A primary barrier to the usage of the well-documented pedagogical technique of service learning is time. Successful experiences require faculty to devote significant time to facilitating the community partnership. Another challenge is student readiness for experiences, both in terms of knowledge and motivation. In this article, 2 adaptations are…

This report was developed in partnership with Ready At Five. It lays out the critical importance of children starting school fully prepared to succeed in kindergarten. Most importantly, the report shares what everyone has learned from the 2010-2011 Maryland Model for School Readiness (MMSR) data about the school readiness of Maryland's children:…

Instead of putting the entire achievement burden on schools, what would it look like to hold a whole community responsible for long-range student outcomes? This report explores the concept of "shared accountability" in education. The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act ushered in a new era of accountability in American education: for the…

The phrase "teachable moment" has a taken-for-granted connotation of readiness to learn, but has been rarely defined and researched in the literature of higher education. This study described faculty members' experiences of teachable moments in their undergraduate classrooms. This included the conditions in which they emerge, and the…

Arguments regarding the distinction between child and adult learning have existed for decades. Pedagogy has a long tradition of providing educational guidance in which there is little differentiation between child and adult education. The two groups of learners are assumed to learn under the same philosophy. Conversely, andragogy, advanced by…

The purpose of this study was to determine predictors of student retention in generic baccalaureate nursing programs. The following question was addressed: How well do the independent variables of Self-Directed Learning Readiness (SDLR), nursing self-efficacy (NSE), and program admission predict retention of students enrolled in the first two…

This paper sets out to examine educational policy and practice in Scotland, showing how the "comprehensive and coherent programme to promote social inclusion"--inculcating "readiness to learn", ensuring that education equips the young for adult life, creating a demand for lifelong learning, above all through the presumption of…

This booklet is in response to commonly asked questions from parents about preparing for, and entering kindergarten. Some questions parents ask are about district policy. Nebraska has over 200 individual school districts, each having their own board, superintendent, and policies. The Nebraska Department of Education provides guidance and…

Attrition in online programs has historically been much higher than in traditional face to face programs, creating concern regarding the appropriateness of online learning for all populations. This study aimed to address the question of whether students' levels of self-directed learning readiness and the quality ratings of online courses would be…

This paper details the early childhood transition activities of three schools in southern Queensland, Australia, as reported by school administrators. The transition programs were analysed using the categories of the Transition to School Matrix of the New South Wales (NSW) Department of Education. Activities fell into the first four categories…

This article features Davenport Community Schools, Iowa's third largest school district that has partnered with its community to improve kindergarten readiness. The district created the Children's Village model to provide preschool classes taught by certified early childhood instructors and serve children from six weeks to five years of age in…

The present study examined the relative salience of age within cohort, grade retention, and delayed school entry (3 dimensions of age appropriateness) in 3,684 high school students' academic motivation, engagement, and performance. Structural equation modeling revealed that after the effects of demographic characteristics and grade retention were…

Poor academic outcomes and high dropout rates are major concerns of educators, policy makers, and parents alike--and poor health severely limits a child's motivation and ability to learn. Recent research confirms that "health disparities affect educational achievement". Improving students' health is integral to education reform.…

This article explores the role of group learning by focusing on how intragroup communication patterns (implicit and explicit) influence learning readiness dimensions (cue recognition, context facility, and cultural intelligence), which in turn influences the group's ability to learn and the type of leaning that occurs. Groups with high levels of…

The need to close the educational gap between Black and White students necessitated a search for answers through parental strategies that impact school readiness. Educational and child development literature support the fact that what a caregiver/parent does and/or does not do for their children, essentially, beginning at birth , has an impact on…