Twenty-five recent graduates of a Master's Program in Early Childhood Special Education participated in focus group interviews designed to explore their perceptions and experiences regarding their first years of practice in urban schools. Findings revealed that participants faced many challenges including collaboration with colleagues, seeking…

In this article, the author cites valuable lessons to be learned from reality television shows that can also be utilized by physical educators. The author states some of the reality television's messages like: (1) physical educators must know how to maximize the activity time during physical education class; (2) must have a plan of action so that…

The following is a collection of papers presented at the 12th annual Instructional Technology Conference at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This conference is an opportunity for higher-education professionals from across the country to discuss opportunities and challenges presented by instructional technology. The…

This case study of a field and theory class examines a model designed to provide meaningful field experiences for preservice teachers while remaining consistent with the instructor's beliefs about the role of teacher education in preparing teachers for the classroom. As it turned out, the preservice teachers learned more about teaching and…

This case study describes the educational history and current program of Mike, a mainstreamed sixth-grader with deaf-blindness. It addresses the boy's successes and the ongoing challenges faced by his family, his educational team, and his peers. Background information notes his diagnosis of total blindness and moderate to severe hearing loss, his…

Northern Michigan University and the Marquette Area Public Schools are working collaboratively to improve both K-12 education and teacher education. Through several cooperative ventures, students and teachers in both institutions are benefitting from increased professional collaboration, becoming allies to reform and renew education. The main…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of urban students regarding their teachers who were of different races/ethnicities. The participants in this study were twelve students (African-American, Caucasian, and Bi-Racial) in an urban elementary school. The twelve students were in a special education self-contained classroom and…

Providing quality education is the single most important issue in education today. Advocates of Invitational Education (IE) maintain that the effective implementation of its philosophy can lead to quality education in schools. This article describes a qualitative study of how inviting schools in the United States of America succeed in implementing…

The purpose of this dissertation is to describe the essence of the service-learning experience for K-12 teachers in central and northwest Ohio, specifically exploring teacher motivations for initiating service-learning in the classroom. Service-learning is defined as an educational methodology that incorporates student preparation, service to the…

"Focus on Policy" is NCSALL's (National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy's) newest publication. Its purpose is to synthesize research findings and highlight policy implications of these findings. "Focus on Policy" forgoes the usual academic conventions to provide its readers with an easy-to-understand summary…

This study investigated differences among professional staff members' commitment to continuous learning and improvement in high-performing schools differentiated by student academic performance and disaggregated by race and socioeconomic status. A total of 48 high-performing schools were identified by Kentucky Department of Education staff based…

"A Focus on Professional Development" is the fourth in the Research-Based Practices in Early Reading Series published by the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) at Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (PREL). Because reading proficiency is fundamental to student achievement across all subjects and grades, the preparation of the teachers…

This step-by-step guide reviews important issues and things to consider for beginning, substitute, returning, and emergency credential teachers. The 11 chapters focus on: (1) "Getting Ready to Interview: Personal Reflection, Picking the Right Path, and Interview Readiness"; (2) "Where It All Happens: Creating the Right Atmosphere"; (3) "So Much to…

This book conveys practical information on the instruction of students with mild disabilities, whether in self-contained, resource, or general education classroom settings. Emphasis is on research-based special education teaching methods. It first describes general principles of effective instruction, followed by more specific details associated…

Noting that no single issue in programs for toddlers inflames parents and frustrates staff the way biting does, this book provides guidance on program policy and practice. The book is based upon discussions of a task force on biting comprised of caregivers and administrators from the child care centers and Early Head Start in Syracuse, New York,…