Now more than ever school librarians need to be advocates. COVID brought to light so many things that are wrong with the education system around the country. According to the author, they learned that, although they talk about equity and access for their students, they are not even close to equity and access being a reality for all. As the…

In this interview, disabilities activist and commissioner of the Alternative Baseball Organization (ABO) Taylor Duncan relates his life as a student with autism and other special needs. He goes into stigmas that he had to overcome in school as he tried to participate in regular baseball activities. Encouraged by a coach to not give up and pursue…

This reply article is to be published alongside: Hernik, M., & Southgate, V. (2012). This is a response to the commentaries on Hernik and Southgate (2012) by Biro (2012), Kuhlmeier and Robson (2012) and Luo and Choi (2012). Both L&C and K&R reject the authors' conclusion that an absence of a Woodward-effect in some single-object versions of the…

For the last 11 years, Angela Lee Duckworth of the University of Pennsylvania has been conducting ground breaking studies on "grit"--the quality that enables individuals to work hard and stick to their long-term passions and goals. In this interview with "Educational Leadership," Duckworth describes what her research has shown…

This commentary article is to be published alongside: Hernik, M., & Southgate, V. (2012). What do infants know about agents' goals? The authors see this issue consisting of two closely related questions. First, what is an agent to infants? Second, how do infants attribute goals to agents? Hernik and Southgage (H&S) focused on the second question.…

The legacy of slavery and racism in America and the history of what John C. Calhoun and other Southern leaders of the 1800s called "our peculiar institution" has not gone unnoticed. Neither has the psychological damage that remains as baggage carried by the descendents of both the slave and the slave owner (Berry & Blassingame, 1982;…

For the state of Washington's one-hundredth birthday, in 1989, Native peoples there decided to revive a distinctive mode of transportation--long-distance journeys by canoe--along with an entire culture associated with it. Born as the "Paddle to Seattle," during the past two decades these canoe journeys have become a summertime staple for…

Creativity involves generating novel concepts and products that are valued by the creator as well as by the public. In this paper, we argue that risk-taking in songwriting increases the likelihood of any individual's product being valued as creative. By reviewing the case histories of several successful songwriters, we show that heightened…

In this column, the author reflects on the writing instructor's role as a cultural gatekeeper, whose comments and grades are an implicit judgment of whether or not a student has got "it," and on the relative importance of talent and perseverance in a writer's career. Drawing on the story of Ishmael Beah, she concludes that while instructors may…

In this article, the author reflects on a career spent supporting the development and growth of early care and education professionals, and presents the responses of several program directors to the following questions: (1) What is interesting, meaningful, and relevant about your work in Early Care and Education?; (2) What is it about your work as…

The author explores the effect that change or lack of change in a field has on an individual professional's morale and desire to stay in the field. Changes made in the field of education and rehabilitation for the visually handicapped are used to illustrate points and provide a perspective. (Author/VW)

This article presents a dialogue with Monte Joffee. Joffee has been an active leader in the small school and charter school movements in New York City for over 20 years. He is a cofounder of The Renaissance Charter School in New York City and served as its founding principal (1993-2007). In this dialogue, Joffee articulates the ways in which…

This paper argues that, when trying to calculate the success rates of community college students, the criteria used for reporting graduation rates should differ from those used at four-year institutions. There is no known national standard time-to-degree data available. The reporting window of 150% of minimum time to degree has been arbitrarily…

This article features the experience of a successful manager and describes the five keys to leadership. When asked, "What are your secrets to successful leadership?" the author offers five succinct keys to successful and sustained leadership: (1) principles; (2) passion; (3) people; (4) performance; and (5) perseverance. The details of the "Five…

Examines concepts and types of organizational commitment and factors common to all commitments. Conceives of commitment as a single, fundamental construct that varies in focus, terms, and time-specific evaluation. (SK)