Four teachers share the challenges they faced when creating and running outdoor-focused secondary school integrated programs in British Columbia, Canada. The five most common challenges were funding constraints, insufficient support from administrators and colleagues, time constraints, liability and risk management, and inadequate skills and…

This study examined the experiences of Early Head Start (EHS) staff with the development of the Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSPs) for young children with developmental delays and their families in 40 EHS programs in six Midwestern states. Staff perspectives about challenges, needs, strategies and suggestions for the IFSP development were…

This article examines students' perceptions and usage of time, their sense of optimism or lack of it, especially related to schooling. Positionality, or perceptions about life and projections of the future, has great impact on students' success in school. How they interpret the past, live in the present and foresee the future is significantly…

Despite evidence from the USA that children in small classes of less than 20 do better academically there is still a vociferous debate about the effects of class size differences in schools, and considerable gaps in our understanding of the effects of class size differences. This article summarises results from the most complete UK analysis to…

This study provides understanding of college readiness from the perspectives of older first-generation college students who transferred from community colleges. Results indicate that life experiences contribute to academic skills, time management, goal focus, and self-advocacy. Research is recommended to improve nontraditional student advising and…

There is increasing awareness that how young people spend their time outside of school has consequences for their development. As part of this awareness, interest in organized activities--extracurricular activities, after-school programs, and youth organizations--has grown markedly. On balance, the bulk of research on organized activities has…

Teachers yearn for better writing skills from students. One way to achieve that goal is through a writing center, whether for basic writers or for the Harvard-bound student. But just because there is a writing center does not mean teachers are necessarily pleased with it. Center directors need time to talk to teachers about the center, make them…

Students and parents need ample time and accurate information to prepare for the financial burden of a college education--those who lack this knowledge base face a significant access barrier to higher education. This problem can be countered by the delivery of comprehensive, integrated financial aid information, an approach identified by the…

This report is one of nine detailed case studies of small urban high schools that served as the foundation for the Education Resource Strategies (ERS) report "Strategic Designs: Lessons from Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools." These nine schools were dubbed "Leading Edge Schools" because they stand apart from other high…

We are delighted to welcome you to the International Psychological Applications Conference and Trends 2013, taking place in Madrid, Spain, from 26 to 28 of April. Our efforts and active engagement can now be rewarded with these three days of exciting new developments about what we are passionate about: Psychology and its connections. We take pride…

This report contains the findings of two task forces established during 1994 by the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence: (1) the Task Force on Improving Kentucky Schools; and (2) the Task Force on Restructuring Time and Learning. The task forces, comprised of parents and business members of the Prichard Committee, examined key elements of…

Following a list of four reasons teachers assign homework, this guide discusses ways for parents to help children with successful completion of homework assignments including: (1) show that education and homework are important; (2) check on the child's work; (3) provide guidance; and (4) talk with someone at school if problems occur. The guide…

British Columbia's Year 2000 Program mandated the inclusion of all children into their neighborhood schools, thereby requiring each school to provide all special-education services for students who need them. This paper presents findings of a study that assessed the impact of the mandate on instructional programs in four suburban Vancouver…

This study examined the opportunities children have to plan their everyday activities outside of school, with particular attention to the role of age and cultural factors in these experiences. Parents of 127 children between the ages of 5 and 12 years participated, with 69 of the families Euro American and 58 Hispanic. The parents completed a…

The National Center for Children in Poverty recently conducted research on case management in service integration projects. The core of the study's information comes from 16 projects around the country, all serving children living in poverty. This brief discusses the characteristics of case managers, including their demographic attributes, tenure,…