Paraprofessionals serve a critically significant role on educational teams, yet often receive the least amount of training among educational professionals. This article details an online paraprofessional learning series created by a team of special education faculty. The professional development series draws on a disability studies in education…

Trip and conference chaperones are a wonderful resource in youth development programs. These well-intended volunteers, many parents of youth participating in the event, want the best experience for the youth but are not necessarily trained in positive youth development. A consequence of this circumstance is that not all chaperones provide the best…

Nelson Mandela's adage, "I destroy my enemies when I make them my friends" captures the profoundly inclusive nature of restorative justice (RJ). The hallmark of RJ is intentionally bringing together people with seemingly diametrically opposed viewpoints--particularly people who have harmed with people who have been harmed--in a carefully…

Learning is obviously a student responsibility... the learning environment is obviously the responsibility of faculty (supported by the institution). "Beyond Crossroads" (Chapter 4) lists recommendations and standards in both areas. Current approaches to developmental mathematics offer methodologies that address those standards and bring a…

Four elements contribute to a classroom's success or failure as a learning environment: student needs, instructor approach, course content, and institutional setting. This chapter discusses the challenge of aligning these elements in the developmental classroom.

Historical context informs the work of student affairs professionals and others in higher education in striking the right balance in helping prepare students for life after college, but significant new pressures face students, their mentors, and educational institutions today. This chapter discusses the contexts that shape the work of student…

The entire staff of one New York elementary school was trained in Developmental Activities Project to understand how students develop logical thinking, how to assess each student's developmental level, and how to create an appropriate learning environment. DAP is based on Piaget's 46 concrete mental structures, including classification, relations,…

Project BORN FREE is a multidimensional effort to intervene in educational institutions to help reduce career-related sex-role stereotyping. It also attempts to expand career options through increasing faculty and parent awareness of their own socialized attitudes and behaviors and their impact on students. It is an indirect intervention, focusing…

Whilst the government, higher education authorities and institutions, academics, academic development practitioners, researchers etc. recognize that there is an increasing number and diversity of students accessing higher education, do the stake-holders really know who these students are before even thinking of enhancing their learning and…

In terms of opportunities for college, the society is not a level playing field, according to David Conley, professor and director of the research center for educational policy, University of Oregon. Middle and upper classes have far more access to the right information than others. Conley adds that when a person goes to college, he/she needs a…

Founded in 2007, the "Technology Centers That Work" (TCTW) school improvement model is designed to assist shared-time technology centers in preparing graduates for postsecondary studies and employment in high-demand, high-wage, high-skill fields. "TCTW" was modified from SREB's "High Schools That Work" ("HSTW") design to address shared-time…

Adolescents spend a large proportion of their day in school or pursuing school-related activities. While the primary purpose of school is the academic development of students, its effects on adolescents are far broader, also encompassing their physical and mental health, safety, civic engagement, and social development. Further, its effects on all…

Speculates on the causes of attrition in developmental-education classes, stating that two factors influencing it are how well a student identifies with his or her institution and the quality of faculty-student interaction. Asserts that institutions must be aware of the cultural histories and socialization experiences students bring with them, and…

This monograph addresses developmental education in the 21st Century, identifying the major issues and providing examples of successful developmental programs. The first chapter, "Access and the New America of the Twenty-First Century," emphasizes several changes in American society that have affected access to education and…