Research shows that many citizens have misconceptions about the source of their food and fiber. Several organizations have developed agriculture-based curriculum in an effort to increase agricultural literacy. Although there are a number of resources available to teachers, it is unclear which resources are being used and how often they are being…

"Pathways to Personalization" offers an innovative five-step framework to help school leaders and teacher teams design and implement blended and personalized learning initiatives based on local needs and interests. The book draws on principles of improvement science and change management, as well as work in nearly five hundred…

Gestures have been shown to play a key role in mathematical reasoning and be an indicator that mathematical reasoning is "embodied" -- inexorably linked to action, perception, and the physical body. Theories of extended cognition accentuate looking beyond the body and mind of an individual, thus here we examine how gestural embodied…

The purpose of this study is to measure the effects that professional development focused on specific Danielson domains has on teacher professional practice and student achievement. This was studied in a suburban Chicago junior high school with a student enrollment of 511 students and 40 certified staff members. The study followed a mixed method,…

Small businesses account for a majority of U.S. jobs and play a vital role in the economy. However, the survival rate for small businesses is disconcerting. Only half of the small businesses will survive five years or more and one-third ten or more years. Fast food restaurants are part of the food and drinking industry. It is the second largest…

Teachers are being asked to implement cultural awareness into their instruction in the 21st century classroom, yet many lack the requisite knowledge and skills to accomplish this. The purpose of this inquiry was to explore the perceptions of teachers who are returned Peace Corps volunteers (RPCV) regarding what in their long-term international…

This how-to manual provides a structured framework for developing a comprehensive teaching-learning philosophy from articulation through implementation to evaluation--and then reactivation. Using professional literature and teaching-learning experiences, the authors provide pragmatic steps for using a grounded philosophy to inform, engage, and…

School leaders are continuously searching for innovative educational practices such as the use of digital badges to curtail illiteracy. Digital badges are electronic representations of academic achievements that offer a more cohesive and comprehensive account of learning. The purpose of this quantitative quasi-experimental research study was to…

Federal policy limits the number of students that a state may assess with an alternate assessment aligned to alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS) to no more than 1% of all students in the grades assessed in a state. The AA-AAS is intended only for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. This Brief addresses important…

Globalization continues to influence the focus, method, and pace of education across different levels. This paper draws attention to the challenges globalization poses and its impact on the individual and learning. Also, highlighting a "new school structure" based on the logical relation between transformative emancipatory learning and…

This paper is based on research with two groups of novice and expert teachers with and without TEFL Certificate (Standard Licensed and Alternatively Licensed) in contexts with prescribed methodology. It considers discord and tensions between teachers' preformed beliefs, prior experiences and conceptions of teaching with the contextual obligations…

"Catalyzing Change in High School Mathematics: Initiating Critical Conversations" identifies and addresses critical challenges in high school mathematics to ensure that each and every student has the mathematical experiences necessary for his or her future personal and professional success. These challenges include: (1) explicitly…

The emphasis on social-emotional competence and its importance to positive academic and nonacademic outcomes has led to a focus on identifying and implementing effective practices for supporting young children's social-emotional competence. Our work to identify, validate, and support the fidelity of implementation of evidence-based practices to…

Evidence and use of standards have become buzz words in teacher education. In order to satisfy the policy requirements, meet accreditation standards, and respond to the critics of traditional routes of teacher preparation, teacher educators are attempting to balance their program philosophy with state and national standards in designing their…

This meta-analysis has two objectives: (a) to address the main effects of learning cycle models on students' success in science; and (b) to address potential moderators of the effect of LC models. This meta-analysis was conducted by calculating the effect size of 75 studies, including theses and journal papers associated with the implementation of…