At a middle school, English language learners "beg" to take quizzes via iPod, engaging in interactive language arts exercises that seem more game than test. In a high school classroom, students write, videotape, and edit public service announcements, documentaries, and films. Students from the Seattle metropolitan area create stories via…

Educational equity is often discussed as a moral issue. Another way to think about equity is as a way to promote productivity and economic efficiency. Traditionally, equity and efficiency are viewed as competing goals. One can be fair in devising a policy, but often what is fair is not economically efficient. Conversely, what is efficient may not…

This article presents an interview with Linda Darling-Hammond, Charles Ducommun Professor of Education at Stanford University, director of the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy and Education, and codirector of the school redesign network at Stanford. In this interview, Darling-Hammond describes the term "21st century skills" and shares her…

Currently, K-12 education in the United States is dealing with three major challenges: (1) global skill demands versus educational attainment; (2) the funding cliff; and (3) a looming teacher shortage. Independently, these factors present significant challenges. In combination, they create a national imperative for swift action to create a more…

The transition to middle school is an educational milestone, marking significant and sometimes unspoken changes in expectations. The overriding expectation is that students will become more independent. This article discusses some tips that will help teachers in teaching organizational skills to middle school students. Middle school teachers…

For students born into poverty, grades 4-5 are a boundary where their learning needs change dramatically and in ways that have been consistently misunderstood throughout the many waves of well-intentioned reform over the past century. As a result, these needs have remained unaddressed, and grades 4-5 have become the boundary line where they start…

In recent years, there has been heightened awareness of the importance of early childhood education and high school as intervention points in the educational lives of America's children. Less attention has been paid to the importance of the upper elementary grades and middle school and the role they must play in the preparation of students for…

Preparing foster children for school entry by focusing on the skills necessary to succeed in kindergarten calls for early intervention. However, existing programs to enhance school readiness have not been tailored to meet the educational, emotional, and psychological needs of foster children. This is the rationale behind development of the…