This fall, the nine states that finished as runners up in last year's groundbreaking Race to the Top competition will have an opportunity to reapply for a grant. The winners will receive a combined $200 million to help implement the bold education reform plans they developed last year. Many of the eligible states already have clear roadmaps toward…

The purpose of this study was to examine high school counselors' attitudes toward the sexuality of students with intellectual disabilities. One hundred and twenty-two high school counselors in Alabama were the participants for this study. Participants completed the "Attitudes towards Sexuality and Students with Intellectual Disability…

This study presents case studies of rural elementary schools in Hawaii that examine resource allocation strategies that promote student achievement. The combined frame work of the Evidence Based Model (Odden & Picus, 2008) and the 10 Strategies for Doubling Student Performance (Odden, 2009) were utilized to compare actual school resources and…

The phenomenon of bullying in K-12 school districts in the United States continues to undergo examination. The purpose of this study was to understand the issues of bullying from teacher and administrator perspectives and to describe components needed to build a quality program to prevent bullying. Research questions involved understanding…

Over the last two decades, several studies have confirmed that there is a leadership crisis among the nation's community colleges. In response to this leadership crisis, the American Association of Community Colleges [AACC] commissioned the development of a leadership competency framework consisting of six leadership competency areas deemed…

International tests indicate that United States students have been outscored by other countries in the area of mathematics. Researchers warn that elementary mathematics curricula and instruction in this country is not designed around helping students achieve mathematics proficiency. Much of this could also be attributed to the weak development and…

Defining what teachers need to know to teach algebra successfully is important for informing teacher preparation and professional development efforts. Based on prior research, analysis of video, interviews with teachers, and analysis of textbooks, we define categories of knowledge and practices of teaching for understanding and assessing teachers'…

In the face of dwindling financial resources, educational leaders are looking to refine resource allocation while maintaining a focus on improved student outcomes. This article presents initial findings from a professional development state initiative called Effective Behavioral and Instructional Support Systems (EBISS). The EBISS initiative aims…

There has been a wealth of research examining learning environments as one of the variables that contributes to academic success for students studying science. A constructivist learning environment has been explored as one way to assist students in achieving greater success with science learning. There is a lack of research concerning how and if…

This study examines the integration of environmental education (EE) into an after-school program in the Bronx borough of New York City. In this qualitative case study, focus group interviews were conducted to first determine parent and educator interest in and barriers to participation in nature programs and incorporation of EE into curriculum.…

This article describes a study examining the effects of Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) model instruction on the academic language performance of middle and high school English language learners. The SIOP model is an approach for teaching content curriculum to students learning through a new language. Teachers employ techniques…

For their ambitious project, called America at War, high school juniors at Da Vinci Charter Academy in the Davis (California) Joint Unified School District didn't just study history. They became historians. Their project offers compelling evidence of what students can accomplish through project-based learning (PBL), an instructional approach that…

There is wide acceptance that there are teacher shortages, particularly in physics, chemistry and mathematics, and in rural and hard to staff schools. An issue that arises because of this shortage is teachers teaching subjects that they are not qualified to teach. In this paper, I draw on my research and that of others to outline the issues for…

With increased accountability attached to students' results on national testing in Australia, teachers feel under pressure to prepare students for the tests. However, this can lead to shallow teaching of a narrowed curriculum. An alternative approach involves using data to identify common errors and misconceptions, discussing strategies aimed at…

Few online high schools report requiring online education for their teachers, and few programs exist to prepare teachers to teach online (Smith, Clark, & Blomeyer, 2005). Professional development for online teachers continues to be a concern, and evaluative research that examines the effectiveness of various types of professional development is…