Defining and measuring teacher effectiveness is one of the most hotly debated topics in public education today. The "No Child Left Behind" Act placed considerable emphasis on high quality teaching standards, making it a focal point of study among educators, administrators, and curriculum developers. Recruitment and retention of high…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Let's Get Digital: First-Ever National Digital Learning Day Attracts Participation from Thirty-Nine States, 19,000…

This synthesis examined the research literature from 1965 to 2009 on the assistive technology that is used by individuals with visual impairments. The authors located and reviewed 256 articles for evidence-based research on assistive technology that had a positive impact on educational performance. Of the 256 studies, only 2 provided promising…

The research literature on computer based (assisted) instruction is mixed. Some researchers say it improves and motivates student achievement. Some researchers say it has no effect on learning. Alarmingly, the data on eighth grade performance in math is low across the United States. In the state of Georgia there are gaps in the performance of…

The nation's K-12 schools are faced with critical challenges that are complex, complicated, and unprecedented (NCLB, 2001; Education Alliance, 2005; & Kowalski, 2009). The key challenges facing schools are elevating academic achievement; meeting No Child Left Behind (2001) standards (NCLB); South Carolina standards; the recruitment and…

The federal stimulus package provides badly needed aid to school districts, allowing them to avoid massive staff and teacher layoffs and injecting them with a healthy dose of funds for many programs ranging from technology to renovation work. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), which President Barack Obama signed on Feb.17, provides…

Every school district has policies and procedures for evaluating teachers that are shaped by state law and local collective bargaining agreements. As a result of No Child Left Behind and other accountability legislation many states modified requirements about the frequency of evaluation and now require the use of student achievement data as one…

Fourth-grader Nicholas is a homebound cancer patient who attends Plainview Elementary School in rural Chesterfield County, South Carolina. This year he was provided a laptop and webcam as part of Chesterfield County School District's Student Technology and Education Proficiency (STEP) initiative. Prior to the implementation of the STEP program in…

The responsibilities of the modern school superintendent may already seem boundless, from making the most of shrinking budgets, to working 21st-century skills into the K12 curriculum, to meeting the escalating standards of NCLB testing. But thanks to the initiatives of two national organizations dedicated to improving the use of educational…

For many states, it's been a long struggle to fund positions dedicated to helping schools integrate technology. But in Virginia, thanks to the state's forward thinking educational leaders and lawmakers, every school division has its own team of technology-integration specialists. It started with the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and the…

This study traces discursive formations surrounding educational technology, equity, and inclusion that have emerged or have been amplified through national policies and initiatives in the U.S., including the Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology (PT3) research grant program, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), the Ed Tech state funding…

The emergence of mobile technologies has afforded educators new ways of thinking about teaching and learning. When mobile technologies target specific instructional initiatives, they become lifelong learning tools for students and an integral part of the learning process. The key to success is creating logical and meaningful connections between…

Purpose: Consideration of assistive technology (AT) for special education students has been federally mandated since 1997. Since the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), rigorous evidence-based educational practices are also mandated. While national technology standards for teachers in general education exist to guide educational technology (ET),…

Struggling readers may regularly worry about reading at an appropriate speed and intonation. Fluency is a "hot" topic according to Jack Cassidy's annual reading survey published in "Reading Today," in which he interviews various literacy experts throughout the United States on the hot and not-so-hot reading topics. Fluency…

For many students with disabilities to be successful learners in the general education curriculum, they must receive supplemental aids and services. Assistive Technology commonly referred to as AT, fits both the definition of supplemental aids as well as related services for students with disabilities. Assistive Technology services and devices…