Research has demonstrated that well-integrated computer-assisted instruction can have positive effects on student achievement, attitudes, and self-esteem. In this article, the authors summarize a project that focused on increasing students' positive social behavior by providing better context to the instruction and using technology as the teaching…

Web-based technology increases the hours we spend sitting in front of the screens of our computers. But can it also be used in a way to improve our social skills? The blended learning paradigm of Person-Centered e-Learning (PCeL) precisely aims to achieve intellectual as well as social and personal development by combining the benefits of online…

This study has two parallel research agenda: (1) the development of social skills and pedagogical content knowledge in teacher candidates as they work collaboratively in pairs, and (2) the development of conceptual understanding and social skills in elementary school students who are taught by teacher candidates with cooperative learning…

According to the U.S. Department of Education, 39% of public school students were considered to be part of a minority group in 2000, as opposed to just 22% in 1972. Although the increased diversity offers many opportunities for staff members and students to learn from one another, not all members of the school community adjust quickly to a…

Largely qualitative data were examined in the second year of a 5-year longitudinal study of the effectiveness of career and technical education (CTE)-based reforms in helping disadvantaged youth in grades 7, 9, and 11 succeed in school. Students were enrolled at three school sites with these differing program foci: (1) career pathways; (2)…

This document is intended to serve as a resource for the implementation of Wisconsin's Cooperative Education Skill Standards Certificate Program. Following an introduction there is an overview of the program, school district eligibility requirements, local partner responsibilities, and factors that may present barriers to program implementation. A…

Flexible Learning in an Information Society uses a flexible learning framework to explain the best ways of creating a meaningful learning environment. This framework consists of eight factors--institutional, management, technological, pedagogical, ethical, interface design, resource support, and evaluation--and a systematic understanding of these…

In this paper, we present a web-based educational setting, referred to as SCALE (Supporting Collaboration and Adaptation in a Learning Environment), which aims to serve learning and assessment. SCALE enables learners to (i) work on individual and collaborative activities proposed by the environment with respect to learners' knowledge level, (ii)…

The purpose of the following article is to discuss the integration of computer mediated communication into a French writing course and to report on the assessment methodology used in order to gather students' perspectives. The online course component was introduced in the Fall of 2003 in order to enhance students' learning by introducing…

The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) documents dimensions of quality in undergraduate education and provides information and assistance to colleges, universities, and other organizations to improve student learning. Its primary activity is annually surveying college students to assess the extent to which they engage in educational…

By necessity, today's teachers do much more than deliver instruction. In the classroom, on the playground, or even in the parking lot, teachers are often called upon to respond quickly and appropriately to students' social and emotional needs, drawing from instinct more than anything else. In this second edition of "Counseling Skills for…

The Full Inclusion Preschool Project (FIPP) was a collaborative, county/state funded grant that included: four non-subsidized preschools, seven school districts and university support. The four-year FIPP grant fully included a total of forty-five students with disabilities, two to five years of age, over a three year period. The preschools…

This edited collection addresses the growing need for ideas and methods conducive to holistic educational practices and aims to encourage more personal growth in students too often distracted by the background noise of war, violence, racism, and environmental deterioration. The contributors are working teachers and professors who have integrated a…

This investigation compared quantitative outcomes associated with class-wide peer tutoring using differentiated hands-on activities vs. teacher-directed instruction for students with mild disabilities in inclusive 8th-grade science classes. Thirteen classes of 213 students (109 males; 104 females), of whom 44 were classified with disabilities,…

In response to disturbing trends in child poverty levels, leaders in business and philanthropy collaborated to address the problems faced by children and families, concluding that to improve the education of children, the larger family issues of poverty, health care, and social services must be addressed. As part of this effort, across the United…