In 2007, the Texas Legislature (80th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, 2007) authorized the creation of the Texas Rural Technology (R-Tech) Pilot program, which provides $8 million in funding to support rural districts in implementing technology-based supplemental education programs. In order to be eligible for funding, districts must have…

Inverness Research studied the American Museum of Natural History's (AMNH) Seminars on Science program for eight years, from its inception in 1998 to 2006. This paper presents teacher survey ratings for "The Link between Dinosaurs and Birds", along with profiles of three teachers who took the course. Course takers report on the annual…

This study attempts to identify different patterns of cognitive growth in kindergarten and first grade associated with selected subpopulations. The results are based upon a nationally representative sample of fall kindergartners who were retested in the spring of their kindergarten year and then again in the fall and spring of their first grade…

This paper considers the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) to enable students to access the curriculum in inclusive classrooms. The research considers the latest trends regarding promotion of the use of ICT in education in Australia and then considers the outcome from the perspective of one state, that of Western Australia.…

On January 23, 2004, President Bush signed the DC School Choice Incentive Act into law. This landmark piece of legislation included $14 million in funding for what would come to be called the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP). The OSP is the first federally funded K-12 scholarship program in the country and is designed to provide…

"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) It's Education, Stupid: Greenspan Stresses the Importance of Education to Improving Job Prospects, Incomes, and…

"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) President Bush Promotes High School Agenda: Of $1.5 Billion Plan for High Schools, $200 Million Would Go to Striving…

Special education in Baltimore City--the educational program for students with certain mental, emotional, or physical disabilities--has been a nagging, intractable, and very public problem for at least 25 years. Community leaders have been mindful of the inequities that undermine the education of students with disabilities and continue to address…

To successfully make the transition from school to adult life and the world of work, adolescents and young adults need guidance and encouragement from caring, supportive adults. The best decisions and choices made by transitioning youth are based on sound information including appropriate assessments that focus on the talents, knowledge, skills,…

The Optional Extended Year Program (OEYP), funded by a grant from the state, provides extended learning opportunities for students in kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12) who are at risk of academic failure. The primary focus of an OEYP is to reduce and ultimately eliminate the need for student grade-level retention by providing additional…

The American "No Child Left Behind Act" of 2001 (NCLB) mandates that by the end of the 2005-2006 school year, all public school teachers teaching core subjects will hold at least a bachelor's degree, be fully licensed by the state and demonstrate knowledge in the subjects they are teaching in order that students have the maximum…

This article discusses the school engagement literature and offers a conceptual framework with the intention of developing a common terminology to more efficiently organize research and practice. Three distinct perspectives are outlined in relation to school engagement: psychological, educational, and developmental. Four main contexts of…

Standards-based reform is a strategy that includes specifying what is to be learned, devising tests to measure learning, and establishing consequences of performance for students and schools. Popular support remains strong for standards-based reform, according to national polling data as well as local data in the states implementing this strategy.…

Racial disparities in special and gifted education cannot be understood independently of a broad legacy of racial inequity woven into American public education. The results of a qualitative study illustrate the context within which minority disproportionality occurs. School respondents agreed with the NRC panel's conclusion that poverty makes an…

This study examines the characteristics of elementary schools that experience chronic teacher turnover and the impacts of turnover on a school's working climate and ability to effectively function. Based on evidence from staff climate surveys and case studies, it is clear that high turnover schools face significant organizational challenges.…