Measures of participants' water cycle knowledge and ability to recognize emergence were taken at various points throughout a 2-h experience with the Cloverdale virtual watershed socioecological simulation. Multilevel growth models were estimated for analysis of hypothesized predictive relationships between measured variables. Significant…

Teacher leaders who share their specialized knowledge, expertise, and experience with other teachers broaden and sustain school and classroom improvement efforts. Teacher leaders can transform classrooms into learning laboratories where every student is engaged in relevant and well-designed curricular content, every teacher embraces the use of…

People with learning disabilities are at increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). Research suggests this may be due to inequalities in health status and inequities in the way health services respond to need. Little is known about the most effective way to improve health outcomes for people with learning disabilities. A previously developed…

The pace of change in today's society means that there is an ongoing need for teachers to learn, have new knowledge and use new pedagogical approaches to meet the needs of their pupils. For many teachers, this requires redefining their identity as teachers and what "teaching" means in 21st century learning environments. These changes…

Students' rating of teaching is widely used by university administrators to manage and evaluate teaching in China today. However, it is worthwhile to discuss and rethink carefully how to use this tool. Fifty students majoring in seven-year clinical medicine were asked to rate the class teaching of an integrated course for which the teaching reform…

This study uses a school-level longitudinal control-group design to examine how teachers and principals of inspected versus uninspected schools perceive school improvement at their schools. During the phasing in of school inspections in the states of Berlin and Brandenburg (Germany), both inspected and uninspected schools were surveyed with…

In this article, the author, a former Senior Inspector at Her Majesties Inspectorate (HMI), United Kingdom, presents the historical activities between 1968 through 1991 surrounding HMI and the government agencies and persons who influenced how the inspection of school activities have evolved over that time period. Bolton reports that the HMI was…

This report shares stories from around the country about community and state leaders working to strengthen partnerships, practices, and policies--all to improve the odds for youth. Stories in this report include: (1) Using new data to spark public conversations about youth issues in Indianola, MS; (2) Leaders building a children and youth master…

A number of scholars are examining factors hindering student performance. Scholars suggest that understanding these factors is critical knowledge for leaders to cultivate as they work to address elements within their school or district that need to change if student learning is to improve. What is often overlooked in the literature is how…

Around the world technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is widely seen as having a key role in promoting both economic and socio-economic growth, increasing productivity, empowering citizens and alleviating poverty. Yet the quality of TVET in terms of learner outcomes and teaching inputs is variable. In some countries this…

Teaching children to get along with others, care about themselves, and actively participate in learning are three of the most important outcomes of the schooling process. Yet children in some schools are not achieving these outcomes, and many educators have not received adequate training to create instructional environments that facilitate these…

In this paper I seek to critique pervasive notions of what counts in mathematics education using Heidegger's notion of the technological enframing. I suggest that early childhood and schooling have become technologies in themselves, casting students and teachers as part of the standing reserve within the inexorable drive for economic advancement.…

Special education in China has lagged behind regular education for many years, however, the past few decades, the government has made considerable efforts to develop and improve the special education system. While the citizens of China have had a generic moral interest in disability since ancient times, the development of special education schools…

Effective teachers are the single most important school-based factor in student learning and are critical to successful school turnarounds. Particularly in high-poverty schools, teachers can mean the difference between students making dramatic gains in reading and mathematics proficiency or remaining years behind grade level. Research suggests…

Background/Context: The stakes are getting higher for teachers daily as more and more states adopt hiring, firing, and tenure-granting policies based on teacher evaluations. Even more concerning is the limited discussion about whether or not high-stakes teacher evaluation can meet the intended outcome of improved student achievement, and at what…