This article presents a description of a South African mathematics teacher's struggles to mediate a new national assessment tool called the Common Tasks for Assessment with her grade 9 learners, who are unprepared for the assessment. The purpose of the study is to describe and to identify the constraints on the teacher's mediation attempts. The…

Within each state there is a patchwork of residential educational programs that are affiliated with youth shelters, detention centers, hospitals, mental health facilities, and other settings. In Iowa, the local school district, an area education agency (AEA), the Department of Human Services, and others provide educational services. Heartland…

The After-School Corporation (TASC) follows the national discussion on expanded learning initiatives with much interest. TASC believes that by increasing the amount of time that students spend in school, students can participate in diverse activities that go beyond the structured school curricula that characterize many of the schools nationwide.…

This article presents reflections and guidance concerning assessment literacy in teacher education. Previous inadequacies in teacher training in educational assessment highlight the need for teachers to be assessment literate. Assessment literacy consists of an individual's understanding of the fundamental assessment concepts and procedures deemed…

Recently "Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements" ("CAPS") were introduced in South Africa in response to confusion precipitated by previous curriculum documents. The purpose of this paper is to explore that confusion in the subject 'Physical Sciences' and consider the nature of the transformation from the previous…

Five chief academic officers (CAOs) represented their institutions and served as a purposeful sample to qualitatively explore how they used National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) results to facilitate institutional effectiveness and promote undergraduate student success. All these private Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) participated in…

Engagement has evolved from concerns of "access," "diversity," and "public service" between the academy and communities. Land-grant institutions (LGI), considered the "public's universities," have represented a unique population in American higher education with their historic 150-year tradition of teaching, research, and service. Carnegie…

"The United States' failure to educate its students leaves them unprepared to compete and threatens the country's ability to thrive in a global economy." Such was the dire warning recently issued by a task force sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations. Chaired by former New York City schools chancellor Joel I. Klein and former U.S.…

Game Sense is an exciting and innovative approach to coaching and physical education that places the "game" at the heart of the session. It encourages the player to develop skills in a realistic context, to become more tactically aware, to make better decisions and to have more fun. "Game Sense" is a comprehensive,…

This report updates the December, 2011 report "AYP Results for 2010-11" to include AYP data from school year 2010-11 for New York State. Several numbers throughout the report have changed as a result of the new data from New York. Most notably, the estimated percentage of all public schools in the nation that did not make AYP for 2011 has been…

This report analyzes the NCLB waiver applications submitted in the second round by 26 states and Washington, D.C. to the U.S. Department of Education in February 2012. Among the findings in the report is that, like the first round of applications, these states are proposing new accountability systems that will lead to greater complexity both…

This qualitative study explored the purpose of grading at three career technical high schools. Four academic and four career technical teachers described their grading practices via unstructured interviews and a comprehensive survey. The teachers' perceptions, attitudes, and concerns were also examined. An emphasis was placed on the career…

Looking beyond the right or wrong answer is imperative to the development of effective educational environments conducive to Pre-AP work in math. This presentation explores a system of evaluation in math that provides a personalized, student-reflective model correlated to consortia-based assessment. Using examples of students' work that includes…

The U.S. Department of Education has given Michigan a rare opportunity to devise new educational systems that better serve our state's students, families and educators. In return, Washington has agreed to waive some provisions of No Child Left Behind. For instance, states will no longer have to ensure that all students are proficient in reading…

Digital learning, supporters say, has the power to help prepare students for the workforce, improve student learning and educator effectiveness, and bring high-quality education to those who can't otherwise access it. However, great variability exists among schools and districts in terms of level of development and needs. This policy brief serves…