This publication is dedicated to Chris Selby Smith, who was posthumously awarded the 2009 National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) VET Researcher of the Year Award. Selby Smith's body of work displayed many aspects of the excellence for which the award is offered. His experience working in both academia and the public service gave…

This paper documents Pittsburgh's transformation from a typical, adversarial district-union dynamic to one of deep, substantive collaboration over the course of several years. This work has catapulted Pittsburgh to the vanguard of efforts to improve teacher effectiveness, and helped secure more than $80 million in philanthropic and federal grants.…

Many children with autism display externalizing behavior due to challenges they face in the areas of communication, social skills and repetitive behavior or restricted interests. Parents have reported that it is difficult to know how to address these behaviors. Parent training programs have been found to increase parents' skills and decrease child…

Multiple-choice testing is an educational reality. Rather than complain about the negative impact these tests may have on teaching and learning, why not use them to better understand your students' true mathematical knowledge and comprehension? Maryann Wickett and Eunice Hendrix-Martin show teachers how to move beyond the student's answer--right…

This study reports the results of the first systematic investigation into Astro 101 students' conceptual and reasoning difficulties with cosmology. We developed four surveys with which we measured students' conceptual knowledge of the Big Bang, the expansion and evolution of the universe, and the evidence for dark matter. Our classical test theory…

The rate of poverty for children in the United States is far higher than for other advantaged nations (Payne & Biddle, 1999) with an estimated 13.3 million children, 18% of all children, living below the poverty threshold (U. S. Bureau of the Census, 2008). An estimated 5.8 million children live in extreme poverty where their families earn less…

Nervous about teaching math to young children? Too pressed for time to teach all of the math concepts children need to know? Now there's a practical, stress-free guide to one of the most effective ways to enhance children's mathematical thinking in pre-K-Grade 3--by weaving math concepts into storytime. Ready for any educator to pick up and start…

While in-flight psychiatric emergencies occur at a lower rate than other medical emergencies (Matsumoto & Goebert, 2001), they tend to cause a higher degree of disruption for passengers (Gordan, Kingham, & Goodwin, 2004). However, flight attendants often receive training that is too basic, minimal, and insufficient to effectively manage…

This report is a sequel to the 2005 "Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources." This new report provides updated information and new insights into information consumers and their online habits, preferences, and perceptions. Particular attention was paid to how the current economic downturn has affected the information-seeking behaviors…

The present study used a multiple-baseline, single-case experimental design to investigate effects of three sequential experimental conditions on frequency of correct word sequences (CWS) and construction of simple sentences per 1-minute. Sentence Instruction, Frequency Building to a Performance Criteria (FBPC), and Paragraph Instruction comprised…

The Individual Education Plan (IEP) process plays a vital role in the instructional process of the individual with ELN (exceptional leaning needs). The IEP process helps to level the playing field for students with ELN against those students that do not have diagnosed learning problems. From the parents to the students to the IEP staff, they all…

There are just over 1,000 sitting superintendents and like number of local educational agencies (LEA's) in California, serving 6.2 million students. Superintendents' ability to share knowledge and learn from each other is limited; this is especially true the further one's work is removed from concentrated urban populations. This study addresses…

Research suggests that Project-Based Learning (PBL) can be an effective way to engage and motivate middle level learners. Thoughtfully designed and implemented PBL can be more effective than traditional instruction for teaching concept mastery in core academic disciplines, supporting long-term knowledge retention, improving mastery of 21st century…

The Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC) has taken a proactive stance on perceived test inequities of the Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) exam as it relates to people who are prelingually deaf and hard of hearing. This article describes the process developed and implemented by the CRCC to help maximize test equity…

This paper describes how administrator preparation programs can help future education leaders to value, understand, and use the democratic strategy of deliberative dialogue and action. The purpose of the strategy is to engage in a new way with teachers, parents, and other stakeholders about problems in their local public schools. Follow-up…