Nearly every high-priority item in national, federal, state, and local discussions about education--and policy proposals across the political spectrum--requires high-quality longitudinal data to inform its design, implementation, and evaluation. This factsheet shares Data Quality Campaign's (DQC's) analysis of what "Data for Action 2011: DQC's…

Within inclusive education research, the call to foster participation stems from a generalized vision for promoting democratic practices within classrooms, prompting the concern for eliciting student "voices." In this ethnographic study, I explore the utility of "voice" as a workable construct in securing participation within inclusive classrooms.…

An enduring concern for educational policy in many affluent countries is the endemic nature of educational inequalities that are predominately located in poor urban contexts. Given the inabilities of school reform "per se" to deal with these inequalities, the paper focuses on issues of scarcity and spatial processes that are implicated…

Self-determination theory (SDT) underpins research on learner empowerment, but it is rarely discussed in empowerment-related literature. In addition, a motivational measure stemming from SDT has received little visibility in communication research. To address these concerns, this study focuses on motivational theory and measurement in an attempt…

Defined by researchers as "a silent epidemic" the gambling phenomenon is a social problem that has a negative impact on individuals, families and communities. Among these effects, there is exasperating evidence of comprised community networks, a deterioration of family and social ties, psychiatric co-morbidity, suicides and more recently,…

Reading experts have consistently cited the importance of independent reading, reading for pleasure, and fostering "a love of reading." Unfortunately, fanning the fire of fan readership is not so easy in the service of our clear-cut and standards-aligned curricula, except perhaps in small, carefully channeled doses. Moreover, the impetus for such…

The present study combined the literature analysis with the empirical study and proposed a Chinese local conception of psychological empowerment, which was defined as a process of personality-oriented, self-motivated, and proactive control with the aim of community members' citizen participation. Its basic dimension comprised an inclination to…

Boston College Campus School (BCCS) is a private, non-profit, publicly funded special education school within the Lynch School of Education on the campus of Boston College. BCCS occupational therapists serve students between the ages of 3 and 21 who have severe, multiple challenges. Occasionally they partner with community schools to assist…

My subject is the way Peter Bachrach addressed the question of poverty. But given that I was his student and research assistant and that I am a political scientist largely because of him, it is impossible to resist a few words about the experience of being in his classrooms. Peter was an inspiring teacher of politics. The substantive content of…

What might be learned during a political protest or in the evolution of a social movement? This paper begins with a demonstration of some historical facts about people with disabilities who were demanding their rights, long before Paulo Freire and critical pedagogy. Then, the author offers her personal experience in attending and participating in…

In this article, the authors expand the view of parental consultation to include advocacy and empowerment as important contextual considerations. A brief review of existing approaches to parent consultation is provided. Selected advances in multicultural parent consultation are also presented. An advocacy- and empowerment-focused perspective is…

Understanding and conducting research is a complex, integral skill that needs to be mastered by both undergraduate and graduate students. Yet many students are reluctant and often somewhat apprehensive about undertaking research and understanding the underlying statistical methods used to evaluate research (Dauphinee, Schau, & Stevens, 1997).…

Although the delivery of satisfactory services is an important strategic goal in many colleges, students are known to face challenges and experience a significant amount of stress during their school life. This study proposes and tests students' experience of control over their college life as a promising factor that would enhance their…

Using dialogue journals gives English language learners valuable writing practice. This article explores topics such as audience, fluency, teacher-student relationships, empowerment, and making the connection to academic writing. And the author gives practical advice on how teachers can institute dialogue journals in their classrooms and how best…

New science curricula in Ontario position science, technology, society, and environment (STSE) objectives at the fore of all science courses. A professional learning community (PLC) consisting of 24 elementary teachers and a facilitation team was established to assist teachers in meeting the challenges of STSE education. Specifically, we examine…