This practical resource explains brain development from prenatal to age 8 with suggestions for activities educators and caregivers can use to foster children's cognitive growth. The authors begin with the basics of brain development, and the issues that affect it, and then provide information specific to infant, toddler, preschool, and…

Executive function (EF) skills are the attention-regulation skills that make it possible to sustain attention, keep goals and information in mind, refrain from responding immediately, resist distraction, tolerate frustration, consider the consequences of different behaviors, reflect on past experiences, and plan for the future. As EF research…

The marketised and securitised shaping of formal education sites in terms of risk prevention strategies have transformed what it means to be a learner and a citizen. In this book, Karl Kitching explores racialised dimensions to suggest how individuals and collectives are increasingly made responsible for their own welfare as "good" or…

This study provides a model of academic identity development for college students with learning disabilities from the integrative self-determination themes of persistence, competence, career decision making, and self-realization. Nineteen self-determined and high-achieving participants were interviewed. The participants' stories illustrate how…

For more than two decades, the concept of student engagement has grown from simple attention in class to a construct comprised of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral components that embody and further develop motivation for learning. Similarly, the goals of student engagement have evolved from dropout prevention to improved outcomes for lifelong…

Close to 50% of all college students attend 2-year colleges, according to the National Center for Educational Statistics (2003). The common assumption is that students who choose 2-year schools do so because they are academically deficient or price conscious. However, little research has been done on why students choose to attend a 2-year college.…

There are many students who could profit from increasing their scores by even 50 points. It can mean the difference between getting into a "reach" or a "safety" school. Thus, there are a large number of students who could benefit from a book like this. Most of the books on the market are geared toward the great number of…

Background: Although several studies support the existence of a negative stream effect on lower-ability stream students' academic self-concept, there is not enough longitudinal research evidence to preclude the possibility that the stream effect may only be temporary. In addition, not much is known about the effect of streaming on changes in…

This paper presents student perspectives on what they consider to be a fair and equitable national education system, based on their own experiences of primary and secondary level schooling by the age of 13 or 14. A survey of 5432 students in five countries involved a questionnaire administered as part of an EU-funded project to develop indicators…

This book brings together research and professional knowledge to enhance the teaching of lower attaining students in secondary mathematics. Attainment in mathematics is an important social issue, since underachievement can make a difference to future life choices, particularly amongst certain groups of students. This book shows how well-meant…

According to Gordon and Bridglall, the ability to learn is more of a developed human capacity than a fixed aptitude with which one is born. They argue that the emergence of academic ability is associated with exposure to specialized cultures that privilege the attitudes, knowledge, and skills that schools reward. Children who are born to and…

For many, merit, defined by test scores, is a readily accessible representation of academic ability, and both the K-12 and postsecondary systems have used such scores as a guide at multiple levels of decision making and accountability. In assessing the strengths and limitations of increasingly test-defined efforts to improve K-12 education and,…

To be prepared for a successful college experience, students must know certain academic subjects and have the skills to demonstrate their competencies in these subjects. This booklet outlines what college entrants need to know and be able to do to enter college in Alabama. As of July 1989, admissions standards of all Alabama public colleges and…

Recommendations of a Southeast Missouri task force concerning high school preparation for Southeast Missouri State University are offered. Attention is directed to: requirements for admission to the university, academic competencies that are necessary for success at the university, qualities and competencies that contribute to college success, and…

This book, also available on audiocassette, is written for preadolescents and adolescents with learning disorders, and offers them empowering suggestions for overcoming their problems in school. The first chapter deals with basic concepts related to learning disorders and brain function. It emphasizes that there are many types of learning…