The purpose of this study was to describe the characteristics of field experiences in traditional teacher preparation programs completed by first-year teachers in Missouri and how experiences vary by teaching certificate type. This descriptive study is based on data from a survey administered in early 2015 to first-year teachers in Missouri public…

Experts Bernhardt and Hébert's latest book demonstrates strategies to ensure your entire staff works together to design, implement, monitor, and evaluate a schoolwide prevention system with integrity and fidelity. Each step in this important resource is designed to help administrators, teachers, and other educators improve the learning of every…

The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) released joint guidance on January 7, 2015, reminding states, school districts, and schools of their obligations under federal law to ensure that English Learners (ELs) have equal access to a high-quality education and the opportunity to achieve…

Marzano (2003) identified 11 factors that positively influence student achievement. Those factors can be divided into three categories: school-level practices, teacher-level practices, and student-level characteristics. Interestingly, Marzano (2000) found that school- and teacher-level influences account for only 20% of the variance in student…

Educators at all school levels know that successful students--at all ability levels--have families who stay informed and involved in their children's education. Yet many middle level and high school teachers report that the only time they contact families is when students are in trouble. This disconnect between knowledge and behavior can be…

In recent years, researchers and practitioners have become increasingly interested in father/male involvement in early childhood programs. However, few empirical studies have examined early childhood educators' efforts to involve fathers in such programs. The purpose of the present investigation was to assess early childhood educators' efforts to…

Researchers have compiled clear, convincing evidence of what works in early childhood education. Intensive intervention in the early years can make a dramatic difference. To create early learning environments, schools should hire qualified teachers, keep classes small, engage children in learning, design room to grow, test gently, and involve…

To communicate the writing instruction techniques they learned at the California Writing Project, 11 teachers organized a district writing resource team offering workshops and inservice sessions to other writing teachers in their district. Among the results of this subsequent Glendale Writing Project are a renewed enthusiasm and cooperation among…

A project on the ways in which children and families move from one learning environment to another works to build awareness of and strengthen transitions in the early childhood years through a series of national and regional conferences and by identifying promising transition programs in five regions of the country. This document describes…

This school system cut its energy consumption by 40 percent by involving people throughout the school system in simple energy conservation measures suggested by an energy audit and undertaking structural improvement projects half-funded by federal grants. (DCS)

College alumni associations are using a variety of approaches to improve alumni participation. Surveying alumni for needs and preferences can be fruitful. Program ideas include career planning, parent programs, community service, student relations activities, and high school recruitment. Qualitative and quantitative evaluation is crucial to…

One of the most critical needs in Florida's "Reading First" schools is to improve the effectiveness of interventions for struggling readers. For example, during the 2005-2006 school year, only 17% of first grade students who began the year at some level of risk for reading difficulties finished the year with grade level skills on the…

A 3-year summary evaluation report is presented concerning the success of the Family English Literacy Network (FELN) project of Florida International University. The report addresses the following questions: (1) Did the project meet its proposed objectives in a timely fashion? (2) Did the project participants demonstrate a significant increase in…

This follow-up study examined the daily routines and activities of 85 young adults with severe/profound mental retardation 4 years after moving to community residential units from an institutional setting in Melbourne, Australia. A more normalized lifestyle, increased daily variation, more community interaction, and greater parental involvement…

This report presents evaluative information of the effectiveness of the Career Awareness and Resource Education (Project CARE) program in New York City. The program served 346 students of limited English proficiency. Participating students received instruction in English as a second language ESL, native language arts (NLA), the content areas, and…