To paraphrase a quote by Thomas Jefferson, "there is nothing so unfair as the equal treatment of unequal children." Teachers cannot use a one-size-fits-all model of instruction to successfully reach all children. This "Focus On"--an update of our popular 2004 edition--is designed to help teachers assess and improve their own…

This case study aimed at identifying barriers encountered by an English teaching who taught in a large class and how he dealt with them. The participant of this study was an English teacher in a private owned school and the number of students he taught was more than 30, which is considered a large class for language learning. An in-depth interview…

This Annual Service Plan Report discusses the results related to measures in the Ministry of Education's 2015/16-2017/18 Service Plan. Work within the Ministry is driven by the Minister's Mandate Letter, aligning with government's strategic mandate and the Ministry's goals, objectives, and strategies. Comparing performance against these principles…

There is increasing evidence that games provide good learning environments, particularly in their ability to drive tenacity and intrinsic motivation, two key characteristics needed for student success. Advancing technology now enables games to also serve as assessments with real-time data that gives teachers the ability to have immediate…

Given the implementation of the federal initiative Response to Intervention (RtI) many districts are exploring teaching philosophies and strategies to help close the achievement gap. Differentiated instruction is a teaching philosophy that has been known to help teachers assist students in reaching their highest academic potential. The purpose of…

By integrating the best of current research and practice in curriculum planning this book presents that comprehensive topic in a manageable form. Examples throughout are representative of different grade levels and subjects areas. It should be understood at the outset that the content offered for curriculum planning is not a rigid prescriptive…

The purpose of the study is to show the various perceptions teachers have on merit pay. This research was designed to examine the perceptions and attitudes of teachers towards the idea of performance based pay. This topic has been an ongoing battle within school systems since the 1800s. The participants in this study were teachers from the state…

The purpose of this paper is to share the effectiveness of the word study program "Words Their Way" (Bear et. al., 2008) to improve spelling retention of first graders in a regular education classroom in the Spring of 2012. After implementing a traditional spelling program and seeing students continuously spell previous spelling words…

New technologies emerge frequently. Administrators and teachers have to decide which technologies are worthwhile investments of both limited funds and instructional time. Standards from the Partnership for 21st Century Skills and the International Society for Technology in Education encourage educators to teach skills that will help students adapt…

Many schools are in some stage of implementing differentiated instruction, with some already in what Carol Tomlinson describes in "The Differentiated School" as "second order change," where the entire school practices differentiation. In high-performing schools, differentiation has proved to be an effective instructional strategy; in classroom…

Students with disabilities who engage in high rates of challenging behaviors require educators who employ function-based thinking and have a particular sensitivity to the wide range of factors that influence student behavior. In essence, educators working with special needs students need to know what makes their instruction "special"; they must…

The prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)--a group of developmental disabilities that cause severe problems with socialization, behavior, and communication--continues to grow. In 2008, the year that "Odyssey" focused on autism, the estimated prevalence of ASD for hearing children was 1 in 150 (CDC, 2007), while today estimates suggest…

Early childhood educators working within a Response to Intervention (RTI) framework are concerned with monitoring children's progress to make appropriate adjustments to their teaching to promote language and literacy development. A curriculum-based approach can be effective in helping teachers to maximize the quality of universal instruction for…

The purpose of this article is to describe the current research base and identify research needs related to response to intervention (RTI) frameworks in primary-grade reading. Research is reviewed on early reading instruction and intervention, the implementation of multitiered reading interventions, and the determination of intervention…

With the skyrocketing diagnoses of ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, and related conditions in U.S. schools, there is a growing need for information on creating effective IEPs for exceptional students. The "IEP From A to Z" is a step-by-step guide showing teachers and parents how to get the right education plan in place for students with ADHD,…