In an earlier issue of "ETR&D," the editors provided an hierarchical framework of components to support learning and instruction. That hierarchy included information objects, knowledge objects, learning objects, instructional objects, courses, programs and ongoing efforts, with each subsequent component building on the former…

The Virginia Board of Education is committed to the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) program and opposed to adoption of the newly developed Common Core State Standards as a prerequisite for participation in federal competitive grant and entitlement programs. The Standards of Learning are clear and rigorous and have won the acceptance and trust…

The aim of this study was to examine the concept development of decimal numbers in 244 Chinese elementary students in grades 4-6. Three grades of students differed in their intuitive sense of decimals and conceptual understanding of decimals, with more strategic approaches used by older students. Misconceptions regarding the density nature of…

Current research indicates that parental involvement positively influences children's academic success. This study investigates parental involvement in the Arab education system in Israel, highlighting involvement in the New Horizon reform. We interviewed school principals and parent committee chairpersons from 15 Arab schools. The study confirmed…

The admission of women to the teaching field was conditioned by many different circumstances that varied depending on time and place. This article will examine the evolution of this process in Spain in an attempt to identify some of the contributing factors: a patriarchal mentality which held that women had a special aptitude for teaching; a…

The paper aims to identify views of school principals and teachers about organizational change process at primary public schools in Turkey as regards content, context, process and outcomes dimensions. The paper employs a qualitative study internalizing phenomenological approach. Criterion sampling strategy is used to get an in-depth understanding…

Assessing learning does not by itself result in increased student accomplishment, much like a pig never fattened up because it was weighed. Indeed, recent research shows that while institutions are more regularly engaging in assessment, they have little to show in the way of stronger student performance. This paper clarifies how assessment results…

This factsheet, the first in a series on innovation and growth, provides an overview of the benefits of innovation vouchers, and gives some examples of how universities and Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) are including them in their European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) strategies. [For the second factsheet in the series,…

This executive summary describes a Wallace-commissioned report that identifies the emergence of a new kind of education advocacy organization in the United States. The report also assesses how these groups influence education policy, provides an overview of their work across the country, and offers a case study of one, Advance Illinois. The report…

Qualitative and quantitative data are both being used to evaluate a large project in remote areas of Papua New Guinea. Results from teacher and student questionnaires are yet to be evaluated. The responses from teachers participating in the project workshops are reported here to be extremely positive towards the content and delivery of the…

This brief describes a model for a generic theory of change that highlights the relationship between the qualities of youth experience in out-of-school time (OST) programs. This model bears the acronym QuEST from the sequence: quality (Qu), engagement (E), skills (S), and transfer (T), The QuEST theory of change requires program providers to think…

In today's educational systems, students of all levels of education experience math anxiety. Furthermore, math anxiety is frequently linked to poor achievement in mathematics. The purpose of this study is to examine the causes of math anxiety and to explore strategies which pre-service teachers have identified to overcome math anxiety. The…

Over the years, a variety of political, social, and other contextual factors have contributed to the expansion of roles for PK-12 special educators, leading to a complex set of challenges and opportunities that must be addressed as the field of special education looks to the future. Today's special educators need to collaborate with general…

Purpose: This multiple case study investigated district leaders' orientations and strategies as their elementary schools proceeded with state-mandated implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). We identified differences between schools achieving above-predicted outcomes on state CCSS assessments ("odds-beaters") and…

Context: A growing body of work reflects the ways in which gender-creative and transgender students are ill-served by current social climates in the vast majority of public schools. Few studies have explored this topic from an educator's perspective. Purpose: This study was designed to develop a conception of the barriers and supports that exist…