In the last year, there has been a resurgence of articles and reports in media outlets such as "The New York Times," "PBS NewsHour," "EdWeek," and "The Atlantic" about students experiencing reading difficulties. Many of these pieces have created confusion and provided misinformation by oversimplifying both…

The "IDRA Newsletter" serves as a vehicle for communication with educators, school board members, decision-makers, parents, and the general public concerning the educational needs of all children in Texas and across the United States. The theme of this issue is English Learner Literacy. Articles include: (1) School Leaders Improve…

The purpose of this article is to describe a family literacy project involving a partnership of school-aged children and their families with in-service and pre-service teachers enrolled in a university course on literacy instruction for English language learners. This project consists of family members sharing their stories with their children to…

This article shares a monthly curricular model that can help teachers and families bridge the gap between home and school by using literature and response inspired from the cultures in the classroom. Integrating culturally responsive texts and family response journals into the classroom and the home can help children, their families, and peers…

This manual was written to help guide education stakeholders--including parents, students, school board members, community activists, administrators, policymakers and attorneys--in their efforts to promote racial diversity and avoid racial isolation in suburban school systems. Critical information on the current legal, political and policy issues…

Kindergarten has changed significantly in the last two decades: children now spend more time being taught and tested on literacy and math skills than they do learning through play and exploration, exercising their bodies, and using their imaginations. Many kindergartens use highly prescriptive curricula geared to new state standards and linked to…

This book is about learning styles and inclusion, but essentially it is about learning, and how to make learning more effective for all learners. To recognise the needs of learners as well as those of teachers, and at the same time appreciate that the inclusive education environment, irrespective of its merits, will present barriers for learners,…

This document addresses frequently asked questions and issues and promotes greater understanding by administrators, teachers, and parents of the potential benefits of education standards for the rapidly increasing population of students whose first language is not English. The standards movement challenges educators and the public to understand…

This book contains a series of essays in education intended for those who teach or plan to teach, and for parents of children in schools. The book argues that educators need to focus on the seminal thinking which developed in the 1940s and 1950s and utilize the insights developed then to focus on critical areas that the teaching profession faces…