"Imparting Wisdom: HBCU Lessons for K-12 Education" details historically black colleges and universities' (HBCUs) longstanding efforts to provide quality educational experiences for their students and how their success may be translated in K-12 schools. This brief uplifts research-based HBCU best practices, practical recommendations and…

When you think of global, online education, the first thing that may jump to mind these days are MOOCs, the "massive open online classes" that are widely publicized (and criticized). The author states that his classes were not these, but rather, closer to what are now being called SPOCs--small private online classes. Enrollment is…

In 2006-07, the author had the task of teaching the first substantially separate class at her school. Before this year, all of Mission Hill's students had been included in the classrooms. They have always had children with special needs, but before last year, they never had a classroom in which the students were told they had to be separate. Added…

Evaluation of a Wisconsin initiative compared academic progress in three types of smaller K-3 classes (15 students per teacher) with that in comparison schools. Smaller classes had fewer discipline problems, more time for instruction and individualization, varied instructional strategies, and more content and in-depth coverage. (Contains 10…

A federal grant enabled the Tacoma (Washington) school district to hire additional first-grade teachers, provide ongoing staff development, and encourage teacher collaboration. In smaller classes, children are more focused, get the attention they need, and present fewer discipline problems. Relationships with parents have also improved. A sidebar…

In this article, the author discusses a school improvement model, First Things First, developed by James P. Connell, a former tenured professor of psychology at the University of Rochester in New York. The model has three pillars for the high school level: (1) small, themed learning communities that each keep a group of students together…

A recent study by Civic Enterprises for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation examined the views of diverse youth, ages 16-25, who had failed to complete high school. "The Silent Epidemic: Perspectives of High School Dropouts" lists students' reasons for leaving school and suggests actions that schools, states, and the federal government can take.…

Reducing class size was considered an important element in a revised health course at Gettysburg College (Pennsylvania). However, reducing class size to approximately 15 students per class would require 38 sections, more than the health faculty could handle. To recruit additional instructors, the course was marketed to faculty and administrators…