Drawing data from hundreds of students from low-income urban communities, a recent study offers new insights into understanding the academic gap between children from varying socioeconomic backgrounds and demonstrates the impact of musical training in helping low-income youth improve their language and reading comprehension skills.
The research (.pdf) was presented at the American Psychological Association’s annual convention and involved elementary and high school-aged students who participated in two separate projects measuring neural responses along with language and cognitive evaluations over a two-year period. Younger participants were part of Los Angeles-based nonprofit Harmony Project and older subjects attended three public high schools in Chicago. As explained in a press release:
[Researchers] studied children beginning when they were in first and second grade. Half participated in musical training and the other half were randomly selected from the program’s lengthy waiting list and received no musical training during the first year of the study. Children who had no musical training had diminished reading scores while Harmony Project participants’ reading scores remained unchanged over the same time span.
Over two years, half of the [Chicago] students participated in either band or choir during each school day while the other half were enrolled in Junior Reserve Officer’s Training Corps classes, which teaches character education, achievement, wellness, leadership and diversity. All participants had comparable reading ability and IQs at the start of the study. The researchers recorded the children’s brain waves as they listened to a repeated syllable against soft background sound, which made it harder for the brain to process. The researchers repeated measures after one year and again at the two-year mark. They found music students’ neural responses had strengthened while the JROTC students’ responses had remained the same. Interestingly, the differences in the music students’ brain waves in response to sounds as described above occurred after two years but not at one year, which showed that these programs cannot be used as quick fixes, [Northwestern neurobiologist Nina Kraus, PhD] said. This is the strongest evidence to date that public school music education in lower-income students can lead to better sound processing in the brain when compared to other types of enrichment education, she added.
“Research has shown that there are differences in the brains of children raised in impoverished environments that affect their ability to learn,” Kraus further explained in the release. “While more affluent students do better in school than children from lower income backgrounds, we are finding that musical training can alter the nervous system to create a better learner and help offset this academic gap.”
Jen Baxter is a freelance writer and photographer. After spending eight years working for Kaiser Permanente Health plan she took a self-imposed sabbatical to travel around South East Asia and become a blogger. She enjoys writing about nutrition, meditation, and mental health, and finding personal stories that inspire people to take responsibility for their own well-being. Her website and blog can be found at www.jenbaxter.com.
Previously: Pump up the bass, not the volume, to feel more powerful, Denver rappers’ music motivates kids (of all ages) to eat better and Brains of different people listening to the same piece of music actually respond in the same way.
Photo By: CherryPoint
From August 11-25, Scope will be on a limited publishing schedule. During that time, you may also notice a delay in comment moderation. We’ll return to our regular schedule on August 25.


Yesterday President Obama signed into law the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which passed the House and Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support. And included in the law, which reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, are several provisions supporting quality early childhood education!
States and communities across the country have made early learning a top priority in recent years. Governors from red and blue states alike recognize that a child’s education begins long before kindergarten. And when we invest in high quality early educational and developmental opportunities, everyone pays off.
The early learning components of ESSA support the incredible work that states are already doing. For example, the $250 million Preschool Development Grants program will provide invaluable support to states, communities, and programs working to prepare low-income children for Kindergarten and their later development and learning. The program’s comprehensive needs assessment and focus on promoting close collaboration within communities, including leveraging existing State Advisory Councils on Early Childhood Education and Care, will ensure existing federal, state, and local resources are used effectively to promote quality and parental choice. Coupled with the program’s other core provisions, including encouraging thoughtful strategic planning and promoting sharing of best practices among early childhood education program providers, will make a positive difference for the nation’s youngest learners and their families.
ESSA also puts a strong emphasis on encouraging greater early learning and elementary education alignment. The ESSA will meaningfully support state and local efforts to strengthen standards alignment; enhance local flexibility and decision making by making early learning an allowable use within important ESSA programs; support early childhood focused professional development for elementary teachers and school leaders; and appropriately calls on states and districts to evaluate their local needs and embed early learning within their Title I plans.
Does this mean Common Core for preschool? Absolutely not. But it does ensure that early learning programs and K-12 systems are communicating with each other to ensure the handoff to kindergarten is meaningful and impactful. Children don’t enter kindergarten and immediately begin learning differently. And ESSA reflects that.
These and other early childhood provisions within the law will ensure states and communities take a holistic and impactful approach to meeting young children’s needs.
The growing momentum for quality early childhood education reached new heights with the passage of ESSA. The overwhelming research demonstrates early learning’s powerful impact on kindergarten readiness rates, academic outcomes, and later life success. Governors across the country – Republicans and Democrats alike – have been making early childhood education a top priority for years. American voters see the issue as a national imperative. And now, Congress is taking note.


National Geographic Science, K–5
Research-based core resource that brings science learning to life through the lens of National Geographic!
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Windows on Literacy
Offering a rich array of 400 levelled nonfiction readers designed to engage and motivate students as they progress through the developmental stages of reading. Titles in each stage—from Step Up to Fluent Plus—are carefully crafted to provide the supports and challenges that young readers need to build a strong foundation for literacy success.
- Integrates literacy development key Science, Social Studies and Math
- Engages students' natural curiosity about the world around them
- Provides nonfiction content matched to the reading levels of students
- Appropriate for guided, shared and independent reading
Content-Based Fiction Readers, K–3
Each beautifully illustrated and carefully levelled title features essential content in science, social studies, and math, while giving your students the skills and strategies they need to grow into strong readers
- Science titles teach core content as students explore key science concepts and vocabulary
- Math titles extend learning by using narratives to teach math concepts and introduce math vocabulary
- Social Studies titles make core content come alive as you teach empathy for diverse cultures and people, family and communities, and the effects of change on individuals and communities
Content-area levelled books offer students a rich array of engaging and thought- provoking science and social studies content while developing nonfiction literacy skills and strategies. Throughout the books, students are exposed to nonfiction text features, graphic elements, organizational patterns and nonfiction genres.
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Content-Based Chapter Books, Grades 3–8
Encourage reading and connect to science and social studies content with the unforgettable characters and compelling plots in these chapter books!
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Theme Sets, Grades 3–8
Differentiated Instruction at Its Best!
Theme Sets provide differentiated resources for teachers to meet the diverse needs of their students. Each Theme Set provides four books crafted to match the wide range of reading levels within each classroom. All books provide the same core concepts but within different contexts and at different reading levels.
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Explorer Books, Grades 2–6
The best articles from National Geographic Explorer Magazine are now compiled in single-topic books with identical content at two different reading levels (Pioneer and Pathfinder). You can truly provide differentiated texts for content-area reading!
- Pioneer and Pathfinder editions contain the same content and visuals, but have different concept loads, text density, and vocabulary
inZone Books, Grades 6–12
inZone books help middle and high school struggling readers access a world of motivating and engaging literature. Two distinct collections appeal to different ages and interests. The middle school collection includes three readability zones, and the high school collection includes four readability zones.
- On-Page Glossary provides substitute words or phrases to help students keep reading fluently
- Look Ahead supports active reading by helping students anticipate plot developments
- The Exchange promotes thinking and conversation about the book
- Before You Move On provides frequent checks to help ensure that students are comprehending
The Good Writer's Kit, Grades 6–12
Inspire the writer in every student!
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The Good Reader's Kit, Grades 6–12
Inspire the reader in every student!
- Motivate students with fascinating content and effective resources
- Accelerate academic vocabulary development
- Develop key reading strategies and skills


Collaborative interactions among preschool children in a computer environment
Ahmad, Mohd Sharani and Adam Assim, Mohamad Ibrani Shahrimin (2003) Collaborative interactions among preschool children in a computer environment. Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities, 11 (2). pp. 147-155. ISSN 0128-7702; ESSN: 2231-8534
Official URL: http://www.pertanika.upm.edu.my/view_archives.php?...
This paper reports on a study which investigated the collaborative interaction patterns exhibited by five-year-old pre-primary children in an educational computer environment. A case study method was used in one pre-primary centre in a metropolitan city, to examine the patterns of collaborative interaction among young children whilst engaged, in dyads, with the computer within a naturalistic classroom environment. A total of 243 interactions were identified and classified into 16 interaction patterns. Factors facilitating and inhibiting collaborative interaction were identified as: developmental appropriateness of the software; preexisting computer competency and attitude towards computer; mutual friendship between collaborators; children's social goals; appropriate structure of enjoyable learning environment; mutual understanding of the turn-taking system; and non-isolated physical settings. In effect, this study shows that early childhood educators will be in a better position to integrate the computer into their classroom and to promote positive prosocial interaction among children whilst engaged at the computer, if it were to be afforded the same status as other traditional early childhood learning materials and activities.
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Nationalism and Form in Indian Painting
A Study of the Bengal School
JUST BY painting in India, one does not produce Indian painting/1 This cryptic remark by the historian Akshay Maitreya directed at the attempts ofAbanindranath and his students indicated the rise
of a new consciousness among the Indian art-loving public. Used as interchangeable, the terms Indian' and 'national' were introduced in the early twentieth century as new evaluative categories By 1905 this awareness was expressed through a number of debates, both in the British Indian educational circles as well as among the Bengali intelligentsia. The first.known as the Bums-Havell debate, gained significance in the formulation of art education policies. The second housed by popular Bengali monthlies like Prabashi and Bharat-barsha and the English art journal Rupam revealed the cross-currents of modernist vs traditionalist attitudes. The range and variety in the structuring of arguments show how the Bengali 'bhadralok'was coming to grips with multiple sources of knowledge. Art' assumed an importance unprecedented in British Indian history. For the first time an art movement began which came to be recognized as 'national' paradoxically by both the Bengali intellectual in his Swadeshi fervour' as well as the British media at the same time. By 1910, the attempts of Orientalists to reveal Indian art to the west were over. Indian art was supposed to have 'arrived'. The approval of the British liberal intellectuals, which included a number of artists, made it clear that the art pursuits ofAbanin -dranath and his followers had succeeded in linking Indian art to a glorious past.
Journal of Arts & Ideas 5


She had suffered a stroke and a heart attack in August, and was last seen in public on 14 January at a dinner marking the Martin Luther King Jr national holiday, where she received a standing ovation from the 1500 people in the crowd.
King's steely determination, grace and class won her millions of admirers inside and outside the civil rights movement.
John Lewis, a Democratic congressman from Georgia and civil rights leader, said it was "a very sad hour." "Long before she met and married Dr King, she was an activist for peace and civil rights and for civil liberties," he told CNN.
"She became the embodiment, the personification (of the civil rights movement after Dr King's death) ... keeping the mission, the message, the philosophy ... of nonviolence in the forefront."
At the White House, Dan Bartlett, counselor to the president, told Fox television: "President Bush and first lady Laura Bush were always heartened by their meetings with Mrs King. What an inspiration to millions of people. I'm deeply saddened by today's news."
Coretta Scott King played a major back-up role in the civil rights movement until the death of her husband, who was assassinated on a Memphis motel balcony on 4 April, 1968, while supporting a sanitation workers strike.
Coretta Scott and Martin Luther
King married in 1953
Mrs King, who was in Atlanta at the time, learned of her husband's shooting in a telephone call from Rev Jesse Jackson, a call she later wrote, "I seemed subconsciously to have been waiting for all of our lives."
As she recalled in her autobiography My Life With Martin Luther King Jr, she felt she had to step fully into the civil rights movement.
"Because his task was not finished, I felt that I must rededicate myself to the completion of his work," she said.
Determined to make sure Americans did not forget her husband or his dream of a colour-blind society, she created a memorial and a forum in the Martin Luther King Jr Centre for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta.
The centre has archives containing more than 2000 King speeches and is built around the King crypt and its eternal flame.
Coretta Scott was born on 27, 1927, near Marion, Alabama. Spending much of her early years on a farm she saw little racial prejudice until she reached high school, when she and her sister were sent into town to board with a family while attending Lincoln High School, one of the black schools in the segregated South.
"It was awful," she said of living in Marion. "Every Saturday we would hear about some black man getting beat up, and nothing was done about it."
Her father had built up a small trucking business but his success began to irritate poor whites in the area, she said, and, after considerable harassment someone burned down the Scott home on Thanksgiving night 1942.
Her sister Edythe won a scholarship to Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, in 1943, the first black student to attend the school. Two years later, Coretta followed.
But, as the first black at the school to major in elementary education she ran into racial discrimination that limited the classrooms where she could student teach.
King, who was studying for his doctorate in theology at Boston University, had told a mutual friend he was looking for a wife. The friend gave him Coretta Scott's phone number, but when he came calling she was not impressed.
"I saw this green car coming up the street and this short man. He leaned over to open the door, and when I got in the car I saw this very young looking man. I thought, 'Oh my God, I expected to see a man but this is a boy.'"
When he began to speak, however, the young Miss Scott changed her mind.
They were married at her parents' home on 18 June, 1953, and moved to Atlanta, where King was the co-pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church with his father.


Music is often called the universal language, and in our modern world that may be true. But there was a time that music was an export product, and this postcard of the Royal Military Band of Kumasi, Gold Coast West Africa is a good example. The band, dressed in British style military uniforms, represents the way European musical culture was exported to foreign colonies in the 19th century. These 25 African musicians pose with a standard mix of European brass and woodwind instruments along with western style drums. The original sepia tone photo has been crudely colorized with swatches of red on their caps, yellow on the brass instruments, and brown on their faces.
The Gold Coast, or Ghana as it is now known, was once part of the collection of British colonies in West Africa. This small country, just beneath the immense territory of French West Africa, is on the Gulf of Guinea and adjacent to the French colony of Ivory Coast. After the Dutch left in 1874, it was made into a British protectorate, but the native Ashanti people objected to the need for protection. This led to a conflict in 1900 known as the War of the Golden Stool in which the British prevailed and the Gold Coast became a British colony. Independence would have to wait until 1957.
The publisher was the Basel Mission Book Depot of Accra, a Christian mission organization started by German Protestants who first came to the Gold Coast in 1828. They recruited both Dutch and English missionaries and established schools for teaching various trades, including printing, to the native people. They were also important for compiling the first translations of African languages in the region.
The name Royal Military Band may refer to the Ashanti Royalty whose capital was the city of Kumasi , which is inland from the coastal city of Accra. If you look closely, some bandsmen have medals, and the drum has regimental markings, so I suspect these may be awards from that 1900 conflict, or perhaps from the earlier Boer war. The postcard was never mailed, but I believe, based on other sources, that it dates from around 1905.
I found this short video of the Ghana Police Band on parade in 2011. Their website describes a musical tradition that goes back to 1918, and there are now 5 regional police bands providing ceremonial and festival dance music in Ghana. I would imagine that the Royal Military Band of Kumasi had a very similar sound and marching style.
If you have been following my posts on this blog, you will recognize the theme in this next video which I hope you will watch. When I was preparing this story, I made an exciting discovery on YouTube of a video that combines this notion of exporting musical culture with the older tradition of teaching children to take up a musical instrument. It also comes from Ghana.
The Kopeyia School Brass Band is a music education project run by Jo Junghans , a German pianist and trombonist, who has traveled to a rural school in the village of Kopeyia in Ghana's Aflao region. In this next short video you can meet Sena, one of his students, who explains the value of being in the brass band.
My collection has many early photographs of bands very similar to this one from Kopeyia. But these antique photos of boys and girls with their music instruments are always frustrating because they are forever silent.
Now for the first time we can see and hear the enthusiasm of children just like them, and meet their young band leader too. As you listen and maybe read about Jo Junghans and his Kopeyia School Brass Band , you will understand how the dream of a children's brass band in Africa is no different from that same dream held by thousands of American, British, and European communities 100 years ago, that true culture begins with teaching children the love of music. This is the real truth of the universal language of music.
UPDATE: As Jo Junghans explains in his comment below, the Kopeyia Brass Band is is an educational project about promoting peace through cultural exchange. By including their videos in this story, my intention was not meant to imply any connection to the colonial period other than geography. The connection I would like to make is that the excitement these young people have for learning and performing music was undoubtedly shared by the many children pictured in my antique band photos. That zeal is the very essence of what makes music a world language.
This is my contribution to Sepia Saturday
where you may encounter more uniforms and pill box hats.


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Both in-text and teacher led options allow for students to demonstrate what they have learned in the text, and throughout the program. While you review the program, be sure to take a look at these formal assessment items:
End of Chapter Assessments – In the Student Edition, a Quick Study Guide, American Issues Connector, Chapter Assessment, and Document-Based Assessment options provide multiple ways for students to show what they have learned.
Test Prep with Document-Based Assessment– This booklet helps high school students prepare for standardized assessments. Document-based questions (DBQs) encourage students to analyze primary sources and demonstrate understanding in written essays.
Examview Test Bank CD-ROM - Print pre-made tests or create your own from a computerized test bank that corresponds to Pearson’s United States History program. Easy to use, Examview gives teachers the ability to add and modify questions, update standards, and include audio and video assets to assessments!
AYP Monitoring Assessments - Provide a clear path to satisfactory yearly progress through screening tests, diagnostic tests, benchmark tests, and an outcome test.
Pearson encourages 21st century learning by infusing the core subjects and themes throughout our programs—Life and Career Skills, Learning and Innovation Skills, and Information, Media, and Technology Skills. The ultimate goal—to ensure that every child is prepared for the 21st century with skills like critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, innovation and global competence.
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Science for Kids - Fun Experiments, Cool Facts, Online Games, Activities, Projects, Ideas, Technology. Cool math 4 kids - math games, math puzzles, math lessons - designed for kids and fun! Australian Academy of Science - PrimaryConnections. Victorian Institute of Teaching. Primary Resources - Free teaching resources, lesson plans, teaching ideas & worksheets for primary and elementary teachers. 1000s FREE printable K-3 primary teaching resources - kindergarten, reception, primary school, printables - SparkleBox Australia. Free maths games - Sumdog. Education. Academic Resources. K-3 Teacher Resources - Free Elementary Lesson Plans and Teaching Ideas Page.
Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. Australian Academy of Science - PrimaryConnections. Victorian Essential Learning Standards - VELS. Free education videos and resources for professional development.


|Environment and development
in coastal regions and in small islands
Program targets Early childhood learning
By MARGARET DAURE
TRADITIONAL child rearing methods
are good but we need to improve them to prepare our children for the competitive
and literate society they live in today, Moresby South MP Lady Carol Kidu
said yesterday. Lady Kidu was speaking at an Early Childhood Development
workshop currently underway at the Koki Bible House.
The program, for the Moresby South electorate, started in 1997 and since then, hundreds of men and women
Participants at the workshop yesterday.
of varying ages have taken part in the workshops.
Lady Kidu said the aim of the program,
which targets disadvantaged communities, is to raise awareness of the importance
of early childhood development, to encourage the concept of parent effectiveness
training and to encourage the establishment of community-based preschools.
Participants from 11 different communities
attending the workshop are learning skills and methods to accelerate children's
learning potential. Participant Pauline Banai from Goilala, who lives at
Two Mile, said she found the basic things about early childhood learning
very important. She said the local church in Two Mile was planning to start
a pre-school and she was eager to be a part of the early childhood learning
of children in her community.
Trainer Mareta Vavona said early childhood
learning gave children a head start in their learning process. "There is
a need for pre-schools in the community. Children who go through early childhood
learning are able to learn better when they go onto elementary schools,"
Lady Kidu said although the program
will not have any immediate dramatic impact, she believed in its importance
to help people understand that the first seven years is the most active
learning time of a person's development. She said: "We can accelerate our
children's learning potential if we create stimulating and nurturing environments
for them in their early childhood. "In extended families and disadvantaged
families, sometimes there are so many other priorities that the early learning
needs of children may be overlooked."
The costs of the workshops are covered by the Moresby South discretionary funds and are open to anyone from the electorate who are recommended by the Community Development Committee (CDC) or by a church. If participants want to start a pre-school in their community, then they are provided with a basic start-up kit of materials to do so.
Lady Kidu said the workshops were one way to ensure that the Moresby South electorate is implementing the nation's commitment to the UN's Convention on the Rights of Children.
Source: The National, 27 February 2001


ERIC Number: ED284181
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1987-Jan
Reference Count: 0
Cognitive Apprenticeship: Teaching the Craft of Reading, Writing, and Mathematics. Technical Report No. 403.
Collins, Allan; And Others
Noting that skills and knowledge taught in schools have become abstracted from their uses in the world, this paper clarifies some of the implications for the nature of the knowledge that students acquire through a proposal for the retooling of apprenticeship methods for the teaching and learning of cognitive skills. The paper specifically proposes the development of a new cognitive apprenticeship to teach students the thinking and problem-solving skills involved in school subjects such as reading, writing, and mathematics. The first section of the paper, after discussing key shortcomings in current curricular and pedagogical practices, presents some of the structural features of traditional apprenticeship, detailing what would be required to adapt these characteristics to the teaching and learning of cognitive skills. The central section of the paper considers three recently developed pedagogical models that exemplify aspects of apprenticeship methods in teaching thinking and reasoning skills. The section notes that these methods--A. S. Palincsar and A. L. Brown's reciprocal reading teaching, M. Scardamalia and C. Bereiter's procedural facilitation of writing, and A. H. Schoenfeld's method for teaching mathematical problem solving--appear to develop successfully not only the cognitive, but also the metacognitive, skills required for true expertise. The final section organizes ideas on the purposes and characteristics of successful teaching into a general framework for the design of learning "environments," including the content being taught, pedagogical methods employed, sequencing of learning activities, and the sociology of learning--emphasizing how cognitive apprenticeship goes beyond the techniques of traditional apprenticeship. Tables of data are included, and references are appended. (Author/NKA)
Descriptors: Apprenticeships, Cognitive Processes, Educational Environment, Elementary Education, Learning Strategies, Learning Theories, Mathematics Instruction, Metacognition, Reading Instruction, Reading Research, Skill Development, Teaching Methods, Theory Practice Relationship, Writing Instruction, Writing Research
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Sponsor: Office of Naval Research, Arlington, VA.; National Inst. of Education (ED), Washington, DC.
Authoring Institution: Illinois Univ., Urbana. Center for the Study of Reading.; Bolt, Beranek and Newman, Inc., Cambridge, MA.
Identifiers: Cognitive Enhancement; Reciprocal Teaching


Susan Hoffman used to look forward to continuing her career in elementary education, walking her dog and playing tennis.
Now she wonders if she'll ever be able to walk without a cane.
Hoffman, of Petoskey, suffers from a disease called FacioScapuloHumeral Muscular Dystrophy (FSHD). FSHD is a form of muscular dystrophy defined by a specific set of symptoms that collectively characterize the disease. Initial signs of FSHD include difficulty reaching above the shoulder level, foot drop, scapular winging and facial weakness. In most cases, FSHD muscle involvement starts in the face and slowly progresses to the shoulder and upper-arm muscles and then down to the abdominal and foot-extensor muscles. Foot drop and foot weakness are early manifestations. Its major symptom is the progressive weakening and loss of skeletal muscles.
While diagnosed only a year and a half ago, Hoffman has been living with symptoms including joint pain and muscle aches for the past 20 years.


Using Greens (2002) book: How Popular Musicians Learn: A Way Ahead for Music Education as a conceptual framework, this paper investigates teachers attitudes towards the use of popular music in formal music education. The main research question: What are the views of selected secondary school music teachers regarding the incorporation of popular music into formal music education? was examined through semi-structured interviews with four secondary school music teachers. Three central themes emerged from the data analysis: the justification of popular music in formal music education; elements of teaching practice affected by this inclusion; and the idea of tradition and authenticity in different styles of music. This paper summarizes the conceptual framework, methodology, analysis, and results used to produces these three themes.


In the last few years, to be sure, the definition of whole language has changed to fit today's changed political environment. Perhaps what Coles writes is now true; under intense political pressure whole language has rehabilitated itself as "phonics with a happy face," an non-controversial pedagogy which accepts direct instruction, the "basics" and even the notion that children ought eventually to learn to read books without having to resort to illustrations to provide context. Who could possibly object to this reformed version of whole language--the prettified version that figures throughout the report--now shorn of any theoretical pretension other than "understanding is good"?
But many people would disagree with him. Many would say that the practice of whole language continues to eschew both the "basics" and explicit instruction, still provides little teaching other than "guided reading," promotes by default the memorization of whole words in lieu of learning how to decode individual words and writes off the many children who do not learn to read under whole language methodology as having learning disabilities.
But ultimately, a rehabilitated theory of whole language instruction is irrelevant. The only real issue for whole language (or any other pedagogy) is whether it should have pride of place in a national curriculum or--even more radically--be the sole pedagogical method for teaching reading without having to assert a theory of how written language is acquired.
Phonics has such a theory. Whole language had one for decades, but it is now intellectually discredited, and Coles is among the few sophisticated writers willing to defend even a modest version of it. But if all that survives of whole language pedagogy is that children should learn to comprehend what they read, then whole language loses any distinctive pedagogical claim and becomes secondary to the method which has an explicit and scientifically plausible account of how children acquire written language. After all, what made whole language intellectually distinctive was not only its "reading is natural" assumption but also its argument that phonics, formal rules for decoding words, do not have to be taught. Whole language is a pedagogical theory that excommunicates phonics as unnecessary.
Of course, to the extent consistent with the priority of learning decoding skills, phonemic awareness and phonics skills should be taught in a context that is interesting and stimulating, with real literature that invites understanding. Children who do not come from print-rich and literate environments, who have no reason to think that reading is important to them and whose parents do not read to them need the invitation of exciting, imaginative literature to give them a reason to do the harder work of phonics instruction. Particularly among children from deprived homes, the classroom will have to make explicit the connection between the discipline of phonics and its eventual results in the joy and necessity of reading that other children will discover at home.
One of the peculiarities of whole language pedagogy is that it takes informal reading, which committed parents have always done with their children, and puts it at the center of the classroom experience, while abandoning (to parents, if to anyone at all) the systematic and explicit instruction in phonics that the classroom is far better able to deliver than parents. A justification for this curious inversion has been that because so many parents no longer undertake reading activities, preferring to fetishize the television rather than the book, the school must take over that function too. This is an unfortunate trend but not a reason for schools to drop what they can do best.
The rest of "Misreading Reading" is a detailed discussion of the scientific studies on phonics. Coles is not impressed; he argues that it is bad science that has been misused in public policy, pointing out that there is a history of phonics-oriented researchers overselling their results, with the media leveraging the oversell even higher. He is right to emphasize, as he did in "Reading Lessons," that no mere reading pedagogy will overcome the effects of poverty and deprivation in the reading lives of poor children. Yet though he has read widely and pondered details, he is finally not persuasive. He is useful and talented as a critic but does not extend his critical review of the literature to the findings made by researchers favoring whole language, which are even more extravagant in their conclusions and much weaker in their methodologies than phonics-favoring research.


Details about Assessment & Instruction of Reading and Writing Difficulties:
Focusing on reading and writing ability/disability from an interactive perspective, this text emphasizes the importance of understanding and addressing learner’s difficulties in relation to the instructional context. Extensive, in-depth treatment of current research and best practices make this text a 'must-have' addition to any current or future teacher's library. Section I (Chs. 1-3) provides readers with a strong, comprehensive knowledge of reading/writing research and an introduction to an assessment-instruction process that is described in-depth in the second, third, and fourth sections of the text. Section two considers the foundations of literacy with a strong emphasis on language development along with detailed information on evaluating the instructional context. Section three focuses on procedures for evaluating the learner, including both classroom-based and standardized assessments. Section four stands alone as an important chapter examining the relationship between the instructional context and learner’s strengths and weaknesses by means of diagnostic teaching. Section five is devoted to instructional practices designed to improve reading and writing instruction for struggling students. Chapters on word recognition, vocabulary, comprehension-composition, and “high-utility strategies” address the major components of literacy development. In the final section (Ch. 16), issues related to professional standards and written reports are addressed.
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According to the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), information literacy is a set of abilities enabling individuals to "recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information." Information literacy encompasses more than just library skills; it also includes media literacy and computer/technology fluency. Information Literacy is best integrated across the curriculum with collaboration from the university faculty and staff.
UCCS bases its information literacy program on the Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education (2000). The five standards are:
The primary goal of the information literacy program is to establish a comprehensive, integrated and systematic program for students that is predicated on a progression through skill sets in order to graduate students with information literacy competencies. This assumes a general progression in knowledge and critical thinking abilities over time, as well as a gradual integration of IL skills into existing required courses in foundational, upper-division, and graduate level courses.
Program Partners: Librarians, local high school media specialists, local public librarians
Program Focus: Pre-foundational skills, encourage library use and good behavior, introduction and practice (pre-college)
Assessment: Librarians will assess their students' pre-foundational skill level through their own teaching and from formal and informal pre-tests and student feedback, including session evaluations. Students may complete assignments or projects which demonstrate these learning outcomes.
We hope that all students will have had some pre-foundational curriculum in high school or whatever they did before college. The focus here is to encourage library use and good library behavior, and to review pre-foundational skills such as the parts of a book, reference tools, using an index, atlas, dictionary, thesaurus, etc., library rules of behavior, etc. This may be students' first exposure to books and libraries. Unfortunately, this often gets pushed to the next level, which is the foundational curriculum, and this is where we will begin focusing our efforts at UCCS.
In the future, collaboration with local high school media specialists may be sought to help students begin incorporating these more basic skill sets here.
In the foundational curriculum, which should occur in the first year or two, the focus is on foundational IL skills, instruction, and practice. Ideally, students should receive foundational IL instruction within a systematic and focused program as close to the beginning of their educational experience as possible. This foundational curriculum will bring all students up to the same level of basic understanding and functionality so that future development can take place in the appropriate contextual setting as they progress through their studies. Ensuring that all students enter with the same basic skill set means that:
After students have received the basics, we focus on building and reinforcing foundational skills and concepts. The content and form of this curriculum will be determined by the classes with which it partners (e.g. Writing Program courses).
The discipline specific curriculum occurs in the students' junior and senior years, and involves a lot of collaboration between discipline faculty and librarians. The focus here is integrating skills and expanding knowledge of specialized, discipline-specific resources, advanced searching and evaluating skills, and ethical matters in the context of each of the disciplines. Librarians will partner with the faculty in the colleges to plan IL curriculum and assessment tools that meet the students' needs in each college. This curriculum should be flexible and organic, changing with the needs of the college as faculty come and go and as college educational goals evolve.
The graduate curriculum provides expanding opportunities for conducting research in the discipline. Librarians work with faculty to design IL sessions at a more advanced level, and by this time, are dealing with students that are more competent and skilled in information literacy. Instruction at this level should focus on advanced assistance with research methods and resources.
The focus of this curriculum is to expand focus on information literacy skills outside the classroom, and to develop a culture of information literacy practice on campus. The information literacy program will support this concept by forming partnerships with these campus entities to build IL into their activities and events on campus, such as the Freshman Seminar Program, Major and Minors Fair, Career Fair, and various workshops hosted by these groups.
Life long learning is our ultimate goal and, while not an official part of our curriculum, is what we hope that we will accomplish with our efforts. We hope to produce UCCS graduates who are more informed information consumers.


Children who participate in the arts each week through at least one full year are:
- 4 times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement
- 3 times more likely to be elected to class office within their schools
- 4 times more likely to participate in a math and science fair
- 3 times more likely to win an award for school attendance
- 4 times more likely to win an award for writing an essay or poem
Young artists, as compared with their peers, are likely to:
- Attend music, art, and dance classes nearly three times as frequently
- Participate in youth groups nearly four times as frequently
- Read for pleasure nearly twice as often
- Perform community service more than four times as often
Source: “Living the Arts through Language + Learning: A Report on Community-based Youth Organizations,” Shirley Brice Heath, Stanford University and Carnegie Foundation For the Advancement of Teaching, Americans for the Arts Monograph, November 199
Did you know?
Art education for children:
- Stimulates and develops the imagination and critical thinking, and refines cognitive and creative skills.
- Has a tremendous impact on the developmental growth of every child and has proven to help level the “learning field” across socio-economic boundaries.
- Strengthens problem-solving and critical-thinking skills, adding to overall academic achievement and school success.
- Develops a sense of craftsmanship, quality task performance, and goal-setting—skills needed to succeed in the classroom and beyond.
- Teaches children life skills such as developing an informed perception; articulating a vision; learning to solve problems and make decisions; building self-confidence and self-discipline; developing the ability to imagine what might be; and accepting responsibility to complete tasks from start to finish.
- Nurtures important values, including team-building skills; respecting alternative viewpoints; and appreciating and being aware of different cultures and traditions.
- Plays a central role in cognitive, motor, language, and social-emotional development.
- Motivates and engages children in learning, stimulates memory, facilitates understanding, enhances symbolic communication, promotes relationships, and provides an avenue for building competence.
- Provides a natural source of learning. Child development specialists note that play is the business of young children; play is the way children promote and enhance their development. The arts are a most natural vehicle for play.
Source: Americans for the Arts, 2002; Young Children and the Arts: Making Creative Connections, 1998, Introduction


Chacha Nehru Scholarship for Artistic and Innovative Excellence
Primacy to Art Education:
The importance of arts in the education system has been repeatedly discussed and recommended over the decades. Rather than encouraging the pursuit of arts the education system in the country tends to relegate arts to be ‘useful hobbies’ and ‘leisure activities’. The National Curriculum Framework (NCF) – 2005 reiterates the importance of Art Education at all stages of school education so that ‘we retain our unique cultural identity in all its diversity’. NCF – 2005 recommends four major areas of Art Education at the Secondary and Senior Secondary stages. These include Music, Dance, Visual Arts and Theatre. NCF – 2005 also stipulates that students must be introduced to the rich and varied art traditions in the country with due emphasis on learning rather than teaching. The approach should be participatory, interactive and experiential, rather than instructive. Such an approach should foster self-expression and self-awareness among children. It should create aesthetic awareness and develop imagination, enhance confidence in movement and speech, promote tolerance and sensitivity.
National Bal Bhawan: Bal Shree programme:
The National Bal Bhawan has played a vital role in the promotion of Arts throughout the length and breadth of the country. Currently there are 73 state and district Bal Bhawans in the country. The National Bal Bhawan has instituted a system of honouring talented children in different age groups in the year 1995 through the Bal Shree scheme.
The Bal Shree programme recognizes talent in the following areas:
1. Creative Performance
2. Creative Arts
3. Creative Scientific Innovations
4. Creative Writing
The National Bal Bhawan makes a selection of creative children through activities conducted at three levels, viz:
Local level by organizing 2-day camps in which 8 children (2 in each stream) are identified at the local level 2.
Zonal Levels by organizing 3 days camps in which local experts, specialists from six zones, namely North, East, West, Central, South-I and South -II participate for selection of children
National Levels by organizing 4 day camps from the six zones in the country. A panel of experts and resource persons representing the four streams are identified to observe and assess the creativity of children. On an average 150 children participate in the National level camp and approximately 50 children are chosen for the Bal Shree honour.
The criteria for selection of children for the Bal Shree award includes :-
(b) innovative approach,
(e) divergent thinking,
(f) elaboration of ideas,
(g) creative processes culminating into meaningful products,
(h) effective functioning in the group,
(i) analytical and critical approach.
The National Bal Bhawan has developed a comprehensive activities’ bank in order to identify the creative skills of the children. During the selection process children are provided a barrier free environment and an interactive and supportive environment aimed at bringing out the best in children. Children thus selected are honoured by the President of India and presented a Bal Shree certificate.
Chacha Nehru Scholarships for Artistic and Innovative Excellence:
With a view to further encouraging and nurturing talent NCERT
will support the children who participate in the National Camp organised by the National Bal Bhawan through a scheme of Chacha Nehru Scholarships for Artistic and Innovative Excellence. The Chacha Nehru Scholarships for Artistic and Innovative Excellence will be available to children pursuing secondary and senior secondary education in classes IX – XII.
The salient features of the scholarship scheme will be as follows:
Children participating in the National Camps of the National Bal Bhawan and pursuing studies in Classes IX – XII will be awarded an scholarship of Rs 500 per month for a period of four year till they complete Class XII.
The National Bal Bhawan will continue to independently design and evolve its testing tools and evaluation/ assessment schemes for identification of Bal Shree awardees. The National Bal Bhawan will also independently administer the activities/ tests for identification of Bal Shree awardees.
The National Bal Bhawan will submit to NCERT a list of children studying in classes IX – XII who have been selected for participation in the National Bal Bhawan Camp for award of the Chacha Nehru Scholarships for Artistic and Innovative Excellence. This list will be accompanied by detailed information on each child as per proforma developed by NCERT.


- YİBO ("Yatılı İlköğretim Bölge Okulu" in Turkish) refers to a class of public elementary boarding schools in rural parts of Turkey. PİO ("Pansiyonlu İlköğretim Bölge Okulu") also refers to a similar class of schools the differences between the two classes of schools being minor. Many YİBOs and PİOs have been founded since 1962 as part of an ongoing government policy to increase the literacy levels and promote education in rural and underdeveloped parts of Turkey. As of 2003, there are 538 of these schools in operation (285 YİBOs and 253 PİOs).
- The main purpose of the YİBOs is to provide the students from poor families who live in underdeveloped parts of Turkey with an 8 year elementary education. YİBOs accept students from neighboring residential areas (villages and small towns) that don't have a proper elementary school. Most students are boarding therefore YİBOs also provide the students with food and accomodation throughout their elementary education. YİBOs are public schools so they provide these services at a relatively low cost to poor families.


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Art Ed Students Make the World Better
Can art lead to clean water? At Kendall it can. Kendall's Art Education students reached out to bring clean water to third-world countries with a unique fund-raiser that was also a part of full-circle curriculum design.
This integrated lesson, written by Art Education Assistant Professor Donna St. John, began with a brain-based, integrated art lesson that examines the art of typography and the science of psychology. An integral par t of the lesson was a psychological concept called "thin-slicing." Discussed in Malcolm Gladwell's book Blink, the concept says that as human beings we are capable of making sense of situations based on the thinnest slice of experience. In this case, the lesson investigated whether what a person wears changes how they feel or affects the first impression that they make on others.
Students studied good design and typography, psychology and first impressions, and the importance of reaching across disciplines to design a stronger educational curriculum for the classroom. Then, putting learning into practice, the students designed a T-Shirt with the express purpose of eliciting a reaction. Amy Tenbarge, a Masters of Art Education student, designed the winning "Make Art, Not War" t-shirt design. Art Education students sold the shirts, raising over $250.00 for the World Vision program to bring clean water to people in need. The lesson plan has been published by the National Education Center.


The Literacy & Communication Model Demonstration Classroom Project for Students with Deaf-Blindness
A project funded by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, North Carolina Deafblind Project
Definition of Deaf-Blindness
Often when we hear the term "deaf-blindness," the story of Helen Keller comes to mind. While she was deaf-blind, this severity of hearing and vision loss is NOT necessary in order to be considered as deaf-blind. The Federal Registry uses the following definition:
"Determination of deaf-blind children. As used in this part, the term 'deaf-blind children' means children who have auditory and vision disabilities, the combination of which causes such severe communication and other developmental and educational difficulties that they cannot properly be accommodated in special education programs solely for the deaf or blind child." Federal Registry, Volume 40, No. 35, February 20, 1075, Section 121c.37(a)
Certification of Deaf-Blindness and Available Services
In order to be registered on the Deaf-Blind Census, students must be certified as having a vision impairment and a hearing impairment of varying degree. Reports from doctors, teachers of the hearing impaired, teachers of the visually impaired, other related service providers, and/or classroom teacher reports can be used to document dual sensory impairments. After students are identified on the state Deaf-Blind census, the Exceptional Children's Department can offer special services to students, parents and educators, such as technical assistance, consultation, and inservice trainings. Two forms need to be completed, along with the appropriate documentation, and returned to Chris Jones, State DB Project Director at the Department of Public Instruction: the Student Information Form and the Deaf-Blind Certification Form.
The Model Classrooms Supporting Students Deaf-Blindness
By working directly with selected school sites and individual students, the Center for Literacy and Disability Studies is working to identify and implement exemplary practices in literacy and communication for students who have been identified with deaf-blindness. Model sites are located in 4 different counties in the state. In addition, the project staff at the CLDS provides training and support through a variety of mechanisms.
Student Case Studies
As part of the project, case studies are being developed to support educational teams and families in their efforts to address the literacy and communication needs of individuals with severe disabilities, including deaf-blindness. The following case studies are currently available:
To follow the case of Jake, click here.
To follow the case of Matthew, click here.
Downloadable Teaching Resources for Students with Multiple Disabilities, Including Deaf-Blindness
Another component of the project involves the development of instructional materials and resources designed to support the implementation of successful practices throughout North Carolina and beyond. These downloadable resources include specific directions for implementing the core instructional activities developed in the model sites, as well as directions for creating specific materials to support successful communication and literacy development. To learn more about the resources available, go to the downloadable classroom resources page.
For more information about the project, contact Gretchen Hanser, Project Director.


Workshop offers help for parents in using basic mathematics
Parents went to Melrose Avenue School last week to learn mathematics. The presentation screen in the multi-purpose room welcomed the adults with a quote taken from legendary mathematician Albert Einstein, "Do not worry about your difficulties in Mathematics. I can assure you mine are still greater."
Math coach Jenn Clark presented the Jamestown Schools' newly adopted mathematics curriculum in a work session for parents on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, Jan. 29 and 31. "We have just fully implemented a new K through 6 curriculum, and this workshop is enrichment for parents to help support children in the new approach," Clark said. The seventh and eighth grade students have new textbooks, as well, she added.
The new curriculum, called Everyday Mathematics, builds understanding and development of math skills through a series of connected learning experiences, Clark said. Through repeated exposure and practice of new math concepts, the learning curve spirals into more difficult and challenging content. "The curriculum approaches math in a different way. It's a spiral technique, and new concepts build on each other," Clark explained as she flashed a picture of a spiral staircase on the screen. "The concepts are constantly reintroduced so they are not forgotten."
Clark opened the workshop with a "What's My Rule?" task sheet. Number tables offered samples of computation practice at various grade levels. "A typical task in the curriculum includes a warm-up mental math activity," Clark said. Students are given a question to solve. They compute in their heads, and write down their answers. "It's a quick way to assess the student's ability," Clark said.
The math approach, developed by the University of Chicago School Mathematics Project, is based on research about how students learn and develop mathematical power, Clark explained. The research evidence about Everyday Mathematics shows that children who use EM tend to learn more mathematics and like it better than children who use other programs. "The curriculum introduces students to math concepts at a much younger age," she added.
Clark provided parents with a research summary on the math program. The summary offered extensive evidence proving the program's success, from feedback on standardized tests to reports from individual school districts that implemented the curriculum.
Clark admitted that the idea to show the strategies to parents came from the school administration. "Principal Kathy Almanzor and Superintendent Marcia Lukon thought that providing parents with the informational tools would be a big help," Clark said.
More than 50 parents attended the workshop event and were given opportunities to practice activities that their children typically experienced in the new math lessons. Clark sent the adults home with suggestions on good homework habits and games to play in math.
Clark has taught elementary education for 12 years. She taught sixth grade last year in Jamestown and feels comfortable with leading educators and instructing students in the new math approach. Her role as a math coach is to provide classroom teachers and other instructional staff members with strategies, tools, and techniques to teach math effectively to all students.


Music Education is an integral part of core curriculum. Formal instruction in music provides students with unique experiences not taught in other core areas. Music, as a discrete discipline, offers powerful tools for expression. These tools make it possible to connect the intellect and emotion and bring meaning and beauty into our lives.
The study of music contributes to awareness and respect for the global community and the pluralistic society in which we live. The study of music in the context of historic and cultural perspectives provides a foundation for understanding the present as well as the future.
Performing music enhances self-esteem, builds self-discipline, and reinforces societal values such as cooperation, commitment, and working towards a common goal. These are all fundamental qualities that serve as the basis of our education system.
Music Education in the Arlington Public Schools provides students with instruction in all aspects of music: singing, playing, moving, reading, listening, analyzing, creating, and performing. In Arlington, music educators enhance instruction through various uses of technology, involvement in continuing education, and the pursuit of improved pedagogical methods. The rich and varied talents in our community are tapped through the visiting artists from the Humanities Project. Arlington Public Schools strives to educate all students to the highest level of musical skill and knowledge commensurate with talent and ability.
This page contains links to one or more websites that are outside of the Arlington Public Schools network. APS does not control the content or relevancy of these links.


Many Spanish-speaking parents hesitate to teach their children to read in their home language because they worry that this will make it more difficult for their children to learn to read in English. Nothing could be farther from the truth! In fact, the more children know about reading in their first language, the easier it will be for them to learn to read in English.
Thinking first about pre-readers, we know from years of research that there are certain foundational literacy skills that children need in order to be ready to learn to read. These skills include both print-related skills, such as knowing letter names and letter sounds, and sound-related skills, which come under the broad heading of phonological awareness. Early phonological awareness skills include, for example, being able to recognize words that rhyme or words that begin with the same sound. About twenty years ago, researchers began studying the relationship between these early foundational skills, developed in Spanish, and later reading achievement in English, and the results are clear. Strong print and phonological awareness skills in Spanish have consistently been found to be associated with successful later reading achievement, not only in Spanish, but also in English!
Parents can help prepare their children for learning to read in both languages by using Spanish to teach their children rhymes and songs, play word games, and share storybooks. Playing with words and rhymes develops phonological awareness, which prepares children for learning to “sound out” words when they begin to read. Interactive storybook read-alouds in Spanish expose children to the rich vocabulary of texts, vocabulary that they might not encounter in day-to-day spoken language. Read-alouds also help children develop early reading comprehension skills as they talk with parents about the events and concepts in the stories they are sharing. If parents call children’s attention to the print in the stories they are reading, they can also help children learn letter names, letter sounds, and print concepts, such as being able to point to the title of the book or knowing that text is read from top to bottom and from left to right. All of these skills prepare children for learning to read, both in Spanish and in English!
Once children actually begin reading, they can use what they know in one language to support their learning in the other. For example, a child who already knows how to read in Spanish already knows the concept of sounding out words to decode text. S/he has a distinct advantage over a child who is just learning that letters represent sounds, and sounds go together to make up words. In addition, a child who is a reader in Spanish already knows quite a few letter sounds in English because 12 of the letters (b, c, f, k, l, m, n, p, s, t, w, and y) make exactly the same sounds in the two languages! In addition, between 30% and 40% of all English words have Spanish cognates, or words that look similar and have the same meaning in the two languages. Parents can support their children’s English reading by helping them make connections like this between what they know in Spanish and what they are learning in English. They can also help by pointing out trouble spots, such as sounds that children will encounter in English that do not occur in Spanish (for example, sh).
Anyone who has ever taken a foreign language class, either in school or as an adult, has had the experience of applying established reading skills to a new language. Clearly, a child who begins studying French or German for the first time in eighth grade does not have to learn to read all over again. S/he simply has to learn how to apply what s/he already knows about reading to the unique rules of a new language. That is the same experience that children who can read in Spanish have when they begin learning to read in English. If they are beginning readers in both languages, they may not have as strong a reading foundation to call upon as the eighth grader in our example; however, having developed even elementary skills in Spanish reading will give them a boost as they learn to read in English. Not only has this fact been supported by research, it has also been borne out in classrooms across the U.S. For as Stephen Krashen stated so succinctly, “once you can read, you can read; reading ability transfers across languages.”
DON’T FORGET TO ENTER OUR CELEBRATING BILINGUAL READERS CONTEST FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN OVER $300 WORTH OF BILINGUAL/SPANISH BOOKS AND A KINDLE FIRE!


“Keep their minds and bodies engaged in wonder during the summer months when they are not attending school.” That’s what Julie Olson, director of elementary education for the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan Public Schools recommended last week. She was one of 39 education leaders who responded to my request for suggestions about what parents could do to encourage continued learning during the summer. They described a combination of community, school and family activities that can produce a summer with happy memories and student growth.
Raymond Queener, Cambridge-Isanti superintendent, and many others agreed: “ My advice is first to encourage students to read, read, read! Also, enjoy some activities at the Science Museum, maybe an art exhibit, spend some time outside in fun activities, and maybe get involved in a Community Education class of their interest. There are a lot of activities available, so make sure students stay involved, engaged, and try to find ways to encourage learning to continue.”
Corey Lunn, Stillwater superintendent, explained: “I always encourage families to keep their kids active and involved in different experiences. There are many opportunities through community ed., libraries, zoos and museums. Some teachers and schools offer summer work, most frequently with math. There are also many websites to keep kids learning as well, such as Kahn academy. I think the goal would be to balance added family time with perhaps a bit of academic enrichment.”
Steve Allen, of Cambridge, director of the Minnesota Association of Alternative Programs, pointed out: “Summer programs often come in the form of applied learning opportunities that tend to really engage and/or motivate students. I’ve seen students really become encouraged about their learning after a summer of relevant and meaningful activities. Another reason that I encourage students to continue with summer extended time activities is that it continues to reinforce good study habits. Particularly with potentially at-risk students, it is beneficial to keep them in the routine of going to school. Finally, some of the best programs I’ve ever run have been summer credit make-up programs. Students may fail one or two classes along the way. If you can make those credits up during the summer, students don’t get overwhelmed and ‘give up hope.’ If a student gives up hope, we all lose.’”
Denise Specht, president of Education Minnesota, the state’s teacher union, wrote: “For students in elementary and middle school: Read! Students should read books all summer (not too easy, but not too hard). Give children daily opportunities to read (maps, newspapers, even recipes) and give children a chance to read aloud. For students in high school: Read! Also, find opportunities to grow life skills, like meeting deadlines and personal responsibility through part-time jobs, volunteering and service projects.”
Gary Amoroso, executive director of Minnesota Association of School Administrators, urged families to consider programs that districts offer: “These activities can include academics as well as arts and crafts. This is a great way for a child to continue the learning process throughout the summer.”
Tom Kearney, director of New Heights charter in Stillwater, wrote: “I administer a school with a minimal or sensible homework philosophy and parents are always asking why we don’t send more ‘homework’ or they ask for us to provide them with things to ‘keep my kids busy.’ Well, with so many software options and community options such as the Minnesota Historical Society of the Science Museum of Minnesota, I always tell them that all educational moments do not need to be at school or facilitated by a teacher. We suggest tapping into what makes the student excited and then planning some excursions around those interests. Take some great field trips and have the children write or journal about what they saw. See if there is a treasure hunt of sorts available at the places you visit. Also, insist that your children are reading something all summer and that they are engaged in the material. Summer should be different, but not a full break from learning. Moms and dads should be asking questions all the time about things students are engaged in. Learning can be fun when students have a say in what they are learning.”
Modeling from families is key. That along with helping youngsters set and work toward goals, plus encouraging reading, exploring and talking, are great ways to spend the summer.
Joe Nathan, formerly a Minnesota public school teacher, administrator and PTA president, directs the Center for School Change. Reactions are welcome at [email protected]


Nick Chance says he can easily rattle off the names of 10 classmates who are both amazing musicians and "ridiculously smart."
"One of the things that connects with really good test scores is that a lot of the music students have a lot of practice put into their music," says Chance, a vocalist and May graduate of Lawrence High School. "They work hard; they focus. Those are qualities that are carried into the classroom in any form of environment."
Perhaps, but it turns out that the music environment at a school might actually determine how much carryover there is in other subjects.
A new study, published this month by Kansas University music professor Christopher Johnson, shows that elementary and middle schools with high-quality music programs have higher standardized test scores than schools with music programs deemed "deficient."
Music education has long been linked with intelligence. But this may be the first study to show it's more than simply being involved in music that matters - the quality of education matters, too.
The study will be good news to arts advocates who are lobbying against program cuts at a time when schools are focusing on math and English because of the No Child Left Behind act. Johnson says empirical data helps when it comes to budget processes.
"The way things ought to be doesn't always sway people with purse strings," he says.
'Shocked' at results
The study was conducted for the National Association of Music Merchants.
The study examined test scores of 4,739 students in third, fourth, eighth and ninth grades in schools representing the East Coast, Midwest, West Coast and South.
The schools were selected by talking with music educators in the region. A sampling of both "top-quality" music programs and "deficient" programs were included.
"It was a very large project," Johnson says. "There were a ton of schools."
Johnson says he was surprised by the results.
"I was rather shocked," he says. "Not only were there differences, but the differences were rather dramatic. Musicians around the world are actually pretty excited about this."
Specifically, the study found:
¢ Students in the better music programs at elementary schools scored 22 percent better in English and 20 percent better in math than students in the deficient programs.
¢ At the middle school level, students in top instrumental programs scored 19 percent higher in English than students in schools without a music program.
¢ Middle-school students in top instrumental programs scored 32 percent higher in English than students in deficient choral programs. Johnson says that's probably the result of some choir programs being "administrative dumping grounds" for students who don't want to or can't take other classes.
Two U.S. senators, Chris Dodd of Connecticut and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, have requested the Government Accounting Office to conduct a study on access to music and arts education in American public schools since the passage of No Child Left Behind.
Johnson says that study likely will build on some of the findings in his project.
Not just 'artsy thing'
Johnson thinks while some people realize the importance of music education, it will help to have more specific numbers on the ripple effect of music.
"Do I think the tide is turning? Not right now," he says. "A lot of money that's usually available to the arts is not available right now. It's going to other things. I'm not trying to make a statement about the war, but it's expensive. What's the first thing to go in a war? The arts."
Ann Bruemmer agrees that the more studies linking music to intelligence and grades, the better. Bruemmer is director of arts and humanities for Lawrence Public Schools.
"I think nationwide we're all very aware of the need for a broad variety of things in the curriculum, whether it's arts or physical education," Bruemmer says. "No Child Left Behind tests for reading and math, and everything else has seemed to fall off. But we know all of these things make for a well-rounded curriculum."
Ben Markley, a ninth-grader at West Junior High who plays French horn, says he's not surprised at all at the connection between music education and overall intelligence. He likens time spent practicing his instrument to studying in the classroom, and performances as being like the tests he takes in other subjects.
"With music, people tend to just think it's a real artsy thing," he says. "But it has a lot to do with actual intelligence, like counting and getting everything done. We have to keep this stuff around because obviously it's benefiting us in some way."


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A professional development day is basically a learning day for educators or business professionals. Some of these types of days are public events with keynote speakers; the topics relate specifically to a certain profession. Seminars and workshops held during such an event give educators and business professionals an opportunity to learn and discuss new ideas in their career field.
For example, a professional development day for educators at a high school may include a seminar on student learning styles. The seminar would likely highlight new research information of relevance to educators. Such knowledge helps a career professional continue to develop and learn to keep growing in his or her job. Learning new information and techniques can benefit any profession. It also provides a way to put research results to practical use.
Learning professional development at a business often features presentations about what the future may hold for that particular industry. For instance, keynote speakers may discuss how changes in the economy affect the field or even a certain company. In this way, businesses can stay up to date on their forecasting planning. Forecasting in business is aided by computer software programs that project future business production factors that affect company costs and revenues.
Sometimes a business or school holds a professional development day as an invitation to job seekers or students interested in their training programs. Seminars and presentations about the career field are likely to be included. Job seekers or students interested in pursuing a particular career may attend the professional day to find out what training requirements are needed for entry-level and other jobs in that field.
Any type of business or school can benefit by holding a professional development day. Organizations other than corporations and educational institutions also host this event. For example, a sports organization may hold one mainly so coaches on different teams can meet to discuss new programs or regulations.
Professional development days usually include a selection of seminars from which the professionals can choose. Comparing and discussing different viewpoints can aid critical thinking. The day may include breakfast and/or lunch. Meeting and socializing with people in the same profession is a big part of most of these events, as they can bring together colleagues from different regions in the country or the world.
Many business professional days are annual events. Educational professional days may be held more often, such as each time new school curricula is introduced. Students don't usually attend professional development days. Instead, they get a extra day off from school. Parents are given advance notice so they can plan for the day in their schedules.
Professional development days bring perfection in teaching skill.
Oasis11-Sometimes the schools offer online professional development for teachers seeking an advanced degree or another endorsement in a complimentary area.
For example, an elementary education teacher might seek an ESOL endorsement, which is English as a Second Language endorsement or she might look at a reading endorsement which allows for her to working as a reading specialist in the school system.
Some teachers look at professional development training as an opportunity to develop leadership skills and seek a position within the administration of a school.
Professional development programs also offer the latest in curriculum development as well as technological advances that can be used in the classroom to make the educational experience for the students more dynamic.
Professional development for teachers is an opportunity to enhance their skills and learn more classroom management strategies.
Often these professional development programs involve a certain amount of mentoring so that teachers feel comfortable with their jobs.
It also offers different ways to enhance student performance. For example, there might be a professional development training involving learning how to motivate children to read.
It may offer thematic instruction ideas that involves books that children are comfortable reading as well as a set of more challenging books when the children become more proficient.
These professional development courses offer teachers an opportunity to learn new things that can help them with challenging situations.
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Interviewing for a job in child care could range from an attendant in a day care center changing and feeding infants to a teacher in a school system designing educational activities for kindergartners. Basic personal traits are necessary for a role in child care, such as attentiveness, safety-mindedness and patience.There are also several aspects of your professional qualifications that an interviewer will explore, such as education, work history, suitability, personal background and career interests.
Practice your interview responses to typical questions, such as what interests you about the field or what are your long-range goals in child care, child development or elementary education. Chronicle any child care work history. Provide the names of employers for whom you've worked, including your position; dates of employment; and whether they were privately run Montessori-type employers, state-funded or independent child care centers, or home-based day care providers. Explain what motivates you to explore a career in the field if you don't have child care work experience.
Express what you enjoy the most about child care, as well as areas about the field that you find challenging. For example, in your work history, you may have discovered that you have a gift for working with children who have developmental disabilities or that you need improvement in communicating more frequently with parents concerning their children's progress or behavior. Name the qualities you have that make you a suitable choice to work with children and their parents if this interview is for your first job in the field.
Ensure your criminal background is unblemished and that you have never been involved in any illegal acts or proceedings related to child or elderly neglect or abuse. Workers in the child care field, elderly care and health care are subject to strict scrutiny in pre-employment background checks. Ask your local and state law enforcement agency how to obtain a copy of your background report if you'd like to check the report before your interview. Clear up any erroneous reports that would prevent you from being hired.
Demonstrate your ability to develop age-appropriate learning and recreational activities for children. Give examples of games you've created or activities for which you have been solely responsible. Talk about how well you work in a team, as well as your ability to work independently. Describe notable accomplishments in the field, such as credentials, awards, or commendations you received from previous employers or parents.
Quantify your skills and qualifications according to the number of children you can reasonably manage. For example, the typical ratio of child care workers to children aged 2 to 4 years ranges from five children to one staff member up to seven children to one staff member, according to the FamilyManagement.com, which cites American Public Health Association and American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines.
Share your experiences as a parent of a young child if applicable and if you think it's appropriate to further qualify your expertise. Brush up on current and pending legislation concerning child care, children's safety, and education to demonstrate your interest and commitment to the field.
- If you're seeking employment with a Head Start program, as of 2013, you must have credentials in child development or early childhood education or a student working toward an associate's degree in one of these disciplines, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images


Weave a Paper Basket Activity
Your child can hone his weaving skills by making this fun paper basket! Woven baskets have been created since the beginning of time - made for carrying and holding items. Your child can use colorful construction paper to make an easy paper basket to hold some of his special things!
What You Need:
- 2 sheets of construction paper
What You Do:
- Start by taking a look at woven baskets online or at your local library. Woven baskets have been made for years, with artisans using materials such as reeds, twigs, bark and even paper!
- Invite your child to select two colors of construction paper to use for creating his woven paper basket. He can use one as the main color for the base of his basket and the other for making strips for weaving.
- Now your child can fold the base color of construction in half vertically and use the ruler to create several lines, about an inch apart, that go from the fold to just about an inch from the edge of the open edge of the paper - and are an inch from the outside edges of the paper.
- Invite your child to use his scissors to cut along the lines, which will become the loom for his woven paper basket. Not only is he honing his cutting skills, he’s encouraging his hand-eye coordination!
- Now your child can use the ruler to create several lines on his other sheet of paper, about an inch apart, creating long strips to use for weaving into his basket. He can also use one for making his handle!
- Invite your child to begin weaving his basket using the basic over-under technique. Once one strip has been woven, he can add another, making sure he starts opposite from his last length. If his last strip ended over, the next strip should be under!
- Encourage your child to continue weaving strips until his sheet has been filled with strips.
- Now he can use a small amount of glue to secure each one in place and the scissors to trim any paper strips that are too long.
- Now your child can fold his paper in half and glue the outside edges together, leaving an opening at the top.
- Once the glue has dried, your child can attach the paper strip handle for his woven paper basket using a couple of drops of glue! Now your child can use his paper basket to collect items he finds around the house!
Sarah Lipoff has a K-12 Art Education degree and enjoys working with kids of all ages.


Homemade Wind Chime Activity
Your child can re-purpose beads by making a summer wind chime, along with learning more about how the wind blows. And, she’ll use all those random beads hanging out around the house!
What You Need:
- A stick
- Craft wire
What You Do:
- Head outdoors with your child to search for the perfect stick for making the outdoor beaded wind chime. A stick about 6 inches long will work perfectly!
- Now invite your child to go on a scavenger hunt around the house for all the random beads she can find. She can even organize them by color or shape.
- Before stringing her beads, encourage your child to layout her design. She can create patterns with her beads, or random designs. Taking the time to think about the design of her wind chime encourages her concentration and creative skills!
- Now offer your child a length of craft wire, about 1 foot in length and encourage her to string her beads, which is great for her hand-eye coordination!
- Invite your child to wrap her finished beaded wire onto the stick and then continue creating lengths of beads for her summer wind chime! Remind her to think about placement of her lengths of beads so they chime into each other when they blow in the wind!
- Help your child hang her finished beaded wind chime with a length of craft wire outside to enjoy over the summer!
Sarah Lipoff has a K-12 Art Education degree and enjoys working with kids of all ages.


Shin'ichi Suzuki was the inventor of the international Suzuki method of music education.
Considered to be one of the most influential and controversial pedagogues of the 20th century, he often spoke about the ability of all children to learn things well, given the right environment.
Born in Nagoya, Japan in 1898, one of seven children, Shinichi spent his childhood working at the his father's violin factory, putting up violin soundposts. A family friend encouraged Shinichi to study Western culture, but his father felt that it was beneath Suzuki to be a performer. He began to teach himself how to play the violin at 17, however, after being inspired by a recording of Mischa Elman. Without access to professional instruction, he listened to recordings and tried to imitate what he heard.
At the age of 22, the Marquis Tokugawa, a friend of Suzuki's, persuaded his father to allow him to study in Germany, where he studied under Karl Klingler. Suzuki never attained any formal education past his high school diploma. While in Germany, he spent several years under the guardianship of Albert Einstein. He also met and married his wife, Waltraud. Upon his return to Japan, he formed a string quartet with his brothers and began teaching at the Imperial School of Music and at the Kunitachi Music School in Tokyo. During World War II, his father's violin factory was bombed by American war planes and one of his brothers died as a result. The family was left penniless by this, so Suzuki decided to leave his teaching positions and move to a nearby city, where he constructed parts for wooden airplanes to raise some money. Extremely poor, he gave lessons to orphaned children in the outer cities of where he lived. He adopted one of his students, Koji, and started to develop teaching strategies and philosophies. He then combined his new practical teaching applications with traditional Asian philosophy.
Shinichi Suzuki died at his home in Matsumoto, Japan on January 26, 1998.


The Government has introduced some important changes with regards to Special Educational Needs and Disability that will impact the early years sector.
The 1st of September, 2014 sees the commencement of the new Special Educational Needs code of practice spanning from birth to age 25. The code sets out the requirements for early years providers to support children with special educational needs and disabilities.
Local authorities must publish a Local Offer, setting out in one place information about provision for children and young people in their area who have SEN or are disabled, including those who do not have Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans.
The Local Offer has two key purposes:
- To provide clear, comprehensive and accessible information about the available provision and how to access it, and
- To make provision more responsive to local needs and aspirations by directly involving disabled children and those with SEN and their parents, and disabled young people and those with SEN, and service providers in its development and review.
Requirements for early years providers
The code of practice sets out that all early years providers must follow the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the EYFS Framework 2014 and the learning and development requirements. These arrangements should include a clear approach to identifying and responding to SEN. The benefits of early identification are widely recognised – identifying need at the earliest point, and then making effective provision, improves long-term outcomes for children.
- Our podcast with Ann Gross, Director of Special Needs and Children’s Servies Strategy at the Department of Education, discussing the SEND reforms is now available.
- Nasen has launched a new online SEND resource, the SEND Gateway, which aims to be a one-stop-shop resource for all your SEND requirements.
- A guide to the SEND reforms
- A guide to Key Working, an approach to working with children with special needs and disabilities and their families
- A guide for parents and carers
- CDC have developed the Early Support App for parents and carers of children with SEN to store, share and organise information about their child and the support and services they receive
- CDC resources explaining important changes to SEN and disability support system for children and young people
We will continue to bring you the latest news and resources relating to SEND on this website.
New SEND pathfinder champions
Groups of councils across the country have been announced as pathfinder champions for the government’s Special Educational Needs and Disability reforms.
The Early Support Developmental Journals are designed to help families, teachers and other practitioners better support development especially where children or young people have special educational needs and disabilities.
The journals are easy-to-use tools to help with observing, recording and celebrating progress, and to identify areas where extra help and support may be needed. All the journals aim to empower families and put them at the heart of decision-making, supported by a co-ordinated keyworking approach.
The School Years Journal has recently been released.
Access the series of developmental journals for all stages here.
Find out more… (click to open)
- Children with Special Educational Needs on DfE website
- Supporting Children with Speech, Language and Communication needs
- Supporting Children with Behaviour, Emotional and Social difficulties
- Early Communication, Language and Literacy Development: audit tool
- SEND Gateway