Ability grouping is a common practice in many mathematics classrooms. Its negative effects on students have been documented in research spanning two decades or more, and yet it is still widely implemented--in some countries even mandated. Using data from interviews with Australian students in the compulsory years of secondary schooling (14-16…

This paper is an attempt to map out an emerging, and increasingly important field of study concerning the relationship between education and conflict. The field has two main parameters. The first involves the variety of contexts within which education systems are required to operate. Distinctions are drawn between education that is provided within…

The demand for evidence-based research (EBR) in education has evoked considerable debate regarding the nature of knowledge practitioners hold, how they come to know, and the sociopolitical contexts in which that knowledge is generated. Proponents of EBR such as Michael Feuer stress the need for research that validly identifies solutions to…

In this article, the author describes seven movement-related areas of cognitive neuroscience research that will play key roles in shifting the current behavioral orientation of teaching and learning to an orientation that also incorporates cognitive neuroscience discoveries. These areas of brain research include: (1) mirroring system; (2) plastic…

The purposes of this article are to underscore the importance of using research-based practices to support the needs of all learners in general education settings and to provide teachers with strategies for obtaining research-based practices. Students with diverse learning needs require that teachers utilize more effective and efficient practices…

The author introduces the importance of class, providing a historical overview of the concept and discussing its applicability to the study of adult education.

The collection and use of data are generally accepted as important educational practices. Nevertheless, evidence exists that interventionists' data collection practices tend to be infrequent and nonsystematic. This study investigated the perspectives of early childhood interventionists about the use of data in their classrooms. Perspectives about…

Given the extraordinary success that higher education has enjoyed over a very long period, it is vulnerable to becoming the "victim of its own success." The challenge for higher education is multifaceted and includes: (1) Overcoming the tendency toward hallowed tradition and the status quo; (2) Formulating a vision for achieving the purpose of…

On average, about 25 percent of students leave higher education (HE) institutions annually in South Africa because they are excluded on academic and financial grounds. To resist such putouts, student boycotts and protests are common despite the fact that student organizations were incorporated into decision-making processes at HE institutions…

In this article, the author reports the plans of Department of Education to release proposed regulations on testing flexibility for certain students with disabilities, which will guide states in the lengthy process of developing new assessments. In April, Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced that 2 percent of students in special…

This article explores how critical pedagogy and theatre arts can examine difference, change, and transformative possibilities in public spheres of educational practice. This narrative study offers a useful contribution on how theory, research, and practice can contribute to new ways of framing transformative feminist pedagogy in school cultures. I…

In response to growing rates of obesity and health-related problems in children, schools are beginning to shift Physical Education classes from competitive games to lessons on leading healthier lives. This article discusses some creative ways implemented by school administrators to help children get fit and fight what some call an epidemic. The…

In this article, the author expresses his concern about the current state of the profession and the changes in college admission processes. Paper has been replaced with computers, counseling has been replaced with marketing, and the emphasis on "fit" has been replaced by a preoccupation with prestige, or perceived prestige. These changes point to…

While advances in technology have enhanced the quality and variety of visual presentations in teaching, most instructors find themselves teaching to a generation of students who are difficult to dazzle. Although the innovative use of technology in and outside of the classroom is a challenge, selecting practices that optimize technology as a tool…

In this paper, the author reflects on the activities of her previous year with her second-grade students, focusing on a spring butterfly project that she believes helped her students "take flight." Her second graders had anxiously awaited the arrival of the Painted Lady caterpillars. They had studied metamorphosis in the fall and as what she had…