This study examines the digital divide and socioeconomic disparities that hinder equitable access to quality education in modern schools. This study highlights how unequal access to technology and the internet disproportionately affects students from low-income families, exacerbating existing educational inequalities. This paper defines the…

It is essential for today's students to learn about science and engineering in order to make sense of the world around them and participate as informed members of a democratic society. The skills and ways of thinking that are developed and honed through engaging in scientific and engineering endeavors can be used to engage with evidence in making…

Drawing on perceptions, behaviors, and experiences of students at an urban high school--both high and low achievers--this timely book demonstrates how urban youth can be meaningfully engaged in learning mathematics. The author presents a "potential" model rather than a "deficit" model, complete with teaching strategies and best practices for…

A study in 12 New South Wales (Australia) high schools investigated differences in motivation for Aboriginal (n=496), migrant (n=487), and Anglo (n=1172) students. A consistent picture of the urban Aboriginal child emerged, and key variables in his decision making (self-reliance, confidence, and goal direction) were identified as well as…

Providing students with time to read during school has been questioned by researchers and practitioners. This article reports on the efforts of one school to resuscitate a schoolwide initiative to provide students the opportunity to read. A single comment made by a student led to committee work and significant policy changes. A chronicle of events…

Recent information on international assessments (e.g., the Third International Mathematics and Science Study) indicates that 12th-grade students in the United States are doing extremely poorly on such assessments compared with their peers in other countries. These poor results are usually attributed to cognitive factors such as students' …

The dual-credit course option, in which classes are held at a nearby university or community college, is an exceptional marriage between secondary schools, community colleges, and some universities. Describes four types of dual-credit options between Olney Central College, Illinois, and participating high schools. (MLF)

Superintendents often mourn the "good old days" when they were educators and did not need to worry about the managerial and political aspects of their districts. Linda Hanson shows how effective a superintendent can be in the role of educator as she and her reading staff help their school board understand the implications of a mandatory graduation…

Covering everything from day-to-day learning activities to schoolwide goals, this engaging book reviews key topics in literacy instruction for grades 5-12 and provides research-based recommendations for practice. Leading scholars present culturally responsive strategies for motivating adolescents; using multiple texts and digital media;…

Engagement has become the hallmark of personalized learning. When students are engaged in learning, they actively apply what they know and search for ways to know more. Two years ago, researchers from the Northeast and Islands Regional Educational Laboratory, a program of the Education Alliance at Brown University, began a study to identify events…

This paper presents a four-fold typology developed as a general theory of student motivation to stay in school and work hard at learning tasks. Each of the four-fold categories is described with an initial statement of the specific source of student motivation, an analysis of how the source fits in more general motivational theories, and how the…

A 1-year research project was undertaken to discover how the arts could help keep at-risk high school students in school. The project was conducted in three phases. In phase 1, recent literature was reviewed to define criteria for the at-risk student and to identify implications for the arts in dropout prevention programs. Phase 2 consisted of…

This paper describes a mainstreaming model implemented at a high school in the Richardson Independent School District (Texas) for about 15 years. Implementation of the model has resulted in full mainstreaming of all special education students. The model's emphasis is on empowering students who have disabilities with the skills to be successful in…

High school administrators are concerned about the contribution of student absenteeism to poor academic performance and the likelihood of dropping out. Administrators are faced with the difficult task of deciding which incentives will make regular school attendance more meaningful to students, and which penalties may make truancy and class cutting…