For several decades now, there have been calls for the creation of inclusive learning environments within regular classroom settings. Teachers and other practitioners involved in this task need various types of guidance to assist them. While general principles deduced from empirically-based positivist studies are valuable, micro-sociology based…

Green is a question with varying answers and sometimes no answer at all. It is a question of location, resources, people, environment, and money. As green really has no end point, a teacher's goal should be to teach students to question and consider green. In this article, the author provides several useful metrics to help technology teachers…

This article presents Ted Sizer's opening remarks during the Fall Forum in 2000 at Providence, Rhode Island. In his opening remarks, Sizer reviews what the Coalition of Essential Schools (CES) is, and what it is not. CES, he contends, is not a fixed school design but rather, a set of ideas, ideas and conditions and convictions, called principles,…

Education provides the basic knowledge and skill sets that enable individuals to gain employment. In today's world of increasing globalization, there is a need for skilled workers who can move quickly and easily across national borders. Globalization is real and important. It drives economic change, but its influence goes far beyond economics. As…

In response to the growing number of sustainability policies being enacted at higher education institutions, this article examines the relationship between policy and pedagogy, asking how policy texts can both enable and impede the implementation of sustainability pedagogy in higher education. To explore this question, we have undertaken a case…

Kirschner, Sweller, and Clark (2006) make a general case for the effectiveness of a teaching method--direct instruction--without reference to any context of what it is that is being taught by whom and to whom. In so doing, they bypass what is arguably the most pressing concern facing educators--not how to teach students but what to teach them. An…

Building world-class universities has become a national policy priority in China since then-President Jiang Zemin announced in May 1998 that China must have several world-class universities of international advanced level. This article aims to offer critical reflections on the policy in relation to building world-class universities in China. It…

A teacher recently said of her own education, "When I went to school, we knew a lot and understand nearly nothing. We had no idea how what we learned related to the world beyond the classroom. What a waste!" This teacher is right. Knowing, which is important, is not the same as understanding. Simply cultivating knowledge is, as the teacher said, a…

Article consists of an examination of the political controversy which arose in the state of Maharashtra when a plan for "educational development" was put forward for public consideration by the state cabinet in April 1968. (Author)

This paper represents the opinions of two educators who are presently involved with investigations into competency-based education (CBE). It sets forth the assumptions underlying competency-based education that have been interpreted from statements in literature, from research reports, from observation, and from its proponents and opponents.…

An essential part of moving forward with the Understanding by Design[R] framework is to make sure its principles and strategies are reflected in all aspects of your school improvement efforts, including curriculum planning, leadership, teacher professional development, and action research. Here's a book designed to help you. From creating your…

During a fieldstudy of children's gardens in the United States in 2005, the author became aware that possibilities for providing learning experiences in children's gardens are bountiful and different styles are emerging. Anecdotally this appears to be a contested area with some within the discipline favoring a narrower definition of children's…

The author describes new structures and models for postsecondary education. (MF)

Proponents of standards-based reform claim that student achievement testing increases accountability and allows for greater instructional consistency. Performance across schools, boards, provinces, and even countries internationally can be compared and contrasted with the aim of identifying exemplary teaching practices. Teachers can also use…

America's Promise Alliance recommends that all sectors of society work together to ensure all young people have a 21st century education in which service-learning and civic involvement are components. This policy/practice brief explores service-learning as a place-based family-strengthening strategy that develops the capacity of youth as a core…