In this article, the authors make a case for greater attention by researchers to the process of school decline. This article opens with a discussion of the challenges involved in studying school decline. Challenge number one turns out to be pretty basic--gaining agreement on what is meant by the term "school decline." Other challenges…

The current article deals with the issue of increased dropouts of deaf pupils from compulsory education (primary and junior high school) and tries to map out plausible reasons according to what principals and teachers for the deaf say, which might account for these dropouts. Official statistics are employed to demonstrate reduced graduation rates…

This briefing serves as a companion piece to sessions held at the 2009 Governors Education Symposium. It is divided into four issue briefs: (1) Standards and Assessments by Ilene Berman, National Governors Association Center for Best Practices; (2) Teacher Effectiveness by Sandi Jacobs, National Council on Teacher Quality; (3) Supporting…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Race to the Top: Obama, Duncan Outline Requirements of $4.35 Billion Program; (2) "Preparing the Workers of…

Parental divorce has become increasingly common for large numbers of families in schools (Lamden, King, & Goldman, 2002). This article addresses the effects of divorce on children and protective factors supporting their adjustment. Evidence-based interventions for children of divorce in elementary school counseling programs are discussed.…

This research finding is based on the responses obtained from the undergraduate students at a higher learning institution (University) in Botswana. This paper investigated the stressors, symptoms and effects that are likely to be experienced by the undergraduate students in higher institutions (Universities). Stressors related to time, academic…

Ninth grade, observes Ruth Curran Neild, marks a critical juncture in American schooling. Students who manage the academic demands of the transition to high school have a high probability of graduating four years later. But those who do not--who fail to earn as many credits as they should during ninth grade--face a substantially elevated risk of…

The School Improvement Grant (SIG) program, initially enacted as part of the "No Child Left Behind" amendments to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, underwent a substantial transformation under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Under the new program, states identified 2,172 persistently low-achieving schools…

In this article, Laurinda Brown and Alf Coles relate to each other their own observations from each other's teaching styles. Brown relates that she was quite unsuccessful when she used Cole's strategy of using chanting when she introduced the Gattegno chart to her class. She realizes that could have raised the level of complexity of her lessons to…

This study reviewed the effects of change, fatigue and transformation of low-performing schools while implementing an instructional Design rather than an instructional program. The study investigated the relationship of the America's Choice, Inc. schools with the configuration of the grades 6-8 scores compared to the scores of the state average…

The re-authorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 2002, commonly known as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), increased the accountability of public schools throughout the United States, holding them individually responsible for the education levels attained by their students as measured by high stakes tests developed and…

In 2002, President George W. Bush signed into law the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), which is intended to ensure that each classroom has a highly qualified teacher. Current research, however, shows approximately 27% of teachers hired each year leave the profession; in addition, approximately 50% of teachers with less than five years experience…

Opportunity gaps are not just a phenomenon that exists among low-achieving and average students; they are a significant feature among high-performing students as well. We present a review of research-based practices that support students of color such that they achieve at high levels in middle and secondary schools. We identify five key strategies…

In this article, the author reports on what he found impressive in the evaluation results of the program Reading First (RF) in four states: Utah, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Florida. The author states that responding to these four exemplary state-level studies of Reading First evoked mixed feelings. He noticed three things: (1) the RF effect…

This investigation examined the influence of EFL student teacher self-regulation of learning (SRL) on their curricular content-knowledge and course-design skills. Positivism guided this study at the levels of: ontology (one form of reality); epistemology (detachment from the subjects); and methodology, using nomothetic research strategy (causal…