The expansion of distance education makes it necessary for many faculty to take on the role of online instructor. As a result, higher education institutions face the challenge of training their faculty to make a shift from teaching in traditional to virtual environments. The Higher Learning Commission's Best Practices for Electronically Offered…

Alcohol use among college students has maintained its place as a major issue in American higher education since its inception. Although dangerous drinking has always proliferated among college students, institutions have only provided alcohol and other drug (AOD) education and interventions encouraging students to adapt less harmful habits for a…

This paper reports data from the evaluation of the numeracy component of a long-running educational intervention, covering the period from 2001 to 2008. "QuickSmart" is both an intervention and research project operating in Australian schools. It is a structured intervention program designed for middle-school students (ages 10 to 13…

The purpose of this study was to explore any differences in teachers' perceptions and attitudes toward student achievement of learning when using two different state-mandated commercial reading programs. The study identified the nature of the relationship and implications between teachers' perceptions and attitudes toward student learning when…

According to the amendments of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1997, students with severe cognitive disabilities could no longer be omitted from standards-based reform but an alternate assessment needed to be administered (Arnold & Johnson, "Validating an Alternate Assessment," 2007, p. 266). The purpose of the…

Many different views of literacy exist. In my study, I make use of Brian V. Street's two major models of literacy--the autonomous and the ideological. These models show contrasting views of literacy and are based on very different assumptions. I examine the views of literacy prevalent in family literacy campaigns, with special focus on Barbara…

Early care and education can prepare children for school, but while some preschool and child care programs do an excellent job, others are inadequate and some may even harm healthy development. This study focuses on child care center directors to better understand why there is so much variation, and how public initiatives can better help…

This report presents the final results for the evaluation of the New Americans Centers (NACs) demonstration project in Arkansas and Iowa. It focuses on program operations and plans for program sustainability, while highlighting services provided through the demonstration projects in Arkansas and Iowa. It also documents outcomes for New Iowan…

A "blueprint" is a guide designed to improve large-scale implementations of a specific systems or organizational approach, like School-Wide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBS). This blueprint is intended to make the conceptual theory, organizational models, and practices of SWPBS more accessible for those involved in enhancing how schools,…

In 2009, Austin Independent School District (AISD) offered an English learner summer bilingual program, serving 1,645 rising kindergarten students and 1,712 rising 1st-grade students at 10 campuses to prevent the loss of academic skills between school years. This report summarizes the program's student enrollment, attendance, and academic…

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact that a community literacy project had on the reading habits of young children and their families. This year-long study focuses on a public library-run program titled Books in Motion, in which community members read children's chapter book and meet monthly to watch the book's film translation.…

While there is a wide body of research to support the effectiveness of schoolwide positive behavior support (PBS), there are significant challenges to facilitating sustainable implementation. The present study begins to address these challenges by exploring PBS implementation in a diverse, regionally isolated elementary school that previously…

Classroom management is often noted as one of the most influential factors in determining success for first-year teachers and as the most influential factor in students' academic success (Marzano & Marzano, 2003). However, according to Haycock (2006), nearly half of this country's new teachers leave the classroom within their first five years,…

Apartheid-designed higher education institutions continue to have a major influence on students and higher educators in South Africa. There is a need for innovative approaches for engaging with difference in higher education. One means of doing this could be through innovative pedagogical approaches. The Community, Self and Identity project…

This article argues for and models an approach to writing program assessment that relies on study of the writing practices of program graduates as a way to inform revisions in curriculum and teaching practices. The article also examines how conducting such assessments can help nondisciplinary publics understand the nature of composition …