In 1999 the Texas Legislature provided for the creation of the Master Reading Teacher (MRT) Certificate to address several issues. MRTs primary duties are to: serve as reading teachers; consult with and mentor other teachers; and provide research-based information and training. In September 2001 the Texas Education Agency asked Dr. Jan Hasbrouck…

Anchoring, a term rooted in the seafaring world, is a useful metaphor for contemplating the role of music in schooling, and particularly for thinking about the implications of including music in the professional development school (PDS) reform movement. In 1999, the College of Education at William Paterson University (Wayne, New Jersey) joined two…

The School Improvement Specialist Project prepared seven modules. School improvement specialists, as defined by the Appalachia Educational Laboratory at Edvantia, are change agents who work with schools to help them improve in the following areas so as to increase student achievement. These modules are intended to provide training materials for…

Literacy instruction does not end with reading success in early grades. As students move to middle and high school, new challenges emerge that can affect literacy achievement. Even for students who achieve early reading and writing success, the literacy demands of middle and high school can pose substantial challenges. Older students must be able…

Student learning depends on the teacher's actions, which are, in turn, dependent on the teacher's knowledge base--defined here by three components: knowledge of mathematics content, knowledge of student epistemology, and knowledge of pedagogy. The purpose of this study is to construct models for teachers' knowledge base and for their development…

In this paper we follow up "Developing Growing Need for Soft-Skills in IT Professionals," a paper from the 2003 ASCUE Conference. In that paper we examined the need for "soft-skills" by information technology professionals. In the current economic climate, IT outsourcing is becoming increasingly popular. Our Columbus, Indiana…

A promising recent development in tertiary education involves the application of problem-based learning as a curricular vehicle to develop student talent. Problem-based learning (PBL) is common in professional education, such as in medical, law, and business schools, and is becoming increasingly common in pre-college education. However, it is less…

A research project undertaken in York, Ontario, Canada aimed to raise literacy standards in the primary division and to ensure that all children in Grade 1 read to the Grade 1 standard (as determined by Reading Recovery levels, the school board, and the Ontario Ministry of Education). Focus was placed on acquiring high quality leveled literature…

This inservice professional development module, part of the Alabama Reading Initiative, presents research summaries, notes for presenters, and activities. The Oral Language and Vocabulary module elaborates on a student's comprehension of text as it relates to the overlap between the student's system of language and the author's system of language.…

This inservice professional development module, part of the Alabama Reading Initiative, presents research summaries, notes for presenters, and activities. The Effective Intervention module relays that if we do not do what the research tells us to do with students who struggle to read, then we have no reason to expect different results. However, if…

This publication presents options raised through various forums for marketing adult and community education (ACE) in Victoria, Australia, and suggested strategies. After an introduction (chapter 1), chapters 2 and 3 provide a broad view of the current situation for marketing ACE. Chapter 2 discusses general issues in the current position--ACE…

This report provides a summary of the preliminary investigations conducted by the Early Literacy Workgroup in Maine's schools, and is designed to serve the following purposes: articulate a set of interrelated, common characteristics of successful literacy programs; extend to schools an invitation to dialogue about effective literacy practices and…

A compulsory trainee program for new staff members at the Vienna Business University was established in the academic year 1998/99. In the course of this program new staff members are prepared in the following three areas of their work: research work in their department, especially dissertation writing; teaching classes; and administrative skills.…

Principals who are reflective in daily practice, it is claimed, can deal with the common as well as the extraordinary problems faced by principals because they can capably analyze a situation before making competent decisions. Strategies that should allow school leaders to link reflection, theory, and practice are presented in this paper. It…

This newsletter is designed to help English and a second language teachers and tutors with practical teaching ideas. The articles are contributed by experienced teachers and tutors. Each issue includes some of the following regular features: "Letters"; "Hints and Tips"; "Tools and Techniques"; "From the Field"; "Reading"; "Multilevel Dictation";…