In this webinar, Dr. Charles Basch, Richard March Hoe Professor of Health and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, presented the causal connections between health factors and the motivation and ability to learn. This Q&A addressed the questions participants had for Dr. Basch following the webinar. The webinar recording and…

In this webinar, Ellen Moir, CEO and founder of the New Teacher Center, shared research that shows evidence of the effectiveness of the NTC induction model in raising student achievement and its potential for reducing teacher attrition (Moir, 2009). This Q&A addressed the questions participants had for Ellen Moir following the webinar. The…

Peggy Farber's stories (in the March 1998 "Kappan") about a few individuals at Boston Renaissance Charter School have a place in evaluating the program. However, the real story cannot be drawn from a few isolated, highly selective anecdotes. A balanced evaluation would have framed the discussion around the schools' progress with…

"Transformational Professional Learning" is a periodically published e-newsletter designed to influence what educational leaders think, say, and do to improve teaching and learning by promoting deep understanding of important issues, the transformation of beliefs and assumptions, and a stream of powerful goal-focused actions. There are two…

A literacy program incorporating adult learning principles was designed using functional materials and an appropriate methodology, and the feasibility of this program was assessed in an adult basic education setting. Analysis of achievement data indicated that the application of adult learning principles to adult literacy resulted in effective…

To meet the challenge of effective instructional support, districts should develop and implement policies governing remedial education that are tailored to the needs of students and the resources of their local communities. An overview of state and federal remedial education programs is provided. Varying combinations of factors within and outside…

The history of the College Entrance Examination Board's Advanced Placement Program is chronicled from its conception in 1951 through early developmental stages and 40 years of implementation. Issues discussed include test development, funding, administration at the institutional level, expansion of curriculum areas and testing options, teacher…

This chapter reviews changes for the future of student support programs identified and addressed by other contributing authors. It is proposed that without a blueprint of how the fields of school counseling, psychology, nursing, social work, and other student support programs will change to address the future, extinction is guaranteed. Changes…

Lessons learned from Onderwijs un Sociaal Milieu (OSM), or Education and Social Origin, the largest compensation and enrichment program ever developed in The Netherlands, are described in this paper. Although the program did not raise lower class students' standardized test scores to the national level, the program had overly ambitious goals and…

Research indicates that token rewards of students have negative consequences. Using this as an example, school board members who are asked to support proposals for new programs should refuse to consider programs not grounded in substantive research and to expect staff members to develop a program-planning process that includes indepth research…

Profound changes have taken place in American community colleges in the last three decades. During the late 1960s, a desire to remove social inequities and to increase social mobility brought about a general educational liberalization which broadened access to education and limited constraints on passage through the educational system. Falling…

Academic support has long been accepted as a major role of school counselors, yet many believe that traditional roles will not be enough for school counselors in the twenty-first century. This chapter focuses on how school counselors will need to expand their understanding of what academic support means in terms of learning and academic outcomes.…

This paper discusses current school reforms and their role in addressing barriers to student learning. Providing all students an equal opportunity to succeed requires more than higher standards and greater accountability for instruction, better teaching, increased discipline, reduced school violence, and an end to social promotion. It also…

Describes the academic development programs at four tertiary institutions in South Africa as well as the development of a fifth new program at Border Technikon. Topics include cross-cultural differences; interviews; supplemental instruction that combined staff development and student academic development; integration of media support; and stages…

The educational attainment of college athletes has become a major national concern. Universities often have student athletes who are marginally prepared. Because universities accept these marginally prepared student athletes, it seems reasonable that they should provide special services necessary to reduce academic deficiencies. Raising academic…