In this article the author's review of the literature uncovers six potentially negative effects of technology in the classroom. These include: 1) Limiting pedagogy in teaching for cultural competence; 2) Reinforcing the Digital Divide; 3) Constraining the potential for holistic, humanistic education; 4) Privileging one style of communication while…

This commentary pertains to the article, "Childhood Leukemia Survivors and Their Return to School: A Literature Review, Case Study, and Recommendations" by D. Scott Hermann, Jill R. Thurber, Kenneth Miles, and Gloria Gilbert in this issue (2011) regarding pediatric leukemia. The authors present a literature review regarding leukemia in…

Recent social policy reforms have sought to overcome the limitations of "First Way" strategies emphasizing the welfare state and "Second Way" approaches advocating markets. Scholars and policymakers instead have begun to explore optimal synthesis of the public and private sector in a new "Third Way" of leadership and change. According to one line…

This policy forum proceedings document contains a short introduction section that describes the current status of virtual public school programs in general and special education programs in particular. Next, this document provides a state-of-the-nation report that describes the exponential growth these programs and the evolving policy issues for…

This study has tackled the thorny problem of closing the Student Achievement Gap (SAG) in California's elementary schools. To address that problem, an "Integrated" form of educational leadership called Transformational Instructional Leadership (TIL), a form grounded in "best practices" of Transformational and Instructional…

This qualitative study explored the experiences of therapists and clients who were involved with online therapeutic interventions. Specifically, this study looked at the experiences of clients who live in rural areas and who struggle with substance use issues as previous research has indicated a need for creative ways of reaching these…

Explore successful models of intervention. No Child Left Behind has set the high expectation that every child meet grade level expectations. This publication synthesizes the research on intervention programs and best practices related to mathematical instructional pedagogy and differentiation to assist teachers, schools, and school districts in…

The purpose of this report is to review the literature on theoretical frameworks, best practices, and conceptual models for the 21st century collegiate writing program. Methods include electronic database searches for recent and historical peer-reviewed scholarly literature on collegiate writing programs. The author analyzed over 65 sources from…

As schools and districts across the nation and state face the added pressures brought on by increased accountability through the NCLB Act, school leaders must reconcile the changing demographics of their districts, the various educational needs of their students and the political and socio-cultural aspects of such shifts while meeting expected…

In recent years, criticism of high school graduates' lack of readiness for college and work has led a number of states to raise high school graduation requirements--particularly in terms of the number and rigor of courses students must pass. This issue of "The Progress of Education Reform" addresses end-of-course assessments at the high…

Online students face challenges with communication and socialization in the asynchronous distance-learning classroom because of a missing face-to-face, nonverbal communications. With the increased demand for online education and the high attrition rate, online educational leaders may consider opportunities for improvement in the areas of…

This paper describes an effort to bridge research and practice in residential care through implementing a program model titled Children and Residential Experiences (CARE). The strategy involves consulting at all levels of the organization to guide personnel to incorporate CARE evidence-based principles into daily practice, and fostering an…

Technological fields, like engineering, are in desperate need of more qualified workers, yet not enough students are pursuing studies in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) that would prepare them for technical careers. Unfortunately, many students have no interest in STEM careers, particularly engineering, because they are not…

Research has shown that quality teacher-student interactions far outweigh all other considerations to produce positive learning outcomes. Although this may be inherently obvious, few teacher preparation programs dedicate much time to training teachers how to create positive interactive, constructivist learning environments. Much can be learned…

The Alliance for Excellent Education understands that the first step in improving any rural high school is to encourage and support the active engagement of students, parents, teachers, the community, and business leaders. This guide is designed to give parents and community members some suggested ways to begin thinking about whether their local…