This article describes a system of supports for implementing the "Steps to Self-Determination" curriculum and discusses findings from studies on the curriculum. Findings indicate teachers who are self-determined are better able to promote student self-determination and self-determination knowledge and skills can be infused successfully in a…

This commentary discusses the underlying constitutional principles in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Equal protection and equal access for children with disabilities, procedural due process and empowerment, substantive due process and self-determination, least restrictive environment and the continuum, and policy…

Summer of Service, a national summer service learning program for early adolescents is described. The three tenets of this program--intentional design, youth empowerment, and the opportunity to be of use--combine to make a powerful learning experience. Student input is involved at every stage of the program, and learning is incorporated through a…

This qualitative study, employing an ethnographic research method, investigates how dialogue journal writing, which allows teachers and learners to engage in "written conversation", may provide an opportunity to bring critical pedagogy and foreign language education together in a productive way in the context of a critical literacy…

This article discusses perceptions on child participation and responsible citizenship in Zimbabwe's secondary schools. A brief outlook on Zimbabwe's values education is provided followed by a discussion of theoretical frameworks on citizenship and polyarchy and what these mean to the school. The article analyses teacher and student perceptions on…

It is common knowledge that the great majority of preservice teachers are white while the student population is becoming increasingly diverse. Surveys consistently find that although a large proportion of white preservice students anticipate working with children of another cultural background, as a whole they bring very little cross-cultural…

This article discusses how a radical approach to teacher education encourages both pre-service teachers and high school students to embrace a paradoxical model of leadership. A project that positions high school students as teachers and learners in an undergraduate secondary teacher certification course challenges pre-service teachers to learn to…

The purpose of this study was to better understand what optimal computer technology integration looks like in adult basic skills education (ABSE). One question guided the research: How is computer technology integration best conceptualized and measured? The study used the Delphi method to map the construct of computer technology integration and…

The Academy For Learning (AFL) serves urban students with emotional and behavioral problems. Through a Personal and Social Responsibility program, students develop skills for personal growth and service learning. Many alternative programs for troubled students offer little more than a curriculum for containment and control. In contrast, students…

This study used a multistage mixed-methods analysis to assess the content-related validity (i.e., item validity, sampling validity) and construct-related validity (i.e., substantive validity, structural validity, outcome validity, generalizability) of a teaching evaluation form (TEF) by examining students' perceptions of characteristics of…

Sharing concerns and interests of New York State educators in the improvement of literacy, this annual journal raises educational issues such as: empowering students' voices; responding to the call for higher standards by instructing and including all learners; using the Internet to promote literacy; and poetry as a powerful genre. Articles in the…

The increasing emphasis on teacher-directed processing of adventure experiences may be devaluing both the learning experience and the promotion of self-reliance among students. The problem with "overprocessing" is that the teacher, not the student, decides what was learned and its relative value. In addition, this approach emphasizes…

A reading and writing instructor of a population of students who are largely "marginalized" (of African descent, female, and/or poor) sees the literature of Toni Morrison as a relevant and critical teaching tool. Additionally, the instructor believes it is important to look critically at Morrison's literature for several reasons: (1)…

In 1989, the University of Waikato (New Zealand) established Te Timatanga Hou, a program of pre-university remedial study for disadvantaged Maori. Many targeted students come from rural schools that do not offer a seventh-form year nor a wide range of university entrance subjects. Students undertake 1 year of intensive pre-university training…

Creating an empowering and positive classroom environment requires focusing on the processes of developing trust in self and others, participation and communication in the classroom. Establishing a classroom that accommodates diverse students who have varied backgrounds, interests, and preferences poses a challenging situation for university…