With increased focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and STEAM, educators are looking for ways to integrate disciplines. Planning content around a common theme is an avenue for an interdisciplinary approach to teaching and learning in the middle grades. Middle grade educators must find ways to relate content to their…

High-stakes tests are often introduced to bring about change on educational practices and thus lead to pedagogical reform. The Field Knowledge Test (FKT) for teacher candidates of English in Turkey is an example of such an attempt. This study aims to giving voice to English language teacher educators and student teachers to view the FKT critically…

To meet the challenges of promoting equitable educational opportunities and improved academic achievement for all P-12 students, principals and school counselors must join forces in substantive ways. However, higher education preparation programs for principals and school counselors have not typically collaborated in efforts to prepare candidates…

Transforming K-12 education systems to meet the new economic, civic, and cultural demands of our global society requires a modern teacher workforce. Specifically, it requires a teacher workforce with the knowledge, skills, and systems of supports to be successful in student-centered, competency-based, and diverse learning environments. This brief:…

Ever since the passage of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006, the lines historically used to separate "vocational" and "academic" students have blurred. This shift away from vocational education toward career and technical education (CTE) has come with many promising educational outcomes. CTE course…

This teacher research study utilized a multiple case study approach to explore how 7th grade students in three concurrent ELA settings perceived teaching and learning in classroom environments with varying degree of new literacies implementation. Students were studied in a supplemental ELA class known as TEAM time and during their voluntary…

The maker movement has strong connections to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) as well as art and crafts, but the goals of making are not in perfect alignment with any of these disciplines. Within the problem-based paradigm, however, there is room to incorporate making as situated STEM learning, even in formal,…

Successful school leadership is an issue debated globally, but these discussions do not seem to occur within the context of inclusive education in the Caribbean. Although there have been reports indicating steady progression in educational leadership and inclusive practices within the last decade, no planned, long-term innovations have emerged.…

This issue of "Assessment Update" presents the following articles: (1) James Madison University: Reflections on Sustained Excellence in Assessment (Keston H. Fulcher and Elizabeth R. H. Sanchez); (2) Editor's Notes: Assessment Excellence Abounds! (Stephen P. Hundley); (3) The Promise of an All-in-One Assessment System for Student…

This study examines learning in home care visits aimed at systematic facilitation of clients' physical mobility. Building on the theory of expansive learning, we ask what kinds of learning cycles may be identified in home care encounters charged with implementing the new Mobility Agreement practice, what kinds of interplay may be detected between…

We examined the degree to which content of states' writing standards and assessments (using measures of content range, frequency, balance, and cognitive complexity) and their alignment were related to student writing achievement on the 2007 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), while controlling for student, school, and state…

This study was designed to explore and describe the impact of innovative group collaboration on digital stories in a children's literature course for pre-service teachers. Participants described the highlights of experiences with innovative creation and the ways they collaborated in an intentionally inviting environment while they prepared the…

Teaching of Psychology includes a great variety of topics, course formats, and assessment approaches. A central concept that incorporated the interface between teaching goals, instructional methods, and examination modalities is referred to as Constructive Alignment (CA). This model addresses possible designs of teaching to improve students'…

This article discusses how cooperative learning as a socioinstructional approach, relates to both socially-based emerging technologies (i.e. Web 2.0) and to critical thinking with respect to co-cognition. It begins with a discussion of the importance of connecting cooperative learning, Web 2.0, and critical thinking. This is followed by the need…

The purpose of this instrumental case study was to examine pre-service teachers' (PSTs) reflections on mathematics teaching and learning as it relates to the practice of supporting productive struggle. The research team created a framework aligning instructional features/teacher strategies that support productive struggle with related…