, property and privilege. False Starts documents that preschools are more than just places where individual kids get what they need, but instead complex sites of group socialization." * Allison J. Pugh, author of Longing and Belonging: Parents, Children and Consumer Culture *"When we think of segregated schooling, preschools are rarely top-of-mind; and yet, early childhood education is, for most children, the most racially and socioeconomically segregated schooling context they will encounter at any point in their lives. This is a must-read book for anyone who wants to understand both the necessity of universal, high-quality preschool and the challenges of getting it right. " * Jessica McCrory Calarco, author of Negotiating Opportunities: How the Middle Class Secures Advantages in School *"Stockstill convincingly and painfully illustrates how young children’s lives are structured in unequal ways from the very start. False Starts is a much-needed and excellent addition to existing research on racism and poverty in the lives of kids and is a must-read for anyone engaged in current debates about childhood socialization, social learning, child care, and universal preschool." * Margaret A. Hagerman, author of White Kids: Growing Up with Privilege in a Racially Divided America *"Stockstill’s meticulous work reveals how concentrated poverty affects the distribution of time and resources in the classroom, limiting students’ opportunity to learn in important ways.” Highly recommended. " * Maia Cucchiara, author of Marketing Schools, Marketing Cities: Who Wins and Who Loses When Schools Become Urban Amenities *

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Book SynopsisThe textbook has long been the most popular instrument of instruction in the hands of educators. Its wide-spread use has at the same time provided one of the most controversial issues in education, for it has been regarded both as the cause of educational problems, and as their solution.The purpose of this book is to investigate the changing policies which have affected the authorization of textbooks for elementary schools. Since Ontario sets precedents for the other provinces, it deals with tests in Ontario, from 1846 when the practice of authorization began, to 1950, when the system of authorizing a single text for each subject was terminated. It is concerned chiefly with the policies of the Ontario Department of Education which directed and controlled the selection, preparation, and authorization of textbooks. Between 1846 and 1950 texts for the elementary schools of the province were regulated by legislation which changed remarkably little. The purpose of this legislation

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Book SynopsisCore practices—content-specific practices that offer strategies to support student learning—are common in many subject areas but have been curiously missing for health educators... until now.Core Teaching Practices for Health Education is a compact and precise book that serves up effective core teaching practices for preservice and practicing health educators as well as for health teacher educators. Teachers can apply the evidence-based practical tips and strategies the minute they step into their classrooms; even veteran instructors will discover new teaching tactics that will be useful.Core Teaching Practices for Health Education offers the following: Twenty-first-century teaching skills that are specific to health education Practices that are highly transferable across the spectrum of health education and applicable across grade levels Fifteen concise and practical chapters, each of which details a core practice in action, explains the practice, gives additional examples of the practice, and provides clear guidance on how to use the practice in health classrooms Great Prep for Teaching Assessments Such as the edTPA The text is a great resource for aspiring teachers as they embark on their student teaching semester and as they prepare for teaching assessments such as the edTPA, increasingly required in many states. They will learn how to design lesson plans, unit plans, and complete health education curricula to effectively teach health concepts and skills; this directly relates to the video portion of the edTPA. In addition, the book’s final two chapters directly relate to the Analyzing Teaching portion of the edTPAIdeal for Preparing Curriculum In addition, Core Teaching Practices for Health Education is ideal for teachers who are charged with creating health curricula for middle and high school programs—and for other teachers who are thrust into the role of health educators with little or no health education background.Book OrganizationCore Teaching Practices for Health Education is organized into three parts. Part I introduces the idea of core practices and focuses on planning to teach health education (e.g., big ideas, enduring understandings, essential questions, sequencing health content, assessment). Part II explores the pedagogy of health education, including organizational routines and procedures, building a safe and caring environment that is focused on learning, and adapting instruction to meet the needs of students. Part III guides readers through reflective practices on teaching and lesson improvement. Each core practice has its own chapter.Perfect Companion to Two Other Guides This affordable guide is a perfect companion to Essentials of Teaching Health Education, Second Edition, by Sarah Benes and Holly Alperin (Human Kinetics, 2022) and Health Education edTPA Online Preparation Guide by Stacy Furness (Human Kinetics, 2022). For future teachers in states that require the edTPA, these three resources supply everything they need to become successful health educators. Preservice teachers, current teachers, and health teacher educators will find Core Teaching Practices for Health Education to be of lasting value as they use the book’s health-education-specific teaching practices to improve teaching and learning.Table of ContentsPart I. Planning for TeachingChapter 1. Improving Your Effectiveness Using Core Practices of Teaching Health EducationChapter 2. Big IdeasChapter 3. Using Enduring Understandings to Focus Student LearningChapter 4. Using Essential Questions to Promote Enduring UnderstandingsChapter 5. Sequencing Health ContentChapter 6. Teaching Health ContentChapter 7. Assessing LearningPart II. Pedagogical ConsiderationsChapter 8. Creating Expectations Using Rules and Managerial RoutinesChapter 9. Building a Classroom Community That Is Positive, Safe, Caring, Inclusive, and Focused on LearningChapter 10. Facilitating Classroom DiscussionChapter 11. Providing Feedback to StudentsChapter 12. Adapting Teaching to Meet the Needs of StudentsChapter 13. Developing Students’ Decision-Making SkillsPart III. Reflective PracticesChapter 14. Reflecting on TeachingChapter 15. Being a Professional

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Book Synopsis"Schlechty's common-sense approach to restructuring is combinedwith a strategic planner's vision and the translation of beliefsinto action... A wide audience, including principals andsuperintAndents, can find in this book practical outlines forrestructuring, and a distinctive and focused view of their role inthe educational system sof the twenty-first century." --The School Administrator Schlechty provides an innovative, adaptable framework for helpingleaders in all areas of education to identify where change isneeded in order to make schools more useful and responsive tochildren and society.Trade Review``Schlechty's common-sense approach to restructuring is combined with a strategic planner's vision and the translation of beliefs into action.... A wide audience, including principals and superintAndents, can find in this book practical outlines for restructuring, and a distinctive and focused view of their role in the educational systems of the twenty-first century.''Table of ContentsForeword. Part One: The Purpose of Schools. 1. A Future in Jeopardy: Why the Schools of Today MustChange. 2. How the Past Has Shaped the Present: The Shaky Foundation ofSchool System Structures. 3. New Purposes for a New Era: Reinventing Our Schools. Part Two: The Ingredients of Invention. 4. The Power of Vision: Creating and Sharing the Seeds ofInnovation. 5. The Capacity to Respond Quickly: Building Adaptability into theSystem. 6. The Ability to Rally Support for Change: Managing to Satisfy theNeeds of Constituents. 7. The Creation of Change Systems: Tackling Problems at TheirSource. 8. A Focus on Results: Evaluating Performers andPerformances. Part Three: Leadership for the Twenty-First Century. 9. Leading a School System Through Change: Key Steps for MovingReform Forward. 10. A Bright Future Secured: Developing Strong Leaders for OurSchools.

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Book SynopsisInterested in preschool inclusion, but not sure where to start? This introductory guide gathers everything you need to know to launch a successful inclusive early childhood program—and get critical buy-in from your whole staff. A must for leaders of early childhood programs, this reader-friendly primer reveals how inclusive education benefits all children, how school staff and parents can work as a team to make it happen, and how to knock down common barriers to inclusion. Combining the latest research with the nuts and bolts of program development, this book will help current and future early childhood leaders assemble highly effective inclusion teams and develop programs where every child learns and thrives.READ THIS BOOK TO Understand what inclusion is and what it looks like in practice Assess your program’s readiness for inclusion Determine what your program needs to make inclusion work Learn which federal laws support inclusion in different early childhood settings Collaborate with staff and parents to develop and sustain key program changes Break through the myths and misinformation that create resistance to inclusion PRACTICAL FEATURES: Quick tips, vignettes, reflection activities, FYIs, and helpful resource lists make this an ideal preservice text and a practical team-building tool for inservice professional development.

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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 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 SynopsisTeach social-emotional competence - the foundation of school and social success - with the NEW editions of the Strong Kids™ - Grades 3 - 5 curriculum! Strong Kids is the fun and easy way to help your students develop the social-emotional skills they need to manage their challenges and succeed in school and life. Developed by a team of educational and mental health experts, this evidence-based, age-appropriate curriculum is Low cost and low tech Proven to help increase students knowledge of social and emotional concepts and decrease their emotional and behavioral problems Easy to implement with no mental health training required Brief enough to use with any program Through engaging, thought-provoking classroom activities, students learn about emotions and the social-emotional skills they'll use for the rest of their lives: managing anger, reducing stress, solving interpersonal problems, and much more. This scientifically-based curriculum runs for 12 weeks, and lessons are easy to fit into your existing schedule (especially with the new options for breaking them into smaller chunks). Partially scripted lessons, handouts, and worksheets are included - all photocopiable and available as downloads - so teachers have everything they need to implement the program with little added cost or preparation.

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Book SynopsisOver the last 35 years, studies focusing in young children’s knowledge about the mental world have developed into an important area. This body of social knowledge is called theory of mind, which refers to the individuals’ ability to interpret and anticipate the other individuals’ thinking, feeling, and behavior based on their interpretation of the situation. Many researchers and theorists believe that a representational theory of mind offers a basis for various critical facets of social-cognitive performance, such as teaching and learning, lying and pretending, making and keeping friends, and social learning more generally. The purpose of this volume is to share a collection of research strands on theory of mind research. It describes its historical roots and suggests improved alternatives. The focus of the volume is to provide a review and critical analysis of the literature on a contemporary domain of knowledge on young children’s Theory of Mind.For several decades scholarly research on theory of mind has been flourishing and a collection of new publication outlets have emerged such as the ones reviewed in the volume, which offers a thorough critical analysis of the research in contemporary perspectives on research in theory of mind in early childhood education. The researchers who conducted the critical analyses of the research focused on understanding the mind in relation to (1) young children, (2) several assessment procedures, (3) metacognitive and neuroscientific processes, (3) emotion and educational representations, (4) interaction of social and cultural elements, and (5) inferences and future research directions. The work of these scholars can help guide those researchers who are interested in pursuing studies in early childhood theory of mind in a specific area of study.

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Book SynopsisOver the last 35 years, studies focusing in young children’s knowledge about the mental world have developed into an important area. This body of social knowledge is called theory of mind, which refers to the individuals’ ability to interpret and anticipate the other individuals’ thinking, feeling, and behavior based on their interpretation of the situation. Many researchers and theorists believe that a representational theory of mind offers a basis for various critical facets of social-cognitive performance, such as teaching and learning, lying and pretending, making and keeping friends, and social learning more generally. The purpose of this volume is to share a collection of research strands on theory of mind research. It describes its historical roots and suggests improved alternatives. The focus of the volume is to provide a review and critical analysis of the literature on a contemporary domain of knowledge on young children’s Theory of Mind.For several decades scholarly research on theory of mind has been flourishing and a collection of new publication outlets have emerged such as the ones reviewed in the volume, which offers a thorough critical analysis of the research in contemporary perspectives on research in theory of mind in early childhood education. The researchers who conducted the critical analyses of the research focused on understanding the mind in relation to (1) young children, (2) several assessment procedures, (3) metacognitive and neuroscientific processes, (3) emotion and educational representations, (4) interaction of social and cultural elements, and (5) inferences and future research directions. The work of these scholars can help guide those researchers who are interested in pursuing studies in early childhood theory of mind in a specific area of study.

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Book SynopsisResearch on middle level education indicates that student learning at the middle level has a deep and abiding influence on post-secondary opportunities and career paths. As research continues to highlight the urgency of engaging middle level students in academic learning, it is increasingly clear that these students’ multiple literacies must become a part of teaching and learning. Understanding how to infuse the literacies of middle level students across classroom activities is a critical part of improving student achievement.This volume in The Handbook series shares literacy research from multiple contexts and deepens our understanding of the literaciesthat middle level students use in and out of school. This volume includes research that identifies how to best teach and learn with our increasingly diverse students. The perspectives that emerge from this volume help us examine the current state of new and evolving literacies and construct a cutting edge research agenda for middle level literacy education. Research reports focus on digital literacies including social networking media and games, English language learners, high stakes literacy tests and middle level learners, specifically boys, and literacy teaching and learning in middle level teacher education programs. A wide range of research methods and modes are used in these reports including case studies, teacher research, narrative inquiry, survey research, and action research.

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Book SynopsisResearch on middle level education indicates that student learning at the middle level has a deep and abiding influence on post-secondary opportunities and career paths. As research continues to highlight the urgency of engaging middle level students in academic learning, it is increasingly clear that these students’ multiple literacies must become a part of teaching and learning. Understanding how to infuse the literacies of middle level students across classroom activities is a critical part of improving student achievement.This volume in The Handbook series shares literacy research from multiple contexts and deepens our understanding of the literaciesthat middle level students use in and out of school. This volume includes research that identifies how to best teach and learn with our increasingly diverse students. The perspectives that emerge from this volume help us examine the current state of new and evolving literacies and construct a cutting edge research agenda for middle level literacy education. Research reports focus on digital literacies including social networking media and games, English language learners, high stakes literacy tests and middle level learners, specifically boys, and literacy teaching and learning in middle level teacher education programs. A wide range of research methods and modes are used in these reports including case studies, teacher research, narrative inquiry, survey research, and action research.

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Book SynopsisThis monograph represents the work of many mathematics teacher educators explored the content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge that make up the middle grades learning experience. The middle grades remains a unique period of time in students' development and as such provides both challenges and promising opportunities for those who prepare teachers of middle grades mathematics.This work is the final product of an exciting NSF supported endeavour that gathered leaders in the field and explored curriculum, case studies of program models at several institutions, as well as issue papers on such key topics as assessment, technology, and preparing culturally responsive teachers. AMTE hopes this monograph will stimulate discussion and bring attention to this critical period of schooling.

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Book SynopsisThe world of middle level education is rapidly evolving. Increasingly, online learning platforms are complementing or replacing traditional classroom settings. As students exchange classroom interaction for online collaboration, pencils for keyboards, face-to-face conversations for chat room texts, and traditional lessons for digital modules, it becomes apparent that teachers, schools, and administrators must identify ways to keep pace. We must identify ways to meet the needs of middle level learners within this digital context. In this volume, researchers and teachers share a variety of resources centered on the growing world of virtual education and its implications for the middle level learner, educator, and classroom.Table of Contents Acknowledgments. Introduction, Brooke B. Eisenbach and Paula Greathouse. Section I: Overview. Characteristics of Virtual Middle School Students: Who They Are and How We Support Their Success. Suzanne Wolfinger. The Effective Middle Level Virtual Teacher, Kerry Rice and Shannon Skelcher. Section II: Preparation. Preparing Teachers for the Virtual Middle Level Classroom, Shelly Furuness. Professional Learning and Leading for Virtual Middle Level Educators, Barbara Smith. Collaborating to Create Middle Level Blended Learning Environments, Mark Stevens and Mary F. Rice. Section III: Community. Fostering Community in the Middle Level Virtual Classroom, Jillian L. Wendt, Amanda J. Rockinson-Szapkiw, and Kyleigh B. Harrell. Creating a Community of Care in the Middle Level Virtual Classroom, Brooke B. Eisenbach, Paula Greathouse, and Mary Kirk. Mentoring Virtual Middle Schoolers Through the Use of a Guided Online Mentoring Loop, Natalie Duvall and Matthew Duvall. Section IV: Strategies. Making the Leap From Traditional to Virtual: Resources and Strategies for Teaching Middle Level Learners Online, Jeremy Wendt and Jason Beach. Motivating and Engaging Learners in the Middle Level Online Environment, Eve Bernstein and Andrea Mosenson. Employing Culturally Relevant Pedagogy in Middle Level Blended and Virtual Classrooms, Ebony Terrell Shockley, Cachanda Orellana, and Arquimen Chicas. Organizing and Facilitating Online Teaching, Learning, and Schooling Via Effective Classroom Assessments, Nancy P. Gallavan and Shannon R. Maiden. Section V: Diverse Populations. Middle Level Virtual Classroom Development and Instruction for Students With Disabilities, Sucari Epps. Creating Effective Inclusion Practices for Students With Exceptionalities in the Virtual STEM Classroom, Jennifer Gallup and Cory A. Bennett. Appendix. About the Authors.

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Book SynopsisThe world of middle level education is rapidly evolving. Increasingly, online learning platforms are complementing or replacing traditional classroom settings. As students exchange classroom interaction for online collaboration, pencils for keyboards, face-to-face conversations for chat room texts, and traditional lessons for digital modules, it becomes apparent that teachers, schools, and administrators must identify ways to keep pace. We must identify ways to meet the needs of middle level learners within this digital context. In this volume, researchers and teachers share a variety of resources centered on the growing world of virtual education and its implications for the middle level learner, educator, and classroom.Table of Contents Acknowledgments. Introduction, Brooke B. Eisenbach and Paula Greathouse. Section I: Overview. Characteristics of Virtual Middle School Students: Who They Are and How We Support Their Success. Suzanne Wolfinger. The Effective Middle Level Virtual Teacher, Kerry Rice and Shannon Skelcher. Section II: Preparation. Preparing Teachers for the Virtual Middle Level Classroom, Shelly Furuness. Professional Learning and Leading for Virtual Middle Level Educators, Barbara Smith. Collaborating to Create Middle Level Blended Learning Environments, Mark Stevens and Mary F. Rice. Section III: Community. Fostering Community in the Middle Level Virtual Classroom, Jillian L. Wendt, Amanda J. Rockinson-Szapkiw, and Kyleigh B. Harrell. Creating a Community of Care in the Middle Level Virtual Classroom, Brooke B. Eisenbach, Paula Greathouse, and Mary Kirk. Mentoring Virtual Middle Schoolers Through the Use of a Guided Online Mentoring Loop, Natalie Duvall and Matthew Duvall. Section IV: Strategies. Making the Leap From Traditional to Virtual: Resources and Strategies for Teaching Middle Level Learners Online, Jeremy Wendt and Jason Beach. Motivating and Engaging Learners in the Middle Level Online Environment, Eve Bernstein and Andrea Mosenson. Employing Culturally Relevant Pedagogy in Middle Level Blended and Virtual Classrooms, Ebony Terrell Shockley, Cachanda Orellana, and Arquimen Chicas. Organizing and Facilitating Online Teaching, Learning, and Schooling Via Effective Classroom Assessments, Nancy P. Gallavan and Shannon R. Maiden. Section V: Diverse Populations. Middle Level Virtual Classroom Development and Instruction for Students With Disabilities, Sucari Epps. Creating Effective Inclusion Practices for Students With Exceptionalities in the Virtual STEM Classroom, Jennifer Gallup and Cory A. Bennett. Appendix. About the Authors.

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Book SynopsisWhile developmental responsiveness is a deservingly key emphasis of middle grades education, this emphasis has often been to the detriment of focusing on the cultural needs of young adolescents. This Handbook volume explores research relating to equity and culturally responsive practices when working with young adolescents. Middle school philosophy largely centers on young adolescents as a collective group. This lack of focus has great implications for young adolescents of marginalized identities including but not limited to those with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, LGBTQ youth, and those living in poverty. If middle level educators claim to advocate for young adolescents, we need to mainstream conversations about supporting all young adolescents of marginalized identities. It empowers researchers, educators, and even young adolescents to critically examine and understand the intersectionality of identities that historically influenced (and continue to affect) young adolescents and why educators might perceive marginalized youth in certain ways.It is for these reasons that researchers, teachers, and other key constituents involved in the education of young adolescents must devote themselves to the critical examination and understanding of the historical and current socio-cultural factors affecting all young adolescents. The chapters in this volume serve as a means to open an intentional and explicit space for providing a critical lens on early adolescence–a lens that understands that both developmental and cultural needs of young adolescents need to be emphasized to create a learning environment that supports every young adolescent learner.

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Book SynopsisWhile developmental responsiveness is a deservingly key emphasis of middle grades education, this emphasis has often been to the detriment of focusing on the cultural needs of young adolescents. This Handbook volume explores research relating to equity and culturally responsive practices when working with young adolescents. Middle school philosophy largely centers on young adolescents as a collective group. This lack of focus has great implications for young adolescents of marginalized identities including but not limited to those with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, LGBTQ youth, and those living in poverty. If middle level educators claim to advocate for young adolescents, we need to mainstream conversations about supporting all young adolescents of marginalized identities. It empowers researchers, educators, and even young adolescents to critically examine and understand the intersectionality of identities that historically influenced (and continue to affect) young adolescents and why educators might perceive marginalized youth in certain ways.It is for these reasons that researchers, teachers, and other key constituents involved in the education of young adolescents must devote themselves to the critical examination and understanding of the historical and current socio-cultural factors affecting all young adolescents. The chapters in this volume serve as a means to open an intentional and explicit space for providing a critical lens on early adolescence–a lens that understands that both developmental and cultural needs of young adolescents need to be emphasized to create a learning environment that supports every young adolescent learner.

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Book SynopsisThe lives of middle school students are dynamic, and their needs and desires are always evolving. They experience more complicated lives as influences of the broader society including popular media and technology, immigration and cultural diversity, amplified political divisiveness, and bullying effect their daily lives both in and out of school. These influences have contributed to the need for more socialemotional support and the desire of students and teachers alike to find and express their voices. Since the publication of the 2002 Handbook volume focusing on curriculum, instruction, and assessment, the ideas, approaches, and practices of middle school educators and researchers have also needed to evolve and change in many ways to meet these changing realities and the needs of students, teachers, and schools. This volume includes chapters focusing on varying aspects of curriculum, instruction, and assessment currently being implemented in middle grades classrooms across the country.

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Book SynopsisThe lives of middle school students are dynamic, and their needs and desires are always evolving. They experience more complicated lives as influences of the broader society including popular media and technology, immigration and cultural diversity, amplified political divisiveness, and bullying effect their daily lives both in and out of school. These influences have contributed to the need for more socialemotional support and the desire of students and teachers alike to find and express their voices. Since the publication of the 2002 Handbook volume focusing on curriculum, instruction, and assessment, the ideas, approaches, and practices of middle school educators and researchers have also needed to evolve and change in many ways to meet these changing realities and the needs of students, teachers, and schools. This volume includes chapters focusing on varying aspects of curriculum, instruction, and assessment currently being implemented in middle grades classrooms across the country.

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Book SynopsisTeacher-pupil planning means teachers and students working in a partnership to articulate a problem/concern, develop objectives, locate materials/resources, and evaluate progress. The intent of this volume of Middle Level Education and the Self-Enhancing School titled, “School is Life, Not a Preparation for Life”-John Dewey: Democratic Practices in Middle Grades Education, is to take the thoughts about the middle grades school curriculum presented in volume one (Middle Grades Curriculum: Voices and Visions of the Self-Enhancing School) and demonstrate the efforts taking place in teacher education programs and middle grades classrooms today. Volume two is organized into two parts, efforts within teacher education programs and efforts of practitioners in the middle grades classrooms.We asked authors in both contexts to address the following questions: 1. Antecedents: What knowledge, skills and dispositions must be in place in all stakeholders to have teacherpupil planning serve a central role in the middle grades teacher education program or middle grades classroom? 2. Implementation: What does the teacher-pupil planning process look like within your teacher education program or middle grades classroom? 3. Outcomes: What benefits (knowledge, skills, and dispositions) are derived from the implementation of teacher-pupil planning in your teacher education program or your middle grades classroom?

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Book SynopsisTeacher-pupil planning means teachers and students working in a partnership to articulate a problem/concern, develop objectives, locate materials/resources, and evaluate progress. The intent of this volume of Middle Level Education and the Self-Enhancing School titled, “School is Life, Not a Preparation for Life”-John Dewey: Democratic Practices in Middle Grades Education, is to take the thoughts about the middle grades school curriculum presented in volume one (Middle Grades Curriculum: Voices and Visions of the Self-Enhancing School) and demonstrate the efforts taking place in teacher education programs and middle grades classrooms today. Volume two is organized into two parts, efforts within teacher education programs and efforts of practitioners in the middle grades classrooms.We asked authors in both contexts to address the following questions: 1. Antecedents: What knowledge, skills and dispositions must be in place in all stakeholders to have teacherpupil planning serve a central role in the middle grades teacher education program or middle grades classroom? 2. Implementation: What does the teacher-pupil planning process look like within your teacher education program or middle grades classroom? 3. Outcomes: What benefits (knowledge, skills, and dispositions) are derived from the implementation of teacher-pupil planning in your teacher education program or your middle grades classroom?

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Book SynopsisChildren begin their literacy journeys from the moment of their birth as they begin to read the world around them. They embark on their journeys as they observe and react to the gestures and voices of their family members, and hear and use the language in which they are immersed to communicate with others. Through their interactions with the sign systems surrounding them, they become socialized into the cultural practices of their communities and construct meaning in their lives. Children's entrance into formal education, where they begin to read the "word", further connect them with literacies of other communities, both nationally and globally. Thus, the early years become a critical time to build and support current and future learning where children develop into creative problem solvers, thoughtful communicators and productive leaders and citizens of the next generation.This volume extends current knowledge of children's learning by exploring the importance of children's earliest years within the context of their families and communities and connecting those years with their formal education. Development is viewed through a child's perezhivanie; a concept by Vygotsky (1933–1934/1994) that expresses the unity of the individual's biological and cultural development. According to Vygotsky, development does not isolate the individual from her/his social context. Children are social beings from birth who acquire and make meanings of their world through their interactions with their families, friends, childcare providers, religious groups, and other community members. These interactions encompass the way children use language within children's ecosocial (physical and social worlds) where development occurs. How these ecosocial worlds support each other or collide will impact children's literacy development.This unique contribution provides the reader with opportunities to: a) Recognize the importance of literacy practices as cultural and social within the context of the multiple worlds of young children, b) promote a continuity of children's ecosocial worlds into their formal education through concepts of perezhivanie and resourcebased pedagogies, and c) envision an alternative framework for recognizing children's ecosocial worlds outside of the classroom and integrating aspects of those worlds to involve families in their child's formal education.

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Book SynopsisChildren begin their literacy journeys from the moment of their birth as they begin to read the world around them. They embark on their journeys as they observe and react to the gestures and voices of their family members, and hear and use the language in which they are immersed to communicate with others. Through their interactions with the sign systems surrounding them, they become socialized into the cultural practices of their communities and construct meaning in their lives. Children's entrance into formal education, where they begin to read the "word", further connect them with literacies of other communities, both nationally and globally. Thus, the early years become a critical time to build and support current and future learning where children develop into creative problem solvers, thoughtful communicators and productive leaders and citizens of the next generation.This volume extends current knowledge of children's learning by exploring the importance of children's earliest years within the context of their families and communities and connecting those years with their formal education. Development is viewed through a child's perezhivanie; a concept by Vygotsky (1933–1934/1994) that expresses the unity of the individual's biological and cultural development. According to Vygotsky, development does not isolate the individual from her/his social context. Children are social beings from birth who acquire and make meanings of their world through their interactions with their families, friends, childcare providers, religious groups, and other community members. These interactions encompass the way children use language within children's ecosocial (physical and social worlds) where development occurs. How these ecosocial worlds support each other or collide will impact children's literacy development.This unique contribution provides the reader with opportunities to: a) Recognize the importance of literacy practices as cultural and social within the context of the multiple worlds of young children, b) promote a continuity of children's ecosocial worlds into their formal education through concepts of perezhivanie and resourcebased pedagogies, and c) envision an alternative framework for recognizing children's ecosocial worlds outside of the classroom and integrating aspects of those worlds to involve families in their child's formal education.

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Book SynopsisStructured Discovery Cane Travel (SDCT) is an Orientation and Mobility (O&M) curriculum which focuses on the foundational techniques necessary to develop future independence for students who are blind or visually impaired. The ABCs of Structured Discovery Cane Travel for Children addresses essential non-visual concept development, techniques and mobility skills needed to travel efficiently, gracefully and safely within a myriad of natural environments while using the long, white cane with a metal tip as the primary mobility tool. This curriculum utilizes transformational knowledge and problem-solving opportunities through teachable moments to develop personal reflection and mental mapping which can be utilized post instruction. These students maximize their cognitive intrinsic feedback while completing everyday mobility tasks. Parents and instructors of children who are blind or visually impaired will comprehend the essentials of SDCT by reading The ABCs of Structured Discovery Cane Travel for Children; in addition, they will receive a treasure trove of O&M skill-building activities.

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Book SynopsisStructured Discovery Cane Travel (SDCT) is an Orientation and Mobility (O&M) curriculum which focuses on the foundational techniques necessary to develop future independence for students who are blind or visually impaired. The ABCs of Structured Discovery Cane Travel for Children addresses essential non-visual concept development, techniques and mobility skills needed to travel efficiently, gracefully and safely within a myriad of natural environments while using the long, white cane with a metal tip as the primary mobility tool. This curriculum utilizes transformational knowledge and problem-solving opportunities through teachable moments to develop personal reflection and mental mapping which can be utilized post instruction. These students maximize their cognitive intrinsic feedback while completing everyday mobility tasks. Parents and instructors of children who are blind or visually impaired will comprehend the essentials of SDCT by reading The ABCs of Structured Discovery Cane Travel for Children; in addition, they will receive a treasure trove of O&M skill-building activities.

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Book SynopsisAs social studies standards shift to place a higher emphasis on critical thinking, inquiry, interaction, and expression, many teachers are scrambling to figure out how to appropriately shift their instruction accordingly. This book provides examples and ideas for working with elementary and middle school students to build social studies skills and knowledge in order to become independent learners and thinkers. Teaching these skills helps to support students in ways which are important to them, and to society at large.Real Classrooms, Real Teachers: The C3 Inquiry in Practice is aimed at in-service and pre-service teachers, grades 3-8. This text includes six sections: an introduction, one section for each of the four dimensions of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards (National Council for the Social Studies, 2013), and a conclusion. Each chapter begins with a vignette based on a real-life social studies lesson authored by a practicing teacher or researcher. This is followed by a sample lesson plan associated with the vignette and suggestions for appropriate texts and supporting materials, as well as suggestions for modifications.

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Book SynopsisAs social studies standards shift to place a higher emphasis on critical thinking, inquiry, interaction, and expression, many teachers are scrambling to figure out how to appropriately shift their instruction accordingly. This book provides examples and ideas for working with elementary and middle school students to build social studies skills and knowledge in order to become independent learners and thinkers. Teaching these skills helps to support students in ways which are important to them, and to society at large.Real Classrooms, Real Teachers: The C3 Inquiry in Practice is aimed at in-service and pre-service teachers, grades 3-8. This text includes six sections: an introduction, one section for each of the four dimensions of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards (National Council for the Social Studies, 2013), and a conclusion. Each chapter begins with a vignette based on a real-life social studies lesson authored by a practicing teacher or researcher. This is followed by a sample lesson plan associated with the vignette and suggestions for appropriate texts and supporting materials, as well as suggestions for modifications.

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Book SynopsisCatalyzing Change in Middle School Mathematics is part of the Catalyzing Change Series, a collection of three books intended to initiate the critical conversations on policies, practices, and issues that impact mathematics education. In 2018, the first book in the series, Catalyzing Change in High School Mathematics: Initiating Critical Conversations, was published. The work initiated by that book suggested a need to broaden the critical conversations to include early childhood, elementary, and middle school mathematics. For example, the recommendation for a common shared pathway in high school mathematics must take into consideration what must happen in early childhood, elementary, and middle school mathematics for a common shared pathway to become a reality in high school mathematics.Catalyzing Change in Middle School Mathematics: Initiating Critical Conversations recognizes that the needs of young adolescents are different from elementary and high school–age students and that policies, practices, and issues must consider the unique needs of this student group. Students undergo significant developmental changes from elementary school to middle school. These changes contribute to how they see and understand the world as well as how they see and understand their place in the world. Critical conversations that middle school teachers need to initiate should center on the following serious challenges: Broadening the purpose of school mathematics’ focus to include the development of positive mathematical identities so that students can make purposeful decisions about their future endeavors Dismantling structural obstacles that stand in the way of mathematics working for each and every student Implementing equitable instructional practices to cultivate students’ positive mathematical identities and strong sense of agency Organizing middle school mathematics along a common shared pathway grounded in the use of mathematical practices and processes to coherently develop deep mathematical understanding Read Catalyzing Change in Middle School Mathematics and find out why the status quo is unacceptable, what actions you can take to change it, and how to make a difference! Be a part of the bright future of mathematics teaching and learning. Trade ReviewFollowing NCTM’s call to take action with effective classroom mathematics teaching practices, Catalyzing Change in Middle School Mathematics compels all stakeholders to examine the structural inequities in the teaching and learning of middle school mathematics. By dismantling tracking, broadening the purpose of mathematics, and implementing equitable instruction, we open bright futures for all students." - Michael D. Steele, President, Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators, Professor of Mathematics Education, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

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Book SynopsisThe book compares the standardized test scores of both elementary and high schools charter schools with the scores for regular public schools located nearby. It examines the position supported by charter school advocates that charter schools should be supported because they outperform regular public schools. Given that charter schools in Chicago have enjoyed a great deal of support from the past two mayors, and that they make up some 20% of all public schools in the city, Chicago is the perfect location in which to examine this critical issue. Charter schools siphon money and in theory better students from regular public schools at a time when public schools in almost every big city faces financial difficulties. Teachers unions oppose them, as do most liberal scholars. Conservatives and big business support them, as do most conservative scholars. The existence of charter schools is a most divisive issue! Yet, little real data exist to allow us to properly judge the effectiveness of charters. The current work changes that by examining test data in a sophisticated manner that allows comparisons between charters and regular schools. This work should move the debate forward, but will no doubt generate controversy as well.Table of Contents Preface CHAPTER 1: Introduction CHAPTER 2: Research Methods CHAPTER 3: Elementary Schools CHAPTER 4: High Schools CHAPTER 5: Real Reform or Cruel Hoax? References About the Author

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Book SynopsisThe book compares the standardized test scores of both elementary and high schools charter schools with the scores for regular public schools located nearby. It examines the position supported by charter school advocates that charter schools should be supported because they outperform regular public schools. Given that charter schools in Chicago have enjoyed a great deal of support from the past two mayors, and that they make up some 20% of all public schools in the city, Chicago is the perfect location in which to examine this critical issue. Charter schools siphon money and in theory better students from regular public schools at a time when public schools in almost every big city faces financial difficulties. Teachers unions oppose them, as do most liberal scholars. Conservatives and big business support them, as do most conservative scholars. The existence of charter schools is a most divisive issue! Yet, little real data exist to allow us to properly judge the effectiveness of charters. The current work changes that by examining test data in a sophisticated manner that allows comparisons between charters and regular schools. This work should move the debate forward, but will no doubt generate controversy as well.Table of Contents Preface CHAPTER 1: Introduction CHAPTER 2: Research Methods CHAPTER 3: Elementary Schools CHAPTER 4: High Schools CHAPTER 5: Real Reform or Cruel Hoax? References About the Author

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Book SynopsisNever Give Up is an amazing true story. It is a case study of an experienced elementary school teacher who was motivated to change her teaching practices from teacher-centered, transmission approaches to student-centered, transformational approaches in the context of a Professional Development School. You would think she would have accomplished her goal with support from the PDS participants in a year or two. Instead, she spent seven years encountering struggles, set-backs, and occasionally small triump until she achieved bone deep change in her teaching practice. What was she aiming for and why did it take so long? How did she finally achieve her goals? This book is about her journey of change. On one level, this is a story of a teacher as she struggles to change her teaching practice in way that center on childern's learning rather than on teacher centered rote learning. On a deeper level, it is a look at how innovative reform movements and wellmeaning professional development efforts fall short of bringing about deep seated change in teaching methods. It raises weighty questions such as how teacher preparation programs should begin the process of instilling habits of exploration, experimentation, research and learning in their pre-service teachers so that they continuously work at updating and upgrading their teaching practices. It is a message to curriculum developers, policy makers and the public at large that lasting teacher professional development takes more time and support than the more immediate workshop approaches. It raises many questions about how teachers learn and how they can keep their practices fresh and innovative throughout their careers.

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Book SynopsisNever Give Up is an amazing true story. It is a case study of an experienced elementary school teacher who was motivated to change her teaching practices from teacher-centered, transmission approaches to student-centered, transformational approaches in the context of a Professional Development School. You would think she would have accomplished her goal with support from the PDS participants in a year or two. Instead, she spent seven years encountering struggles, set-backs, and occasionally small triump until she achieved bone deep change in her teaching practice. What was she aiming for and why did it take so long? How did she finally achieve her goals? This book is about her journey of change. On one level, this is a story of a teacher as she struggles to change her teaching practice in way that center on childern's learning rather than on teacher centered rote learning. On a deeper level, it is a look at how innovative reform movements and wellmeaning professional development efforts fall short of bringing about deep seated change in teaching methods. It raises weighty questions such as how teacher preparation programs should begin the process of instilling habits of exploration, experimentation, research and learning in their pre-service teachers so that they continuously work at updating and upgrading their teaching practices. It is a message to curriculum developers, policy makers and the public at large that lasting teacher professional development takes more time and support than the more immediate workshop approaches. It raises many questions about how teachers learn and how they can keep their practices fresh and innovative throughout their careers.

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Book SynopsisChapters discuss issues impacting the education of African American girls and many of challenges that they encounter during their schooling experiences. The chapters were written by 24 authors including a school superintendent, university administrator and professors, classroom teacher, mother and a 10th grade African American student.The 20 chapters of the book are organized into four sections. Section one introduces the book and provides critical perspectives. Section Two focuses on Curriculum and instruction. Section Three shares information from significant stakeholders while the last section includes other schooling experiences and ends with a powerful poem by a tenth grade African American girl, entitled “Proud.” The forward of the book, written by a Japanese American scholar, Valerie Pang, denotes the urgency of the book noting that the book “warms the heart.” The book ends with an epilogue, written by an African American scholar, Tyrone Howard, who has a vested interest in African American males. He shares commanding interest in this scholarship, because what happens to African American females, impacts African American males and the entire African American community.

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Book SynopsisChapters discuss issues impacting the education of African American girls and many of challenges that they encounter during their schooling experiences. The chapters were written by 24 authors including a school superintendent, university administrator and professors, classroom teacher, mother and a 10th grade African American student.The 20 chapters of the book are organized into four sections. Section one introduces the book and provides critical perspectives. Section Two focuses on Curriculum and instruction. Section Three shares information from significant stakeholders while the last section includes other schooling experiences and ends with a powerful poem by a tenth grade African American girl, entitled “Proud.” The forward of the book, written by a Japanese American scholar, Valerie Pang, denotes the urgency of the book noting that the book “warms the heart.” The book ends with an epilogue, written by an African American scholar, Tyrone Howard, who has a vested interest in African American males. He shares commanding interest in this scholarship, because what happens to African American females, impacts African American males and the entire African American community.

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Book SynopsisThe second edition of The Encyclopedia of Middle Grades Education has been revised, updated, and expanded since its original publication in 2005. The Encyclopedia is a comprehensive overview of the field; it contains alphabetically organized entries that address important concepts, ideas, terms, people, organizations, publications, and research studies specifically related to middle grades education. This edition contains over 210 entries from nearly 160 expert contributors, this is a 25% increase in the number of entries over the first edition. The Encyclopedia is aimed at a general audience including undergraduate students in middle?level teacher preparation programs, graduate students, higher education faculty, and practitioners andadministrators. The comprehensive list of entries are comprised of both short entries (500 words) and longer entries (2000 words). A significant number of entries appearing in the first edition have been revised and updated. Citations and references are provided for each entry.

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Book SynopsisThe second edition of The Encyclopedia of Middle Grades Education has been revised, updated, and expanded since its original publication in 2005. The Encyclopedia is a comprehensive overview of the field; it contains alphabetically organized entries that address important concepts, ideas, terms, people, organizations, publications, and research studies specifically related to middle grades education. This edition contains over 210 entries from nearly 160 expert contributors, this is a 25% increase in the number of entries over the first edition. The Encyclopedia is aimed at a general audience including undergraduate students in middle?level teacher preparation programs, graduate students, higher education faculty, and practitioners andadministrators. The comprehensive list of entries are comprised of both short entries (500 words) and longer entries (2000 words). A significant number of entries appearing in the first edition have been revised and updated. Citations and references are provided for each entry.

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