This report examines five dimensions of various initiatives intended to empower students. It is based on two case studies of schools belonging to the Coalition of Essential Schools, a school-reform project aimed at improving teaching and learning in American schools. The report focuses on the level of power that administrators and teachers…

As revealed by the mean scores of the countries participating in the Performance Improvement through Strategy Analysis (PISA) assessment of reading literacy, Finland shows the highest reading literacy performance in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation Development (OECD) Finland's performance is significantly higher than that of any other…

As states and communities across the United States work to raise expectations for student learning, many are challenged by concerns and questions from increasingly vocal parents and teachers. This report summarizes the best advice for business coalitions and standards advocates on how to address the testing backlash. It also features an analysis…

Technikon Natal is a higher education contact institution in Durban, South Africa. In the last 6 years, the Online Learning Center has evolved bottom-up, driven by the contagious creative spirit of champion lecturers. Activities have grown to such an extent that it has become necessary for the institution's management to develop an institutional…

In the context of the development of the librarian as a teacher, this paper focuses on the instructional role of the school librarian, particularly in relation to student learning outcomes. It first identifies some of the research that shows the contribution of the school librarian's instructional role to student learning outcomes. It further…

Research suggests that the use of positive social skills with peers early on can lead to the development of positive peer relationships, acceptance, and friendships. Although many children develop these positive social skills naturally, some children do not. Children who are withdrawn as well as young children with mental retardation, autism,…

This paper reports on ongoing research investigating the role of literacy in the secondary schools of England. A National Literacy Strategy was introduced in England in 1997, its principal initial focus being primary schools. It was always clear, however, that the strategy would influence secondary schools and later it became apparent that the…

The application of emerging digital technologies such as e-mail, the World Wide Web and the Internet in the educational setting has received wide acceptance all over the world. Both corporate and academic agendas have recognized the potential advantages of e-learning; however, as a new field, e-learning courses comes with important issues that…

This final report describes activities and accomplishments of the Whole Schooling Research Project, a collaborative, qualitative study of inclusive education and its relationship with exemplary teaching and schooling practices in 16 schools in Michigan and Wisconsin from 1998 through 2002. The study focused on the application of five principles of…

The term "gender equity" can be described as being fair and just toward men and women, showing preference to neither sex, and concern for both sexes. A study addresses the covert and overt discrimination of girls and young women in the nation's elementary and secondary schools and presents and promotes strategies for educators to ensure…

This issue paper describes a professor's and a teacher's experiences with Project Connect, an ongoing collaborative service-learning project between preservice teachers at Western Washington University (WWU) and eighth-grade students at Fairhaven Middle School in the Bellingham (Washington) Public School District. The paper explains that for both…

Students in rural areas need strong career guidance programs to help them overcome disadvantages related to poverty, isolation, and scarcity of occupational opportunities and role models. A survey of career guidance programs in rural schools examined three essential program components identified in national guidelines. These components are a…

This report examines whether students at risk for academic failure are achieving success in Kentucky's alternative schools. Alternative schools serve as a placement both for students who disrupt the mainstream classroom and for those who need academic remediation. Such mixed placements may not provide a quality education for students having only…

This digest presents recommendations from the U.S. Department of Education's Hispanic Dropout Project for school practices that promote the academic achievement of Hispanic youth, and it supplements the recommendations with examples from case studies. Each Hispanic student should have an adult in the school committed to nurturing the student's…

A project was conducted in Pennsylvania to provide technical support to the APEX nomination and awards activity that recognizes outstanding adult education practitioners. The project included a revision of the nomination form and procedures developed for APEX in 1998 to align them with Adult Teacher Competency Standards developed in 1999. The APEX…