In working with preparatory teachers, we have tried to "place diversity front and center" to help students "see culture" as a prerequisite for culturally responsive teaching. The language arts methods-course students who, like the authors, are White women from middle-or upper-income families, participated in learning opportunities that included…

This article describes a case study that explored relationships between theory and practice in a teacher candidate's learning to teach. Using a personal, narrative style, it explores one teacher-candidate's reflections about her learning with a Grade 4 student. The study was part of an innovative, inquiry-driven collaboration between school and…

After a review of the literature on electronic discourse (ED), including research from teacher education and several other academic fields, the authors describe an investigation of the efficacy of integrating electronic discussion sites into an elementary language arts methods class. Findings from students' pre and postdiscussion dispositions and…

The term "discussion" is widely used to refer to any whole-class interaction around a text or experience. However, not everything that is termed discussion is equally conducive to student learning. In most classrooms, class discussion is a time for transmitting and reviewing course content. The authors refer to this activity instead as a…

This study examines how competence beliefs and task values predict high school achievement choices related to literacy. Students' task beliefs (self-concept of ability, intrinsic value, and importance) about reading in the 4th grade and English in the 10th grade were tracked over time. Task beliefs, school performance, and gender were used to…

In this study, we identified factors that influence the academic performance of grade-6 students in a large city school system in language arts and mathematics. For language arts, five student variables, seven class variables, and two school level variables accounted for approximately 50 per cent, 75 per cent, and 90 per cent of the initial…

In this article, the author relates how his visits to classrooms across America to speak to children about writing and illustrating books have left him impressed by the creative ways in which educators manage scant resources to motivate students and to develop exciting lessons. He shares six things that he has learned from these visits about how…

This document contains the Arizona academic standards for Grade 7. The following 11 standards are reviewed: (1) The Arts Standard 2006--Grade 7; (2) Comprehensive Health Education Physical Activity Standards 1997--Essentials (Grades 4-8); (3) Foreign and Native Language Standards 1997--Essentials (Grades 4-8); (4) Reading Standard Articulated by…

The purpose of this study was to compare scores on state standardised tests for five-year-old children in full- and half-day kindergarten programmes in the United States. Four thousand four hundred and eleven students participated in this three-year cohort study; each completed standards-based instruction in an urban public school setting.…

Self-regulated learning (SRL) researchers have paid relatively little attention to questions concerning (a) the level of experience and expertise required to create high-SRL environments, (b) how teachers acquire such expertise, and (c) how expert instruction needs to be to influence students' SRL positively. We agree with Randi and Corno (2000)…

This is the first research handbook to address all dimensions of diversity that have an impact on literacy achievement. Leading experts examine how teaching and learning intersect with cultural and language differences and socioeconomic disparities in today's increasingly diverse schools and communities. The volume weaves compelling research…

The biennial report to Congress on the implementation of the Title III state formula grant program provides a snapshot of the status of the U.S. Department of Education's efforts to hold states accountable for ensuring that all limited English proficient (LEP) students attain English language proficiency (ELP) and are achieving in the content…

Six years ago the Centre for Distance Learning and Innovation began a virtual high school within the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Designed primarily to provide courses in specialized areas to students in rural areas, where schools have difficulty in attracting second language, mathematics and science teachers. However, there has…

Demonstrating that reading can and should be part of every curricular area, this book provides a wide selection of activities developed for 39 books selected on the basis of their interest level and application to the needs of reluctant readers in grades 2 through 5. The first part of the book presents guidelines for motivating students and…

The "silent" classrooms of yesterday are no longer appropriate for today's educational needs. Students require a learning experience rich in oral language, and schools are being asked to educate them for work that requires analytic competence and collaborative interactive skills. A revised curriculum and new teaching strategies are…