Every child has a right to a free public education. However, once students violate school board policies their right to a free education is threatened. With the implementation of zero-tolerance policies, students are expelled from schools for incidents that would have resulted in suspensions in the past and a gap in their education is created…

Research and practical experience has shown that, more often than not, the professional development opportunities that are provided for teachers are not intentionally structured to meet their individual needs nor do they have a systemic impact on the knowledge base and skill sets of an entire faculty. Furthermore, the continuous pressure that…

This study compared active teaching strategies with passive lecture by evaluating cognitive, affective, and psychomotor learning outcomes, while highlighting end-of-life communication in nursing education. The problem addressed was twofold: First, passive lecture prevents transfer to situational decision-making, or a sense of salience (Benner,…

The Academic Performance Index (API) is the centerpiece of California's state assessment and accountability system. With the recent passage of SB1458 and the pending reauthorization of both state and federal accountability legislation, there is now an unprecedented opportunity to improve the API for next generation accountability in California. In…

For decades, when California's state leaders have wanted to see local school districts respond to shifts in policy and expectations they relied on the state-controlled school finance system to leverage local change. Through the use of categorical programs and earmarked funding, they created incentives for districts that complied and penalties for…

Results from the AISD 2011-2012 school year pilot teacher appraisal system suggest peer, administrator, and student feedback are valuable tools that can be used with Student Learning Objectives and value added data to provide a holistic evaluation of teachers in AISD.

Students pursuing college degrees in fields other than music must often take a music or arts course. Teaching these non-majors has been a traditional responsibility of college and university music departments. While experts agree that a single, widely accepted approach to teaching the non-major is unavailable, many experts concur that developing…

The Provost at a small liberal arts college in upstate New York requested that a new college committee investigate the feasibility of creating and offering blended courses along with the typical face-to-face courses and the fully online courses. An instructional design model is used to discuss and analyze one faculty member's journey through the…

What is meant by the term "standards"? This article will use the definition of the National Academy of Sciences for their workshop on Assessing the Role of K-12 Academic Standards, "generally used to refer to both content standards, which describe material that students should be expected to learn, and performance standards, which…

The article presents a student-impact assessment of a model two-year place-based intercultural approach to indigenous education. Students at Lewis & Clark Primary School in Missoula, Montana, connected face-to-face with tribal educators and members residing in the nearby American Indian reservation. The program's learning outcomes included…

An introductory geology class that satisfies a liberal arts distribution requirement was used to investigate the benefits of allowing discussion during assessments. For three term examinations, students completed short- to medium-length essay tests individually (individual examination) and then again as part of an assigned group of four to five…

As a new discipline, employment guidance is aimed at the study of employment and how to solve the problem in employment every individual meets. It offers an effective approach to the problem in employment for university graduates. This article starts with the importance of conducting employment guidance and makes an analysis of the status quo as…

This paper outlines a simple and effective model that can be used to evaluate and design educational digital games. It also facilitates the formulation of strategies for using existing games in learning contexts. The model categorizes game goals and learning objectives into one or more of four possible categories. An overview of the model is…

The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) is the primary advocacy organization for the nation's community colleges, representing nearly 1,200 two-year, associate degree-granting institutions and more than 11 million students. Founded in 1920, AACC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit association. AACC is governed by a 32 member board of directors,…

This "Informed Educator" examines research-proven strategies for implementing and sustaining school improvement by looking at the key elements of the process, enabling conditions for improvement, issues of school culture, and implementation. It also looks at school turnarounds and how to sustain school improvement once reforms are implemented.