As states review, refine, and implement new academic standards, professional learning activities,also known as professional development (PD), should be scheduled in order to support educators. At the request of a state education agency, the Center on Standards and Assessments Implementation (CSAI) conducted a scan of six states' PD opportunities…

Personalized learning is designed to address the disengagement of today's students and to be proactive in closing the growing achievement gaps occurring in far too many schools. The goal of personalized learning is to engage students in the process, building on their interests, aptitudes, and strengths, thus creating intrinsic motivation for…

Since pairing the classics with young adult literature can increase reading comprehension and spark interest amongst our students, this essay explores a unit plan for connecting Will Hobbs's "Downriver" (1991) with William Golding's "Lord of the Flies" (1954). Both works espouse significant and timely themes: the importance of…

Overland Park, Kansas, may seem like an unlikely setting for using the "New Yorker." While it is not the "Wizard of Oz" Kansas -- more suburban sprawl than expansive wheat fields -- the ethos is far from the cosmopolitan aesthetic of New York City. The "New Yorker" covers can raise questions that may lead to relevant…

To seriously consider one's rights under the US Constitution, one must grapple with the realization that many rights are not absolute. Instead, they are contested. But how to introduce younger students to such a complex concept, given short attention spans? In this article, we discuss the opportunities, pitfalls, and planning logistics of the 2013…

Ethical practice in engineering is critical for ensuring public trust in the field and in its practitioners, especially as engineers increasingly tackle international and socially complex problems that combine technical and ethical challenges. This report aims to raise awareness of the variety of exceptional programs and strategies for improving…

This booklet provides an overview of the following important topics, which can assist parents in preparations to be made prior to their child's kindergarten entry: (1) Kansas Early Learning Standards; (2) Kindergarten Entry Information; (3) The Kindergarten Transition; (4) Additional Questions You May Have; and (5) Checklist for Entering…

Sixteen scholarly papers and twenty abstracts comprise the content of the eighteenth annual Brick & Click Libraries Conference, held annually at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri. The proceedings, authored by academic librarians and presented at the conference, portray the contemporary and future face of librarianship.…

The purpose of the present study was to investigate practices that support the inclusion of students with severe disabilities in the learning and social activities of inclusive K-8 schools to inform inclusive school reform research and practice. Eighteen K-8 students with severe disabilities in six schools recognized for their implementation of…

"The Learning System" is a newsletter designed for superintendents and central office staff with professional learning responsibilities. This issue includes: (1) District Pulls Together in Pursuit of Excellence: Creating Collaboration Systemwide Requires Commitment (Valerie von Frank); (2) Scheduling Time for Teacher Learning Is Key for…

The three teaching units in this packet are designed to help children ages 8 to 11 enjoy, utilize, and safely ride bicycles by mastering skills and knowledge pertaining to their bicycles, their driving ability, and the traffic system. Unit I is concerned with the bicycle and its parts, various kinds of bicycles, and proper size and maintenance.…

Maintains that the use of electronic mail to link students from other states and nations is an effective way to heighten student interest and improve instruction. Describes electronic pen pal programs linking students in New Zealand, England, and Kansas. (CFR)

This document is organized under three knowledge skills standards and two process skills standards which reflect the breadth of environmental education and its goal of environmental literacy. Related benchmarks and indicators suggesting appropriate expectations for learner performance and achievement at specific grade levels (fourth, eighth, and…

This report presents information describing the extent and effectiveness of Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Title I. Public Law 89-313 programs for schools for handicapped children in Kansas during the school year 1977-1978. Programs in 29 day care facilities and 9 state institutions in 28 countries were funded. These facilities provided…

The 4-H Club packet for preschool and elementary school children contains nine "keys", or short learning exercises, designed to enrich science and environmental education both in and out of the classroom. Each "key" includes the purpose of the activity, the intended audience, the best time of the year for the activity,…