A fundamental challenge facing students who are English Learners (ELs) is the interplay of oral language development--speaking and understanding a language--and literacy development--learning to read and write the language. This interplay is especially challenging because each of those developmental processes is complex in and of itself, and each…

For years, instructors have used talks, speak-outs, and panel discussions so that students could hear the perspective of others. Bringing panel discussions into the classroom can provide valuable experience for students. They allow students to hear viewpoints and arguments of others, in contrast to traditional classroom discussions that only allow…

Many teachers have only a cursory understanding of culturally relevant pedagogy, and their efforts to bridge the cultural gap often fall short. Culturally relevant pedagogy is a term that describes effective teaching in culturally diverse classrooms. It can be a daunting idea to understand and implement. Yet people tend to appreciate culturally…

Storytelling is a teaching technique that has been around for thousands of years. Stories transmit values, engage the imagination, and foster community. Effective storytelling silences the room and invites every type of learner to participate. It encourages the chatty to be still and the quiet to speak up. This article discusses why storytelling…

Culture is the social and intergenerational glue that defines, connects, sustains, and enriches the members of successful communities--including schools and classrooms. A classroom culture is a psychological atmosphere that nurtures and shapes students' attitudes about their own identity, classes, school, and learning in general. Classroom culture…

Do students learn as well online as in traditional classrooms? As higher education institutions and K-12 districts, business, and nonprofit organizations increasingly look to online course delivery, this is a very critical question. Although raised frequently by college faculty members, school teachers, administrators, and corporate trainers,…

A 2008 report, "Keeping Pace with K-12 Online Learning," commissioned by North American Council for Online Learning (NACOL) and others, defines online learning as "teacher-led education that takes place over the Internet, with the teacher and student separated geographically." The term "distance learning" includes online education, but is…

A decade ago, M.C. Wang, G.D. Haertel, and H.J. Walberg asked the question, "What helps children learn?" To find the answer to that question, they analyzed the contents of 170 books, compiled 91 research syntheses, and surveyed 61 educational researchers. In order to summarize their findings in a way that would be helpful to educators,…

Many Americans who live far from major cities and who have no firsthand knowledge of realities in urban public schools seem to have a rather vague and general impression that the great extremes of racial isolation they recall as matters of grave national significance some 35 or 40 years ago have gradually, but steadily, diminished in more recent…

For the past four years, the Center on Education Policy (CEP), an independent nonprofit research and advocacy organization, has been conducting a comprehensive and continuous review of NCLB, producing the annual reports contained in the series "From the Capital to the Classroom" as well as numerous papers on specific issues related to…