For generations, schools have aimed to introduce students to a broad range of topics through curriculum that ensure that they will at least have some acquaintance with most areas of human knowledge by the time they graduate. Yet such broad knowledge can't help but be somewhat superficial--and, as Kieran Egan argues, it omits a crucial aspect of…

"Cutting Through the Hype: The Essential Guide to School Reform" is a revised, expanded, and updated version of the classic work by Jane L. David and Larry Cuban. It offers balanced analyses of 23 currently popular school reform strategies, from teacher performance pay and putting mayors in charge to turnaround schools and data-driven instruction.…

It is essential that children who are deaf-blind have learning experiences that improve their quality of life. Unfortunately, even when educational teams work together to create individualized education programs, these students do not always have full and equal opportunities to learn. This issue of "Practice Perspectives" describes the basics of…

Physics First represents an organizational alternative to the traditional high school science sequence. It calls for a re-sequencing of high school courses so that students study physics before chemistry and biology. The purpose of this pamphlet is to provide: (1) Basic information and rationale for the Physics First curriculum; (2) Strategies for…

The "Value-Added School Review (VSR)" is an analytical model designed to assist schools in identifying and addressing opportunities for school improvement. The model works best when it is focused purposefully on students and the student learning outcomes as defined in the "Guide to Education". It complements the processes…

This synthesis presents summary information on curricula and intervention packages designed to help young children ages birth to 5 years improve their social-emotional functioning. It includes evidence-based manualized curricula and programs for use with children, in classrooms or small groups, or with families/parents. It builds and expands on…

This document was developed to provide action steps that can be taken by teachers, parents, administrators, and students themselves to develop the personal, cognitive, and social dimensions of students. These advocates are identified in "The Holistic Learner Framework: A Culturally Responsive Approach to Accelerating the Achievement of Low…

Dyslexia is a term that has been applied since the early part of the 20th Century to many students with reading difficulties. The term comes from medicine, but its broadest application is within education. Many educators, however, remain confused about the term in spite of the fact that major advances in the understanding of dyslexia have been…

Intended for parents of gifted and talented children as well as for teachers and administrators, the handbook provides an overview of gifted education while describing one district's program model. The district's philosophy, goals and objectives, and definition of giftedness are set forth, followed by a list of learning and behavioral…

During the growth of Reading Recovery in the United States, a growing body of research has accumulated. This publication seeks to clarify for teachers, administrators, parents, and policy makers the many facets and characteristics of this early intervention program in literacy. The first section, "A Review of Reading Recovery," presents…

In 1978, the Administration for Children, Youth, and Families, through its Head Start program, designed and implemented the Basic Educational Skills (BES) project to foster Head Start children's readiness for school and their subsequent achievement in elementary school. The purpose of this document is to disseminate elementary-level BES materials.…

This book offers guiding principles for culturally diverse environments and curricular choices to support multicultural inclusiveness. Case studies provide examples of exemplary gifted education programs, emphasizing the aspects of the program that best respond to diverse student populations. Subsequent chapters on gifted and general education…

This paper discusses the relationship of reading and television and describes a "critical viewing skills" program ("Spudbuster") for combatting the effects of prolonged TV watching. The paper enumerates helpful suggestions for both parents and teachers to ensure that children's television watching is not excessive and that what…

Schools that are most successful in engaging parents and other family members in support of their children's learning look beyond traditional definitions of parent involvement--parent teacher organizations or signing report cards--to a broader conception of supporting families in activities outside of school that can encourage their children's'…

Built on the experiences of educators and parents who have put research into practice to improve children's learning, this book focuses on the interdependence of educators and parents and their partnership of support for children. The first chapter, "Parent Involvement: Promises, Problems, and Solutions" (Rebecca Crawford Burns), provides a review…