Identifying effective instructional practices and effective teachers is an important issue in educational research, policy, and practice. However, many schools have resorted to measuring these constructs with student test scores, ignoring the instructional context. In this introductory article to the special issue, we highlight the importance of…

Deficits in episodic free-recall memory performance have been reported in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), yet best practice dictates that child witness/victim interviews commence with a free-recall account. No "tools" exist to support children with ASD to freely recall episodic information. Here, the efficacy of a novel…

Although advocacy can also take place at the state and national levels, the foundation of advocacy is high-quality teaching and local initiatives. The purpose of this article is to review four steps that can be taken by PE teachers who are interested in engaging in local advocacy efforts.

Your library's future is as good as the talent you develop. Too many mentorship programs are cursory; without structure and expectations, they accomplish little beyond a procedural orientation. But a solid, sustainable mentorship program can be a game changer for libraries, with long-­term results that include career development,…

In this white paper, Diane Reinhold, Tracy Patterson, and Peter Hegel assert that there is no magic bullet to ensure people apply what they learn. There are, however, steps that can be taken to create leadership programs, experiences, and supports that improve the likelihood that lessons will be learned and applied. Over time, new skills,…

Composition professionals in post-secondary institutions--composition faculty, writing program administrators, and technology staff--share concern and responsibility for helping students learn to write at a college level, using the most effective communication technologies. Disciplinary practice and research suggest that portfolio assessment has…

Science teachers often participate in professional development programs (PDPs) to improve their students' learning. They sign up for workshops, institutes, university classes, or professional learning communities to gain knowledge and new instructional practices and to find colleagues with whom to discuss their teaching. But with so many options…

In this article, we focus on the past, the present, and the future. We consider the ways "Becoming a Nation of Readers: The Report of the Commission on Reading" ("BNR") (Anderson, Hiebert, Scott, & Wilkinson, 1985) fulfilled the authors' aspirations to introduce into schools "the practices seen in the classrooms of the…

Educational research shows that close student-faculty interaction is a key factor in college student learning and success. Most literature on undergraduate mentoring, however, focuses on planned programs of mentoring for targeted groups of students by non-faculty professionals or student peers. Based on the research literature and student and…

University instructors nationwide have been recognizing the increased importance of updating classroom teaching strategies to accommodate the needs of the millennial student generation. This article shares results of surveys of 323 university students in communication sciences and disorders and what they view as effective pedagogical strategies…

Inclusive education requires teachers to adapt to children's learning styles. Children with autism spectrum disorder bring challenges to classroom teaching, often exhibiting interests restricted to particular topics. Teachers can be faced with a dilemma either to accommodate these restricted interests (RIs) into teaching or to keep them out of the…

Hiring decisions offer an immense opportunity for school leaders to influence the trajectory of their organizations in the immediate and long-term. However, very few school administrators have appropriate training, if any at all, in how to select the best candidates. Effective hiring for school counselors, psychologists, and social workers…

Teaching is the heart of education. It involves the use of myriad of teaching methods, strategies and techniques. This paper critiques some of the instructional strategies used in higher institutions in Nigeria. Two of these instructional strategies (team teaching and questioning strategy) were identified. The "what", "how",…

In their role as child advocates, school psychologists strive to promote policies and practices that increase the availability of necessary academic and mental health services and enhance the well-being of children. However, administrative pressure to disregard ethical and legal mandates in favor of decisions that would prioritize the needs of the…

The purpose of this article is to demonstrate how one profession used an "experience documentation process" to grant advanced certification to qualified certified health education specialists. The competency validation process approved by the certifying organization serves as an example of an additional method, aside from traditional…