Focus on Education
A documentary looks at global education
|The second installment in the multi-year documentary project follows children in seven countries to update their progress in school. Pictured: Joab from Kenya. (Photo: Frederick Rendina/Thirteen/WNET New York)|
May 22, 2007
Each year, millions of children around the world are unable to go to school. To draw attention to this widespread problem, the United Nations (UN) is putting education first.
Recently, the UN screened a documentary film called Back to School. The film is the second in a series of documentaries for the project Time for School, in partnership with Wide Angle—a program from the Public Broadcasting System.
These films follow seven children from seven different countries. This 12-year project began in 2003, when the children first started school.
“This is something we could do to help the education crisis in the world,” said producer and writer Judy Katz. “Documentary filmmakers can get deeply involved in a problem and do something about it.”
More than 100 million children will never set foot in a school. Sixty percent of those children are girls. Cheryl Faye, a panelist at the screening event, is head of the UN Girls Education Initiative. She spoke about the many factors that prevent girls from getting an education.
|Joab Onyando, a 10-year-old who lives outside of Nairobi, Kenya, considers himself lucky to crowd into a 70-student first grade classroom without desks or chairs. (Photo: Frederick Rendina/Thirteen/WNET New York)|
One problem is the long distance many children must travel to get to school. Also, girls in many cultures are traditionally expected to marry early and work to help their families.
”We need to make a special effort for girls,” Faye said.
As part of the UN’s Millennium goals, the organization wants every single child to get at least an elementary education by 2015. They hope the documentary will draw attention to this problem and raise awareness of the need for global education.
Students from Lawrence Middle School in New York were inspired to take action when they saw the film. The seventh-grade class is raising money to help build a library on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya, where Joab—a child in the documentary—lives.
The class teacher, Karen Weiner, and the class are known in their school as the “Kenya crew.” All the kids were really happy to support Joab and said they felt great about their fund-raising efforts.
Joab is 10 years old. When his mother died, he dropped out of school to help out at home. Fortunately, his principal was able to find him and get him back on track with his education.
But even in class, Joab has to learn with 70 other students and only one teacher! His first-grade classroom does not have desks or chairs.
But like the seventh-graders at Lawrence Middle School, kids can work together to make a difference in places like Nairobi. By raising money for education, kids can help children on the other side of the world have a chance at a better, happier life.
To learn more about how you can get involved, visit this Web site.
Critical Thinking Question
Read today's news story, and then answer the following question.
Samantha Group is a member of the Scholastic Kids Press Corps.


will differ by their associated premium cost, benefit coverage, and out-of-pocket expenses (e.g., deductibles, co-payments). It may be particularly difficult for individuals with poor literacy and numeracy skills to find an insurance plan that meets their needs when faced with many insurance options. Nearly half of all American adults—90 million people—have inadequate health literacy to navigate the health care system (IOM, 2004). Health literacy is “the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions” (Ratzan and Parker, 2000).
Many of the newly eligible health insurance consumers will be individuals of low health literacy, some speakers of English and others more comfortable using languages other than English. Health insurance terms such as “deductible,” “co-insurance,” and “out-of-pocket limits” are difficult to communicate even to those with moderate-to-high levels of health literacy and so health exchanges will face challenges as they attempt to communicate to the broader community. In addition to having to convey some of these basic, and yet complex, principles of insurance, state exchanges will be attempting to adapt to the many changes to enrollment and eligibility brought about by ACA. While these challenges may seem daunting, there are important lessons to be learned from a number of existing programs and research endeavors.
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) convened the Roundtable on Health Literacy to address issues raised in its report Health Literacy: A Prescription to End Confusion (IOM, 2004). The roundtable brings together leaders from the federal government, foundations, health plans, associations, and private companies to discuss challenges facing health literacy practice and research and to identify approaches to promote health literacy in both the public and private sectors. The roundtable’s focus is on building partnerships to move the field of health literacy forward by translating research findings into practical strategies for implementation. The roundtable also serves to educate the public, press, and policy makers regarding issues related to health literacy.
The roundtable sponsors workshops for members and the public to discuss approaches to resolve key challenges. Reports from workshops held by the roundtable include the following:
• Standardizing Medication Labels: Confusing Patients Less: Workshop Summary (2008)
• Health Literacy, eHealth, and Communication: Putting the Consumer First: Workshop Summary (2009)
• Toward Health Equity and Patient-Centeredness: Integrating Health Literacy, Disparities Reduction, and Quality Improvement: Workshop Summary (2009)


The foundation of the curriculum is three pronged:
developmentally appropriate practice for all children
scaffolded learning opportunities
research based assessment/screening tools.
Children learn by active involvement in activities.
Routines and classroom structure support learning and development.
Assessment is authentic and documentary.
Children with specific needs are included in all activities and offered support that centers on their strengths
Observation and Screening Tools: Observation and Screening Instruments are utilized to assess children’s developmental progress and ensure teaching practices are implemented that respond to children’s individual growth patterns and learning styles.
COR Observational Assessment Tool: The Child Observation Record (COR) is a research supoorted observation-based assessment tool that includes all areas of development. Children are observed by undergraduate students and teachers. Developmental areas include: initiative, social relations, creative representation, movement and music, language and literacy, and mathematics and science. Observations are ongoing throughout the school year and conclude with a summary at the end of the school year.
Ages and Stages Questionnaire: The CDC uses The Ages and Stages Questionnaire for screening children between the ages of two to five. All children are screened at the start of the school year and then re-screened by the CDC staff during the school year. The ASQ screens children for developmental delays in gross motor, fine motor, personal social, problem solving and communication areas of development. Please see the ASQ Web site for a sample screening.
PKBS: : For research and assessment of social and emotional learning the CDC uses the Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales. Published 2002 by Pro-ed.
Literacy Assessment: Phonological Awareness Literacy Screener(PALS) For children in the pre-Kindergarten year for assessing literacy skills.
Highscope Educational Research Foundation
Developing Early Literacy: Report of the National Early Literacy panel, 2008. A Scientific Synthesis of Early Literacy Development and Implications for Intervention, National Institute for Literacy.
Developmentally Appropriate Practices, revised edition, 2009
Curriculum Alignments with Florida State Standards for preschool Education:
Common Core Standards alignment:


Title: Multimedia Application with Animated Cartoons For Teaching Science Elementary Education.
Author: K. Dalacosta, M. Kamariotaki-Paparrigopoulou, J.A. Palyvos and N. Spyrellis.
This study reports research findings on the use of animated cartoons in a multimedia application meant to evaluate their effectiveness in supporting teaching and learning in science. The researchers have developed a cartoon-style multimedia application whereas animated cartoons where designed from scratch using appropriate programs. The study was carried out in various elementary schools of Athens, Greece, and 179 pupils aged 10–11 years participated in it. The research results provide evidence that the use of animated cartoons significantly increases the young students’ knowledge and understanding of specific science concepts, which are normally difficult to comprehend and often cause misconceptions to them.
· 179 students from 18 different public schools in Athens metropolitan areas.
· Various elementary schools of Athens, Greece.
This is an experimental design research, so there will be no cycle but it will have a control and an experimental class. Processes have been conducted in the presence of current schools teacher. Each process was carried out for 45 minutes. For the control group, students come to school, discussed with the visitor-investigator the concepts for 15 minutes and fill questionnaire. For the experimental group each student seated in front of computer with headphone for 15 minutes then they answered question on their own and all answers were stored in computer in .txt file format.
Results showed percentage of students who answered the questionnaires correctly higher in the experimental group that use multimedia cartoon in their study. Multimedia application give an advantage as teaching aid and students enjoy to learn with this application.


Improving the quality of teaching and professional development for early childhood educators is the focus of two new grants awarded to EDC by the U.S. Department of Education. The awards, which total about $4 million, were issued to EDC’s Center for Children & Families (CC&F) by the Institute of Education Sciences, the research arm of the Department of Education. The grants will fund two areas of research, science education and literacy and language.
“America is facing a literacy crisis,” says Joanne Brady, director of CC&F. “Poor children are particularly at risk, and gaps associated with socioeconomic and racial backgrounds are widening.” Improving childhood literacy and science understanding will improve children’s school success and their long-term career prospects, she notes.
The multi-year projects will use rigorous research methods, notably an experimental design using random assignment that examines the impact of professional development on both teachers’ practices and on children’s learning.
The language and literacy project will unfold in schools across West Virginia, where EDC researchers will examine the efficacy of two EDC-produced professional development approaches, the Literacy Environment Enrichment Program (LEEP) and Technology-Enhanced Literacy Environment Enrichment Program (T-LEEP). LEEP features more traditional face-to-face classes, while T-LEEP offers interactive television, Web-based instruction, and face-to-face classes.
“Studying the efficacy of these two approaches will meet the field’s need for high quality, research-based language and literacy instruction and comprehensive ongoing professional development for early childhood education teachers and supervisors,” says Nancy Clark-Chiarelli, EdD, principal investigator for the projects and an expert in quantitative research methods with an in-depth knowledge of young children’s language and literacy development.
For example, the study will answer the questions, “Can our previous findings, that T-LEEP and LEEP teachers demonstrated significantly higher quality language- and literacy-related environments and instructional practices than did teachers who did not receive the programs, be replicated?” as well as “What is the difference between LEEP and T-LEEP in terms of outcomes for teachers and children?”
This “efficacy and replication study,” reflects the Department of Education’s goal to fund research that will lead to larger scale implementation of successful programs, notes Clark-Chiarelli. “LEEP and T-LEEP already have been developed and evaluated in a quasi-experimental fashion. This new project takes the interventions and assesses their efficacy in a more rigorous, scientific manner, and replicates it in counties throughout West Virginia.”
The study will include two cohorts of preschool teachers (total=110) and the 1,100 four-year-olds in their classrooms. Child outcomes will be assessed by a variety of standardized tests, and teacher practices will be assessed via classroom observation. Teacher instructional practices will be further detailed in case studies of teachers in 12 classrooms.
Researching Science Education
The second area of work, in science education, will test EDC’s credit-bearing professional development program, Foundations of Science Literacy. The program, which features instructional sessions and a mentoring component, will be offered in selected Head Start programs in Massachusetts. “We are responding to a critical need for empirical evidence on effective strategies to improve preschool science instruction,” says Clark-Chiarelli, who noted that improvement is most needed among English language learners and low-income children.
The Head Start programs participating in the study serve largely low-income populations with many English language learners. A total of 72 teachers and 420 children will be involved.
“To test Foundations’ potential to improve teachers’ practices and children’s learning, we will use a pre-post experimental design to answer the question, ‘Does this professional development work?’ In addition, we will use qualitative methods to examine for whom it works and under what conditions,” notes Clark-Chiarelli. The project will also develop an assessment tool to gauge children’s science knowledge.
“Currently, there isn’t a good instrument to assess children’s science development,” she says. A key contribution of the research will be to develop an assessment to do that.
“The two domains—science and literacy—interface,” according to Clark-Chiarelli. “Vocabulary development—featured in the language and literacy area—is also strengthened by an understanding of science concepts and vice versa.”
For the past 25 years, CC&F projects have focused on strengthening the programs that serve young children and their families. CC&F works closely with child care agencies, Head Start Programs, schools, state agencies, and national organizations.
Originally published on August 1, 2005


Communities developing resources and competencies for using their languages
Foundational understanding for language development work of all kinds
Publications, fonts and computer tools for language development, translation and research
SIL offers training in disciplines relevant to sustainable language development.
7,105 languages are spoken or signed. CLICK for map of world languages & regional websites.
SIL's dedication to language development past and present
This sociolinguistic survey (using wordlists, recorded text testing, and simplified SLOPE) was conducted in the Mefele language area in Northern Cameroon in January 2002. The survey was part of an initiative to assess the need for literacy development in national languages throughout Cameroon. In particular, it was done to determine how well the Mefele understand Mafa, and if they could use Mafa literature.
It was concluded that, though there is a fair degree of Mafa bilingualism in the Mefele community, the Mefele people as a whole do not appear to understand or speak Mafa well enough to be able to use Mafa literature.
It was recommended that further investigation be conducted to determine the current use of Mafa in the Mefele community.


synthesized the most important points for policy makers and teacher educators and highlighted questions that have yet to be answered.
There has been an extraordinary amount of work, from a variety of fields, on questions about the factors that influence the effectiveness of teaching, but this work is only a starting point. There is little firm empirical evidence to support conclusions about the effectiveness of specific approaches to teacher preparation. However, we found no reason to question the recommendations professional societies have made about what is important for teachers to know. Moreover, those recommendations integrate well with the relatively small body of empirical work. The research base is strongest for reading and least strong for science, and our conclusions about preparation in the three fields reflect these differences.
In general, the evidence base supports conclusions about the characteristics it is valuable for teachers to have, but not conclusions about how teacher preparation programs can most effectively develop those characteristics. For all three fields, we conclude that both strong content knowledge (a body of conceptual and factual knowledge) and pedagogical content knowledge (understanding of how learners acquire knowledge in a given subject) are important.
For teachers of reading, it is important to (1) understand that students must master the foundational skills of reading (which include a firm grasp of phonics and comprehension strategies), and (2) possess a range of approaches for helping all students develop this mastery.
In mathematics, it is important for teachers to be able to foster students’ understanding of the core elements of mathematical proficiency (which include conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, and capacity for reasoning and problem solving). This capacity requires not only mathematical knowledge, but also understanding of how mathematics learning develops and of the variation in cognitive approaches to mathematical thinking.
In science, the key points are similar to those for mathematics teachers: a grounding in college-level study of the science disciplines suitable to the age groups and subjects they intend to teach; understanding of the objectives for students’ science learning; understanding of the way students develop science proficiency; and command of an array of instructional approaches designed to develop students’ learning of the content, intellectual conventions, and other attributes essential to science proficiency.
This was the picture we found of the evidence relevant to teacher preparation. There is very little systematic research regarding the specific ways teachers of reading, mathematics, and science are currently being prepared that we could use to make comparisons with that picture. The limited information we found does not support conclusions about the current nature and content of teacher preparation programs.


On Tuesday, about 75 students and faculty read some literature for a third reason — because they’ve been banned, censored and challenged.
Melissa Smith, professor of English Language and Literature, used a “Catcher In The Rye” quote about children reaching for a gold ring as a metaphor for the way books become banned.
“Sometimes readers will reach for something and fall, but we have to let them fall,” Smith said, referencing the book. “It isn’t our place to tell them they’re wrong. We can only stand back and watch.”
A read-out of banned books in the Charles V. Park Library Baber room celebrated the freedom to read and enjoy literature that has been challenged, censored and banned. The event is part of Banned Books Week at Central Michigan University this week.
“I think there’s no one reason books are banned,” said Elizabeth Richard, instructor in communication and dramatic arts.
Richard said she has recently often thought of Salman Rushdie, a best-selling author whose famous 1988 work, “The Satanic Verses,” gained notoriety as the work that endangered Rushdie’s life. Although the book was well received in the United Kingdom and was also a Booker Prize finalist in its publishing year, it created outrage in pockets of Muslim communities. This outrage led Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the Supreme Leader of Iran, to issue a fatwa, an Islamic decree that called for the death of Rushdie.
Richard said that was an example of the way censorship can not only prevent books from being widely distributed, but also place an author in a period of silence.
Reading banned books can also be viewed as a way to create dialogue about what literature is and what makes it relevant to society. Some literature, as unpopular as it may be, can still express relevant opinions that comment on the human condition and the way people live.
“And that’s something that I think we don’t talk about is how censorship silences some authors, too,” Richard said.
Aparna Zambare, assistant professor of libraries, read “Midnight’s Children” by Rushdie during the read-out.
Even today, challenged books can be hard-pressed to find its place on shelves. There are acts as recently as 2000, Richard said, Canadian Customs seized challenged literature and prevented some books from reaching their final destination.
Students also helped carry along the read-out. Susan Griffith, assistant professor of English language and literature, lined students who held black-and-white drawings of death and scary stories to help set the scene of Alvin Schwartz’s “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.”
Other students attended the event as either extra-credit or a class requirement. Lansing senior Emily Hundt, an elementary education language arts major, said her professor required her to attend.
“We are learning about banned books in the classroom and our teacher wanted us to come and see what she was talking about,” Hundt said. “Also, to understand why people try to ban them and that people can still read them and see that they’re still good books.”
Excerpts from a couple other classic books, including “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “Frankenstein” were also read at the event, symbolizing the long-standing battle of overcoming the protective state that limits the distribution of literature. The event was a way to appreciate literary work despite its graphic, profane and vulgar expressions and value their relevance about social commentary and the human condition.
Richard said people should make their own choices about the literature they read, but should not be pressured by people to avoid a book because of content that other people question or challenge.
Censorship has also happened through logistics. Richard said a clear example was prevalent in the 1950s when the United States Postal Service held onto books that were challenged, banned and censored by the government and other entities. Sometimes, Richard said, the books were held by the USPS for months and in other cases the books never reached their destination.
“What was the standard by which they were making these decisions?” she said. “What authority did they have to control that?”
Richard said she has even noticed recently that books that have been challenged have gone missing at CMU. She said she noticed “Midnight’s Children” and “The Satanic Verses” has gone missing from the Charles V. Park Library numerous times.
Perhaps, if banned books could speak, it may quote from Tim O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried,” read by communication and dramatic arts faculty Jill Taft-Kaufman: ‘I survived, but it’s not a happy ending.’


More New and Used
from Private Sellers
Print on Demand: 2-4 Weeks. This item cannot be cancelled or returned.
Downloadable Offline AccessLifetime Access
Starting at $72.42
Questions About This Book?
What version or edition is this?
This is the 2nd edition with a publication date of 10/19/2011.
What is included with this book?
Teaching Science to Every Child provides timely and practical guidance about teaching science to all students. Particular emphasis is given to making science accessible to populations who are typically pushed to the fringe ' especially students of color and English language learners. Written in a conversational tone, this text treats elementary education majors as professional partners in efforts to close achievement gaps in science, while also addressing vital issues in science education, including shifts in policies along with practices appropriate at the classroom level to advance the science learning of all children.Changes in the Second EditionThree entirely new chapters: Integrated Process Skills ; Learning and Teaching ; Assessment Technological tools and resources embedded throughout each chapterAttention to the NEW national science education standardsAdditional material about science notebooksIncreased attention to the role of theory as it relates to science teaching and learningExpanded use of science process skills for upper elementary and middle school


Implementing aspects of Blueprint 2000: Investigating readiness expectations in selected elementary schools in Broward County, Florida
The purpose of this research study was to investigate if the determination of school readiness as it was evaluated by Broward County kindergarten teachers on the Florida's Expectations of School Readiness checklist can be attributed to the effects of gender, chronological age on school entry, racial or ethnic background, attending public preschool, native language other than English, or socioeconomic status.^ This is a descriptive study in which the number of expectations passed or failed for each of the identifier categories was compared. The Chi-squared distribution was used to evaluate the null hypothesis that "chronological age at entry to school, gender, race or ethnicity, native language other than English, public preschool experience, and socioeconomic status have no effect on the determination of readiness for school". Results were confirmed using t-tests, ANOVA, and linear regression models. The cohort of 1555 Broward County students in the study were evaluated using the Florida's Expectations for School Readiness checklist and were determined not ready for school during the initial data collection year 1996-1997.^ The determination of school readiness was significantly dependent on the gender, and racial or ethnic background of the students in the cohort. The socioeconomic status and native language other than English designations were significant for students only in the areas of preacademic, academic and literacy development. Chronological age on entry to school or attendance in public preschool prior to entry in kindergarten for the cohort was not significant in the determination of readiness for school.^ Given the fact that this study followed only students that were determined not ready for school, it is recommended that a second cohort of both "ready" and "not ready" students be studied. ^
Education, Early Childhood
Suzanne Pelkey Kalan,
"Implementing aspects of Blueprint 2000: Investigating readiness expectations in selected elementary schools in Broward County, Florida"
(January 1, 1998).
ProQuest ETD Collection for FIU.


Dyscalculia is a difficulty understanding mathematical concepts and symbols. It is characterised by an inability to understand simple number concepts and to master basic numeracy skills. There are likely to be difficulties dealing with numbers at very elementary levels; this includes learning number facts and procedures, telling the time, time keeping, understanding quantity, prices and money. Even if the child produces a correct answer or uses a correct method, he/she may do so mechanically and without confidence.
Difficulties with numeracy and mathematics are also common with dyslexia.
Does dyscalculia also affect people with dyslexia?
- Research suggests that 40-50% of dyslexics show no signs of dyscalculia. They perform at least as well in mathematics as other children, with about 10% achieving at a higher level.
- The remaining 50-60% do have difficulties with mathematics. Not surprisingly, difficulty in decoding written words can transfer across into a difficulty in decoding mathematical notation and symbols.
- For some dyslexic pupils, however, difficulty with mathematics may in fact stem from problems with the language surrounding mathematical questions rather than with number concepts – e.g. their dyslexia may cause them to misunderstand the wording of a question.
- In summary, dyscalculia and dyslexia occur both independently of each other and together. The strategies for dealing with dyscalculia will be fundamentally the same whether or not the learner is also dyslexic.
Typical symptoms of dyscalculia.
- Counting: Dyscalculic children can usually learn the sequence of counting words, but may have difficulty navigating back and forth, especially in twos and threes.
- Calculations: Dyscalculic children find learning and recalling number facts difficult. They often lack confidence even when they produce the correct answer. They also fail to use rules and procedures to build on known facts. For example, they may know that 5+3=8, but not realise that, therefore, 3+5=8 or that 5+4=9.
- Numbers with zeros: Dyscalculic children may find it difficult to grasp that the words ten, hundred and thousand have the same relationship to each other as the numerals 10, 100 and 1000.
- Measures: Dyscalculic children often have difficulty with operations such as handling money or telling the time. They may also have problems with concepts such as speed (miles per hour) or temperature.
- Direction/orientation: Dyscalculic children may have difficulty understanding spatial orientation (including left and right) causing difficulties in following directions or with map reading.
Dyscalculic children may be particularly vulnerable where teachers follow an interactive, whole-class method of teaching as recommended by the National Numeracy Strategy. Asking dyscalculic children to answer apparently simple maths questions in public will inevitably lead to embarrassment and frustration.


As winter's chill fades in early spring, the thaw turns trickles of water into thundering streams. Snowbanks recede, tiny buds begin their swell, and the sun's changing angle bestows increments of warmth, welcomed by all. In late 19th-century Norway, (Johan Fredrik) Frits Thaulow (1847-1906) painted a perfect example of the season's transition in Melting Snow (cover). The Lysaker River, which slices its silver swath to the west of Oslo, sinuously slips across Thaulow's canvas in one of several scenes he executed near the Grini farm in Baerum. Best described as a Realist painter, the Norwegian native—who passed examinations to practice as a pharmacist, like his successful father—eventually had a typical art education for the time, beginning in Copenhagen, then in Germany, and continuing in Paris. His eclectic life led him around the world, where he painted, first in oil, and later—after 1880—in pastel. River scenes such as Melting Snow, also known as Thawing Ice, captivated Thaulow, who began his career as a marine artist. He painted riparian views of the Seine and other French rivers, Dutch waterways, the canals of Venice, and even the Delaware River, during one of several visits to the United States.


Alan November explains how he would use the first five days of school to lay the groundwork for a year of learning that goes far beyond the test.
On the surface, the PS 177 Technology Band looks like a typical high school orchestra. But there are two big differences.
One school in Pennsylvania is using open-source tools wherever possible to keep students close to the code behind the machines they use. This stance is opposite to the very restrictive policies of many schools, but could allow students more freedom to explore what makes devices work.
The challenge for educators, especially directors of educational technology, is not to limit how our teachers teach, but to focus on the foundational skills and provide a clear and concrete formula for how different technological devices and applications will enhance these skills in order to give a learner the ability to create a product that will change the world.
Could e-books actually get in the way of reading? In a study looking at students’ use of e-books created with Apple’s iBooks Author software, the Schugars discovered that the young readers often skipped over the text altogether, engaging instead with the books’ interactive visual features.
One principal in an affluent Bay Area School is striving to do more than just “enhance” classroom learning with iPads.
The rush to purchase iPads often precedes the careful planning and preparation that’s so crucial to their success as educational tools. Technology alone is never the answer. Instead, iPad use needs to be integrated within a holistic approach to 21st-century education that encompasses a thorough and ongoing review of the skills and competencies required in our rapidly changing society and the educational processes that best help students acquire them.
As more school districts roll out tablet computers to students, they’re debating how much to restrict access to certain websites and games. Some districts shut down wide parts of the Internet, but others are trying to take a more nuanced approach.
Schools have begun to recognize the importance of multimedia use in education. Fortunately, with its built-in microphone, camera, and a host of multimedia apps, the iPad is an extraordinary tool for creating and integrating multimedia into education.
One of California’s poorest school districts, the Coachella Valley Unified southeast of Los Angeles, is currently rolling out iPads to every student, pre-K through high school. It’s an ambitious effort that administrators and parents hope will transform how kids learn, boost achievement and narrow the digital divide with wealthier districts.


The Master of Science in Education is an online degree program that has the goal of contributing to the professional growth of teachers and encouraging them to be reflective, competent, and dedicated educators of children. It is designed for persons who have an undergraduate degree in education from an accredited college or university. Upon successful completion of the graduate program, students are awarded the Master of Science in Education (M.S.Ed.) degree.
Students in the program choose to focus their studies in one of four areas of emphases – Instruction, Leadership, Special Education, and Educational Technology.
The program design contains the following.
- A core of courses relating research to the principles and practices of elementary education.
- An emphasis choice in one of three areas.
- Instruction: the development of general understandings and skills of a master teacher
- Leadership: a focus on the roles and functions of a leader in schools and that person’s responsibility for the supervision and improvement of instruction
- Special education: a focus on the curriculum, instruction, and assessment specific to children with special needs.
- Educational Technology: a focus on curriculum integration of technology, school technology leadership, and employing technology to expand educational offerings
- Successful completion of 36 credits that include a capstone option for either 3 or 6 credits or a comprehensive examination.
Program Plan sheets are available for each emphasis.
- Instruction Program Plan (pdf)
- Leadership Program Plan (pdf)
- Special Education Program Plan (pdf)
- Educational Technology Program Plan (pdf)
Note: The master's degree program is not intended to fulfill state licensure requirements in any state for any purpose, however (D)MLC graduates between the years of 1970 and 2001 can enroll in the post-baccalaureate licensure program and earn their master's degree and K-6 Minnesota state teaching license simultaneously. The purpose of the special education emphasis is to help the generalist teacher work with children in the regular classroom.


August 30 2014 Latest news:
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Feature writer Derek James takes a look back at what was happening in the world on August 7 throughout history.
On this day in Norwich of 1808 - A special committee was set up to investigate the state of the sewers after they overflowed again during heavy storms which flooded out many homes and shops.
Elsewhere in the world
1721 - Prisoners at Newgate Prison were offered a pardon if they agreed to be inoculated to test Dr Charles Maitland’s theories on the subject. Seven men volunteered – and all survived to live in freedom.
1870 -The Elementary Education Act was passed, giving compulsory free education to every child in England and Wales between the ages of five and 13.
1945 - The second atomic bomb of the war was dropped on the Japanese city of Nagasaki, pictured above. A B-29 plane delivered the blast killing approximately 70,000 people, with thousands dying later of radiation effects. The attack came three days after the U.S. dropped the world’s first atomic bomb on the Japanese City of Hiroshima.
The attacks brought about Japan’s unconditional surrender, and the war ended when the papers of surrender were accepted aboard the U.S. battleship Missouri on September 2, 1945.
1963 - Ready Steady Go! was transmitted by ITV to rival the BBC’s Top of the Pops – presenter Cathy McGowan became known as “Queen of the Mods”.
1979 - Brighton established the first nudist beach in Britain, despite protests from those who feared great depravity.
- Have you got a nostalgia story? Contact Derek James on 01603 772420 or email@example.com


Once every five years, the hunted gets to hunt in a democracy. As a member of the larger group with a one-off chance to make it count, I find it an invaluable opportunity that cannot be missed. We get access to decision makers and they are also under obligation to answer our questions.
Topping the list of questions is the one listed below which every political party should be mandated to answer in their manifesto. This question will not only reveal their social sensitivity and connection with grass-roots India, but will also throw light on their economic ideology with loud and unambiguous precision. ‘What is their per capita expenditure limit for defining poverty line in India and how did they arrive at it?’
When the government and Planning Commission announced a year back that poverty in India had been dramatically reduced over the last ten years, it was met with scepticism by the general public. Political parties in the Opposition lost no time in running down the government for using unrealistic figures to measure poverty and ridiculed the entire exercise.
To get this dialogue going, political parties could first state their views on the current poverty line numbers used by the Planning Commission, which is Rs.4080 for a family of five living in rural areas and increases to Rs.5000 for urban locations. This translates to per capita expenditure of Rs.27 and Rs.33 per day in rural and urban areas respectively.
Since absolute numbers do not always communicate meaningfully, we need to relate it to what it measures to get some clarity on its reasonableness. An expenditure limit that covers only the cost of food can define a ‘penury line’, which is also needed, but not the poverty line.
Poverty vs penury
Children in India, 2012, a report of the Government of India, highlights the shameful fact that 48 percent of our children below the age of 5 are stunted, that is, too short for their age, which indicates chronic or continuing malnutrition. Further one in five children face acute or severe malnutrition, which is evidenced by wasting, a reflection that they do not get adequate calories to maintain their weight.
A defined Penury Line can bifurcate our population into the well-fed and the ill-fed groups. This is definitely a level that we need to define in India. Maybe we should become the first country to define and address penury head on. After all, India is home to the largest number of malnourished children.
If our political parties feel India cannot afford the resources to address this crying need, we should shamelessly beg for global resources to eradicate this crime of child malnutrition in India. No child should be condemned to life in a stunted and wasting body as the prize for being born an Indian.
Starting with the Penury Line, we can build further by adding the cost of clothing and shelter to food. We would still not reach the poverty line, as we need to take into account not only the cost of food, clothing and shelter but also basic needs for a humane existence, such as water and power for lighting. This obviously excludes the cost of elementary education, as it is provided free to every Indian child being a fundamental right.
What is the gap between the currently used poverty line, as defined by the Planning Commission, and a realistic poverty line? One can get an idea of the magnitude of this gap by observing the budget allocations made by governments for meeting food requirements of people in their custody. In the recent state budget presented by the Karnataka Government, per day food allocation for prisoners in jails was increased from Rs.48 to Rs.75, an increase of Rs.27.
Viewed differently, the amount of increase in food allocation per day for a prisoner is equal to the poverty line limit set by the Planning Commission for a person living in rural India! Does this not reveal the whole story behind why India is home to the largest number of children with malnutrition?
Knowing the answer and acting on it are very different things. Can we take the first step by asking our political parties to specify their own definitions of the Poverty Line and share with us the basis on which they arrived at it? This could then be the start of a process to eradicate malnutrition among children in India and give every Indian child the opportunity to realize their true potential, and in the process create a true democracy.


Ontario students are lagging behind their peers across the globe in math and science, international test scores show.
The newest provincial test results released by the Educational Quality and Accountability Office come as sobering news to an education system struck by labour disputes.
While Grade 4 students have maintained their high achievement levels in reading, scores in math and science are being surpassed by other countries.
Internationally, Ontario’s rankings are at a standstill or losing ground, the report shows.
Last year’s test scores in the Trends in Mathematics and Science Study show Ontario students’ marks haven’t improved since studies in 2003 and 2007. Ontario’s Grade 4 students are being surpassed by 20 other jurisdictions, while Grade 8 students are lagging behind 10 other jurisdictions.
In science, Ontario’s Grade 4 and 8 test scores have been dropping over the past three tests.
EQAO’s CEO said the results highlight a growing trend over the past few years.
“They provide yet another piece of evidence that we need strong action to improve math and science achievement while we maintain our focus on literacy development,” said Marguerite Jackson in a statement.
Dr. Brian Desbiens, chair of the EQAO’s board of directors, said while the results are good overall, they aren’t strong enough to place Ontario as a leader in education.
“Not for a school system that aims to position its students among the best in the world,” he said in a statement.
“Countries across the world are focusing their efforts on improving the educational outcomes of their students. Ontario too must reach for higher achievement to keep pace.”
Dalton McGuinty said in August the Putting Students First Act was put in place to fortify the province’s gains in education by making class sizes smaller and protecting the jobs of 20,000 new teaching and support staff jobs.
The EQAO is an arm’s-length agency of the provincial government that has administered provincial assessments annually since 1996.


Reading/Language and Literacy Courses 2013-2014
The degree requirements outlined in this catalog are intended to be used for students entering Wheelock in the 2013-14 academic year.
Examines cognitive, social and language understandings that older readers draw on to make sense of different kinds of texts. Focuses on metacognitive processes, vocabulary and background know ledge in later reading comprehension. Develops assessment strategies for identifying readers' strengths and vulnerabilities through small group or tutorial intervention.
Teaching Literacy to English Language Learners
Introduces key factors affecting the literacy development of bilingual children learning to read and write in English such as print exposure, phonological awareness, and vocabulary in the home language and in English. Participants develop skills in assessing components of children's reading and writing competence, teaching early and later reading skills, planning writing lessons, and monitoring children's literacy progress.
RDG 535/ EDU 335
Reading Theory and Practice
Consolidates professional background in theory and practice of teaching reading in grades Pre-K - 8. Addresses core concepts and instructional practices fr phonological and phonemic awareness, emergent literacy, phonics, vocabulary, comprehension, and reading assessment. Builds upon the professional knowledge developed in EDU 327 or EDU 337. Pre-Requisites: EDU 327 or EDU 337 or RDG 537. Pre- or co-requisites: EDU 328 or EDU 338 or RDG 530 or SPE 650.
Analyzes stages of reading development in grades pre K-8. Focuses on phonological awareness, print concepts, word identification, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. Participants administer literacy assessments to children, interpret assessment data, and plan engaging, small group instruction.
Multicultural Children's Literature
Introduces broad range of multicultural literature. Focuses on criteria for making appropriate book selections. Examines literary theme and genre. Explores strategies for using children's literature to promote literacy development.
African American Children's Literature
Examines children's literature written by and about African Americans. Explores the literature's cultural and historical context. Discusses strategies for using the literature effectively with children to enhance their literacy development.
Developing Young Writers
Introduces current research and theories about children's writing development. Examines instructional practices for fostering writing abilities in a variety of genres including poetry, narrative, and exposition.
Multisensory Approaches for Teaching Literacy
Provides theoretical constructs in multisensory literacy approaches to aid the reading specialist, special educator, or classroom teacher meet the complex challenges in instructing students with language-based learning differences. Includes introduction to the Wilson Language Program and the Lindamood-Bell Lips and Visualizing and Verbalizing programs. Prerequisites: RDG 537 or permission of the instructor.
Assessment of Reading and Writing
Surveys traditional and innovative approaches to assessing reading, writing, and oral language: teacher checklists, standardized tests, rubrics, portfolios, and work samples. Utilizes case studies of children ages 4-10. Develops skill at making instructional decisions based on assessment data.
Literacy Across the Curriculum
Examines reading comprehension, writing, and vocabulary skills critical for success in academic content areas. Investigates the impact of text difficulty, background knowledge, and understanding of text structure on comprehension of nonfiction text. Develops skill at teaching vocabulary, metacognitive, and study skills in the context of theme-based units.
Individualized Instruction in Literacy
Develops skill at diagnosing literacy needs through formal and informal assessments and planning research-based instruction. Twice-weekly tutorial sessions with struggling emergent readers in an off-campus laboratory setting. Emphasizes importance of readers' cultural and linguistic backgrounds.. (Requires permission of the instructor).
Diagnosis and Correction of Reading Problems
Extends competencies developed in RDG 622 in closely mentored, twice-weekly tutorials with struggling readers in upper elementary grades. Emphasizes design of instruction based on careful diagnosis of literacy needs. Develops literacy leadership skills. Prerequisite: RDG 622; permission of the instructor
Teacher of Reading Practicum
150-hour supervised practicum in the role of teacher of reading, incorporating assessment, small group work, resource development, coaching and professional development, and outreach to parents. Seminar provides opportunities for critical reflection on practice and explores multiple roles of reading specialists. Prerequisites: RDG 622; requires permission of the instructor. Required of and restricted to students enrolled in the Teacher of Reading licensure program


Important Qualities in an Elementary Teacher
Are you ready to make your dreams of becoming an elementary school teacher come true? If you’re considering a possible teaching career, or are already enrolled in the Jones College Elementary Education bachelor’s degree program, read about a few of the elementary teacher qualities we think you should possess!
1. An engaging personality
You’ll spend every day as the leader of a group of students, ranging from a handful of children up to a couple dozen. Teachers possess strong personalities that hold attention through long school days. If you’re to survive, you must be ready to joke, tell stories, play, listen and maybe even sing a few notes every once in a while. Introverted individuals may have a tough time with large, rambunctious groups.
2. Clear lesson objectives
You enjoy creating lesson plans, right? Well, whether you do or don’t, you’ll get used to them as an elementary teacher. Each day should feature a specific classroom goal – you can’t walk in aimlessly and expect to teach the required materials effectively. Children need academic structure, even at an early age. Just make sure that the work is age-appropriate and is in line with your class’s abilities. Speaking of academic abilities, make a habit of reviewing all material yourself before ever teaching it in your class. The only way you can truly help them learn is to know the subject matter yourself.
3. Class management skills
Classroom management, for the most part, is built upon one fundamental concept: mutual respect. As a teacher, you must respect the students both individually and as a group. The same goes for students – they owe you (and their classmates) that same respect, too. It’s a two-way street, but part of your job in an elementary school will be finding the best ways to express your shared respect for one another.
4. Effective discipline strategies
Now, when students are disrespectful toward each other or you, as a teacher you must be ready to administer the appropriate disciplinary actions. The punishments should fit the level of misbehavior, with the intent being to reinforce positive future behavior. We know that you want to have fun in class, but it’s important that you maintain control of the room and promote respectful conduct.
5. Strong communication with parents
A great elementary teacher will actively maintain communication with parents and guardians of their kids. Kids don’t tell their parents everything (you remember, right?). And even if they do tell them everything, believe it or not, sometimes they may stretch or withhold the truth. That’s where you come in – you can fill parents in regarding academics, misconduct or any other issues that may arise while at school. The more open and frequent the dialogue, the better.
6. High expectations
There’s a reason you’re becoming or have already become an elementary teacher – you’re passionate about helping children progress in their development. That’s why the best teachers approach each day in school with high expectations. They expect the best out of themselves and their students. Even though you may be the teacher, your kids will teach you just as much as you teach them. Embrace it!
What other elementary teacher qualities do you feel are most important? Let us know – we’d love to hear your opinion!


What Do You Have to Major in to Become a Teacher?
Teachers educate children and adults at various stages of life. They can teach different subjects at the preschool, elementary, secondary and postsecondary levels. Aspiring teachers can choose a major based on the level and subject they want to teach.
What Aspiring Teachers Can Major In
A bachelor's degree is the minimum level of education required to earn a teacher's license, which is necessary to teach at public schools. The State Board of Education usually grants teacher licensure, and students should check their state's requirements before deciding on a major. Many colleges and universities offer bachelor's degree programs in different areas of education. Depending on the age and subject they wish to teach, students can choose from an array of options.
A component that all education curricula include is student teaching, which usually occurs during senior year. These field experiences place student teachers in real classrooms with active students. Student teachers gain hands-on training under the supervision of certified teachers. Many states require teachers to complete student teaching to qualify for licensure.
Early Childhood Education
A major in early childhood education suits students intending to teach pre-kindergarten to third grade. This major teaches them to serve as a role model as well as an educator, since such teachers often play a vital role in the early development of children.
Individuals interested in teaching at the elementary level, which typically includes kindergarten through eighth grade, can major in elementary education. At this stage, education majors can specialize in a specific subject, including English, math, history or science.
Aspiring teachers who want to work with older students specialize in secondary education, which can encompass between sixth and twelfth grade. They can also choose a specific liberal arts field to concentrate in, such as English literature, calculus, American history or physics.
Students intent on teaching at the college or university level need to pursue a master's degree or doctorate in graduate school. As undergraduates, they can major in whichever subject they would like to teach.
Related to What Do You Have to Major in to Become a Teacher?
- Recently Updated
Students interested in studying teacher education in Schaumburg, IL have only a few schools to choose from. Read about the top...
It's Teacher Appreciation Week! Do you want to show your favorite teacher how grateful you are for him or her? Here are some...
There are few schools in Sacramento with teacher education programs. Find the best program for you by reading about schools'...
Students generally have two options for becoming a teacher with a bachelor's degree: enroll in a teacher education program that...
- PE Teacher: Career Profile
- Top University for Teacher Education - Austin, TX
- Teacher Accountability Measures Become Law in Illinois
- Business Administration Certificate: Overview of Certificate Program
- Common Adult Education Courses in Foreign Language Studies
- Online Seminary Schools: How to Choose
- Arts & Media Colleges and Programs: How to Choose


Education is a state subject according to the constitution, but controversy sometimes arises regarding the exact nature of control and functions of the centre and the state. The control held by the central government is very limited. It cannot enforced all its decisions upon the stale Governments. It recommended Basic Education as the national of elementary education, higher secondary as the suitable pattern at the adolescent level, and higher pay scales for teachers. But how many states have accepted the recommendations and complied with?
Some decisions have been accepted and some schemes implemented, but the motivating factor has been the lure of grants provided, or the party discipline as the same political party governs at the central and the slate level.
But lure of grants is not the solid and reliable affair. Nor is the party discipline permanent affair. One rule may change anytime, and coalition government by the opposition party (as in some states) may have to be formed. Hence constitutional provision for more control, vigilance and guidance is needed. One of the propositions put forth in that education should be put on the current list. The Indian Education Commission, however, feels that there is enough of scope in the present provision for enforcing central decision.
The I EC had made the following recommendations regarding the role of the centre and, the stales :-
(1) Role of the centre
(i) Existing provisions of the constitution should be exploited for the development of education and evolution of a national educational policy. Central leadership for the states is essential for a vast country like India.
(ii) Indian Educational service should be instituted, with a suitable method of recruitment of high quality teachers, administrators, planners and research workers. 5% IES officers may be posted in their own states.
(iii) The CAB and Ministry of Education should be strengthened.
(iv) NCERT should be developed as the principal technical agency for the improvement of school education with its numerous wings and departments.
(v) National staff of Educational Administrators should be established to provide in service education for senior officers in the Education Services, IES and Slate Education Service. Besides conducting short and long courses, it should have a research wing.
(2) Role of the State Government
(i) A statutory council of education should be created at the state level with the stale Minister for Education as the chairman.
(ii) A standing committee at the officers level including state level officers in charge of different sectors of education, should meet frequently.
(iii) The Education secretary, like Educational Advisor to the Government of India, should be an educationist rather than an administrative officer.
(iv) State Educational Service should have adequate number of class i and II posts. All D.E.O's should be to IES, and secretaries of District School Board to SES, class I. The scales of pay of the departmental stall should be correlated with UGC scales of pay for university teachers,
(v) In service educational programmes for non-gazette staff on the administrative and Inspectional side should be organized.
(vi) Fewer officers should be at the high level, and a larger at a lower level with adequate scales of pay.
(vii) Every three or five years, periodical review of important administrative practices should be held.
(viii) Two-third of available resources should be devoted to school education and only one-third to higher education.


Special Education Services for Rural Areas in Uruguay: A Proposed Model
ELOÍSA G. DE LORENZO
Uruguay is located on the eastern Atlantic coast of South America. Its territory covers an area of 68,000 square miles, with many rivers and minor waterways. The Uruguayan landscape is characterized by gently rolling plains and prairies, and it lacks deserts, jungles, and mountains. An extensive road network allows accessibility to all main population centers in the country.
With 2.94 million people (according to 1985 census preliminary data), Uruguay has a population density of 16.7 inhabitants per square kilometer. The rural population of the country is 13.8 percent. The average annual growth rates for the two last intercensus periods ( 1963-1975 and 1975-1985) are 0.6 and 0.5 percent, respectively, comparatively the lowest in Latin America. This low demographic growth rate is correlated, as in the rest of the countries in which it occurs, with a high enrollment in formal education and a high urbanization rate. Almost half (44.5 percent) of the population lives in the capital, Montevideo, and 41.7 percent inhabits the cities in the province. Uruguay's birth and child mortality rates have jointly declined during the past years, and life expectancy has increased.
A contributing factor for the current social and cultural composition of the Uruguayan society is the extensive and early institution of a formal public education system at the elementary, secondary, and university levels. Free, compulsory, secular, and coeducational elementary education was established in 1877 and expanded rapidly thereafter. European philosophical and humanistic ideas exerted a great influence on the


This book distills the information from the k-8 literacy text Literacy for the 21st Century, focusing specifically on literacy learners from pre-kindergarten through grade 4. What are the specific needs of these students? How can you predict early literacy difficulties and how best can you scaffold your instruction to prevent reading difficulties in the future? How are the PK student’s needs different from the older, primary grades student?
Chapter opening vignettes-Contextualize chapter concepts in an authentic classroom, complete with photos, dialog, and samples of student work to model excellent classroom teaching and prepare readers for the classrooms in their future.
Spotlights-In-depth look at a single student, peppered through chapters. Helps to detail literacy development and teacher decision making, one student at a time.
Guideline features-Offer specific guidelines for implementing chapter concepts in the PK-4 classroom.
Minilessons --offer ready to use skill and strategy instruction presented specifically for use in PreK-4 reading and writing classrooms. Find how the minilessons correlate to state and national standards on the text’s Companion Website.
The Compendium of Instructional Procedures --a robust resource of instructional methods designed to get teacher candidates up and running quickly in their first literacy classroom. The easily accessible Compendium at the back of the book offers clearly articulated instructional methods, an invaluable resource and quick reference.
Assessment Tools --highlight the complete chapter on assessment and provide future teacher candidates with the means to evaluate their students’ progress in early literacy. They'll also find ideas for alternative assessment


(The Culture of Shared Practice)Tim Brophy - GIA Publications
What are the purposes of music education assessment? What are the best strategies and techniques? How does assessment improve music teaching and learning? What are the shared research priorities for music education assessment? To address these questions, 139 assessment scholars, researchers, music administrators, students, and practicing music educators representing six continents and 17 nations convened on the campus of the University of Bremen in Bremen, Germany. The 34 papers published in this volume address assessment in national, state, and regional contexts as well as in districts, schools and classrooms. A wealth of information about assessment in higher education and music teacher education is also included.
Copyright: Chicago, IL: GIA Publications, Inc. ©2010


Growing up in Tupelo, Mississippi, Elvis Presley was exposed to blues and gospel along with the hillbilly and pop he heard regularly. This informal music education gave him the influences he would need to create some of the very first rock & roll in 1954. An American music giant of the 20th century who singlehandedly changed the course of music and culture in the mid-1950s, Presley used his knowledge of black music to develop a style that was sexy yet innocent, wild yet warm. Working with legendary Memphis producer Sam Phillips, who had already recorded Howlin' Wolf, B.B. King, James Cotton and other Mississippi bluesmen, Presley in 1954 cut a version of Arthur Crudup's "That's All Right" (flip side: Bill Monroe's "Blue Moon of Kentucky") that made blues a primary catalyst in the birth of rock & roll. Presley performed the song with uncontrollable passion and urgency. With a faster tempo, a driving rhythm and shimmering vocals that played out teen melodrama, the record set the stage for rock & roll's arrival. Presley would continue to be influenced by the blues throughout his career, always recalling the delicate balance of black and white music that made rock & roll the greatest and most democratic of all American pop forms.
Courtesy of palmpictures.com
Back to Artists


College of Education Gets "Smart"
Smart Board partnership between university and school district is mutually beneficial.
Written by Leslie Cranford
Shirley Matteson, an assistant professor in the College of Education, is one of several Texas Tech faculty instructing new teachers how to use Smart Board technology.
From writing with chalk on slate blackboards and banging out eraser dust, to clicking a mouse, touching the screen and filling the wall with colorful images, classroom instruction has gone from analog to digital in the blink of an eye.
Texas Tech University’s College of Education is teaching education students how to use new Smart Board technology to prepare them for teaching in today’s K-12 classrooms.
Smart Boards are home-theater-sized screens projected on classroom walls that function like computer touch screens.
“The main thing we want to teach the up-and-coming educators is how to make the classroom interactive with technology,” said Kimberly Matthews, instructor of elementary math in the College of Education.
Matthews said using virtual manipulatives – objects such as blocks, that a student is instructed to use in a way that teaches or reinforces a lesson – and making them interactive is a method to keep them engaged in learning.
“I want to show future teachers how they can make these interactive manipulatives on the Smart Board. When I taught in the classroom, this technology really helped pull in every one of my students,” Matthews said.
Smart Boards Work With Many Learning Styles
Many of the students in Matthews’ classes aspire to be special education teachers. Brandi Duke, a senior from San Angelo, knows that special ed kids need different kinds of help learning.
“The Smart Board is a great way to aid students who don’t have the fine motor skills to physically flip a coin – which can be simulated on the screen. This is another way to help them out and see that it’s okay – we’ll work on that motor skill another time,” she said.
Lauren Sammons, a senior from Frisco, says the Smart Board facilitates all kinds of learning styles.
“If a student is a visual learner they can see the lesson up on the board; or if somebody needs it demonstrated, they can come up and actually do it on the Smart Board. They can also do it themselves at their seats or outside of class with the same worksheets that correlate with what they are learning in class, so it affects all three kinds of learning capabilities,” said Sammons.
Technology Makes Texas Tech Grads More Marketable
Walter Smith, chairman of the Department of Curriculum & Instruction in the college, knows Texas Tech students are more marketable if they have certain certifications coming out of college and into the public school classrooms.
“The Lubbock Independent School District (LISD) instructional technology leaders are very interested that the people who come from Texas Tech to join their faculty are ready to use the technology that they’re putting into the classrooms, and we’re very interested in making sure that our graduates are ready to do the kind of job that the local schools want them to be able to do,” Smith said.
And, Smith says, it’s not just about feeding teachers to the local schools. The majority of the newly certified teachers don’t go to LISD. They are hired around the state and around the nation, so Texas Tech students are ready to show their prospective employers that they know how to use the technology schools are using.
Featured VideoInstructors from the College of Education demonstrate how Smart Board technology can be used in their classrooms. More Video>>
Get the Flash Player to see the wordTube Media Player.
College of Education
The College of Education at Texas Tech University offers a full range of programs, including eight doctoral degrees, 12 master's degrees and two bachelor's degrees with numerous specializations leading to careers in public or private education as teachers, professors, administrators, counselors and diagnosticians.
Programs in the college are housed in two departments. The Department of Curriculum and Instruction offers undergraduate programs leading to initial teaching certificates and graduate programs in bilingual education, curriculum and instruction, elementary education, language literacy and secondary education.
The Department of Educational Psychology and Leadership offers graduate programs in counselor education, educational leadership, educational psychology, higher education, instructional technology and special education.


Teachers from across SC learn the power of STEAM
Teachers from across South Carolina spent time in Spartanburg this week learning how to infuse a little STEAM power into a popular education movement.
The group turned STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) into STEAM (the “A” stands for “arts”) during the Muse Machine Institute, presented by the Arts Partnership of Greater Spartanburg. The professional development opportunity focused on creativity and arts integration. The group of 30 represented teaching across all grade levels and subject areas.
“With the push towards STEM and now moving towards STEAM, we felt this was an area teachers needed to know about,” said Mary Lou Hightower, associate professor of art education at the University of South Carolina Upstate. “…Without that ‘A’ – that design thinking – it’s missing a major component that needs to be a part of it.”
Under the direction of Hightower and Randy Barron, a teaching artist with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, teachers contemplated questions such as how to demonstrate the water cycle through movement. Leaders said STEAM is a vehicle for incorporating creative thinking into all elements of instruction. Students learn the content – the components of the water cycle – but also are challenged with problem solving or thinking in a new way.
Stephanie Seay, a kindergarten teacher at Cannons Elementary School in Spartanburg District 3, said the approach especially appeals to kinesthetic or hands-on learners.
“I think it’s important to create that balance in our classrooms,” said Seay. “The arts give us such a vehicle for fostering those (creative-thinking or problem-solving) skill sets in our students.”
Linda Creasap, a music teacher at Pine Street Elementary in Spartanburg District 7, said the STEAM approach is a natural way for students to learn.
“I wanted to be a math major, but I changed to music. I see a lot of similarities,” Creasap said, comparing quarter notes to fractions. “It just goes together… Even the most inhibited child becomes more animated when you add music.”
On Wednesday, the group visited Milliken to see elements of STEAM in action. The Milliken Foundation also presented the Arts Partnership with a check for $87,000 to continue the STEAM institute.


Fogarty, Gerard J. (2007) Research on the Progressive Achievement Tests and academic achievement in secondary schools. Technical Report. Australian Council for Educational Research, Melbourne, Australia.
Psychometric testing can be used for many purposes. In the present case, ACER's Progressive Achievement Test battery was used to assess vocabulary, comprehension, and numeracy skill levels of students commencing study at a regional high school. The tests were used as a screening tool to identify students who might benefit from additional instruction and also to select high achieving students for participation in extension work, maths competitions, and the like. Test results were later correlated with performance in various school subjects over the five years of high school. Results indicated that the tests predicted up to 50% of the variance in school performance five years after the actual testing date. These data point to the continuing significance of students having a good vocabulary, being able to comprehend written text, and having good numeracy skills.
Statistics for this ePrint Item
|Item Type:||Report (Technical Report)|
|Item Status:||Live Archive|
|Additional Information:||Publisher has supplied author with permission to upload document in ePrints. The correct APA citation for this publication is: 66. Fogarty, G. (2007). Research on the Progressive Achievement Tests and academic achievement in secondary schools. Australian Council for Educational Research, Research Supplement. ACER Press online: http://www.acer.edu.au/documents/ACERPress_PAT_Supp.pdf.|
|Depositing User:||Prof. Gerry Fogarty|
|Faculty / Department / School:||Historic - Faculty of Sciences - Department of Psychology|
|Date Deposited:||13 May 2008 23:55|
|Last Modified:||02 Jul 2013 23:02|
|Uncontrolled Keywords:||ACER; Progressive Achievement Tests; psychometric testing; academic achievment; secondary schools|
|Fields of Research (FOR2008):||17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1701 Psychology > 170109 Personality, Abilities and Assessment|
Actions (login required)
|Archive Repository Staff Only|


Africa’s young women represent the continent’s greatest under-utilized asset in its push for generating growth and opportunity. When you educate girls, the effect is disproportionately positive.
Around the world, girls who have one more year of education than the national average earn 10% to 20% more – more than the increase for boys. In particular, girls with a secondary education have an 18% return in future wages, against 14% for boys. According to a World Bank study, investing in girls’ education and opportunities could boost a country’s entire gross domestic product by 1.2% in a single year. In Nigeria, that amounts to over $3 billion. Or to take yet another example, a UN report shows that crop yields in Kenya could rise by over one-fifth if women farmers had the same education and opportunities as men farmers.
Myriad studies around the world show that girls who are educated marry later, have fewer children, enjoy better health and are more likely to take part in politics. How a society educates its girls is a litmus test of its past and future vigour and prosperity.
Perhaps it is this very insight that leads extremists to try to disrupt girls’ education. In my own country, Pakistan, the Taliban attacked a young girl and her classmates for speaking out against their ban on girls’ education. The shocking incident in Nigeria, where over 200 young women taking an exam in school and working towards their bright futures, were kidnapped by a group whose very name declares education sinful, has an eerie similarity. But the outrage in much of society and the rejection of such beliefs, both in Pakistan and Nigeria, gives hope for the future. Education is never sinful.
Given the evidence on the importance of educating girls, how is Africa faring? The Global Gender Gap Report shows that, as a region, sub-Saharan Africa has the worst gender gap in the world when it comes to educating girls. This is echoed in the World Inequality Database on Education, where African countries account for 8 of its list of 10 weakest countries for female education. In these places, 9 out of 10 of the poorest young women have not completed school. This is social injustice and squandered opportunity, as well as a reflection of the complex, interlocking factors that get between a girl who is eager to learn and a seat at the front of the classroom.
The reasons are often short-term economic constraints at the household level, even if the payoffs long term may be substantial for the individual and their communities. Parents with little money to spend on education might prioritize sending their sons to school, in cultures where boys are expected to become breadwinners. Lack of transportation, water access and sanitation can also play a role. The gender gap plays out in its various forms in every country and region in the world, and Africa is far from alone in fighting to unlock the full potential of its people.
Our data shows that the situation has improved slightly in recent years for women and girls in Africa, when you take into account not just education but other factors such as political empowerment. Among the early moves of Africa’s first elected female head of state, the president of Liberia – and Nobel laureate – Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, was to make elementary education free and compulsory for all children, boys and girls. Bineta Diop, a UN special envoy, was instrumental in ensuring gender parity in the African Union Commission. There are yet more stories of young women and men dedicated to improving education and entrepreneurship opportunities for African girls and women, whether it’s teaching girls to code in Zambia or setting up a thriving, female-run social enterprise selling bamboo bikes in Ghana.
Many other leaders and inspiring individuals will come together at the World Economic Forum meeting in Abuja, to bring their collective insight and experience to address the continent’s greatest challenges and opportunities, including girls’ and women’s empowerment. When you educate girls, the benefits ripple out far beyond the walls of the classroom, from improved lives to stronger communities and more competitive economies. Today’s schoolgirls will build tomorrow’s Africa.
Author: Saadia Zahidi is senior director, head of Gender Parity and Human Capital, at the World Economic Forum.
Image: A girl displays traditional paintings on her hand in in Nigeria’s northern city of Kano. REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye


Poetry hides in a closet. It hides in space on planet Mars. It hides is a school with children. In the ocean inside a whale. Poetry hides in a backpack in a secret compartment. Poetry hides in the river under a rock. It hides on the moon in a crater. It hides in your house in your basement. It hides in the dictionary in the "P" section. It also hides on the National Monument in the Saddlehorn Campground. Poetry hides in Pomona in Mrs. Golden's class. That's where poetry hides. A poem by Taylor Toft.
April is National Poetry Month. It is a time for publishers, booksellers, literary organizations, libraries, schools and poets around the country to celebrate poetry and its vital place in American culture.
Celebrate National Poetry Month with your children by introducing poetry to them. Make poetry a part of your daily reading. It doesn't take much and there is a huge variety of poetry books for children, many with poems that only take seconds to read and a minute to discuss.
Judy Golden, a teacher at Pomona Elementary School in Grand Junction, Colorado uses poetry in her classroom for reading and writing assignments. She says that poetry is important for children because, "reading and writing poetry can support and extend children's language and literacy development. Poetry has few boundaries and it can be enjoyed at any age." Judy also says that, "poetry brings joy in a small package, humor in life's circumstances and tears from the words that touch the heart. It allows children to play and paint with words, sing in rhythm and rhyme."
Some favorites and recommended poetry books for children are; Runny Babbit, Light in the Attic, Where the Sidewalk Ends, Falling Up, Joyful Noise, Laugh-eteria and Fancy Nancy Poet Extraordinaire.
If you are interested in helping you child learn how to write poetry, take a look at Poetry Matters, Writing a Poem from the Inside Out by Ralph Fletcher.
"Poetry is the journal of the sea animal living on land, wanting to fly in the air. Poetry is a search for syllables to shoot at the barriers of the unknown and the unknowable. Poetry is a phantom script telling how rainbows are made and why they go away." A quote by Carl Sandburg.


s parents, feeding our family in smart, nutritious ways is often our main preoccupation in the kitchen. But if you want your children to have a positive relationship with food and develop their learning skills, you can definitely introduce them to activities with safe kitchen tools and products that exposes them to a world of mechanics and imagination. To do so, here are 5 trusted kitchen projects your kids can do that are safe and leave them with something fun to play with and to remember!
1. Melting Ice Science Experiment with Salt & Liquid Watercolors – Artful Parents
2. Dinosaur Fossils - I Can Teach My Child
3. Kitchen Science For Kids: What will freeze first - No Time for Flash Cards
4. Dancing Oobleck – Housinga Forest
5. Cress head with an egg – Planet Science (Picture by Crunchcandy, Creative Common)


Science For Kids - Fun Activities, Experiments and Projects
Learn science in a fun way. With our cool activities and experiments, kids can now learn science and have fun at the same time. Browse through and d...
Science for Kids – Learn science in a fun way. With our cool activities and experiments, kids can now learn science and have fun at the same time. Browse through and don't forget to watch our cool science videos, animations and interactive articles. With our fun experiments amaze your friends on how things work like magic. Science does not have to be boring anymore!
If there is any one subject that one can apply in almost everything in life, it's science.
With so many streams of study in science itself, science comprises in itself the universe. On our web page you will find science for kids in a fun and interactive format.
We have a host of science activities for kids as well as science articles for kids, that are enlightening and entertaining at the same time. Browse through many high definition videos and learn all about the different streams of science. Be it physics, chemistry, biology or technology, our filters on the left side of the page allow you and your child to select the particular subject of science or a particular science article for kids, with ease.
Our collection of science videos for kids come with great animation. An interesting story telling method is adopted in sharing knowledge with your child. We understand that your child wants a different mechanism of teaching than the one already in his or her school. Our website allows your child to find a novel and an interactive way to marvel at the magic of the subject, instead of just mugging tedious formulae and details.
Make your child learn the nuances of every stream of science and encourage them to download science worksheets for kids as well. After all, it is only with practice that they will retain the lesson learnt.


Parents are children's first and most important teachers. This simple idea is the foundation for the Even Start Family Literacy Program at Project Self-Sufficiency.
"Even Start is a Family Literacy program with five major components: Adult and Childhood Education, Parenting, Home Visits and Family Activities," comments Deborah Berry-Toon, Executive Director of Project Self-Sufficiency. "The Project Self-Sufficiency Even Start Family Literacy Program is unique, because although the parent is the one enrolled in the program, success comes when the entire family works toward literacy together."
The Even Start Family Literacy Programs exists primarily to assist parents with obtaining their GED or with passing the college placement exam. A certified instructor who is affiliated with the Sussex County Community College Learning Center is on-site to guide participants through the process.
While in the program, parents also engage in a variety of activities designed to promote literacy within the entire family. Participants are required to read to their children, and to keep a log of their reading time. A Book Club was initiated recently which requires parents to read a book at home and gather together as a group to discuss it as they progress through the story.
"Parent and Child Together Time" is a component that encourages parents to play games with their children and participate in field trips with other Project Self-Sufficiency families. Once a month, all of the participating families troop over to the Little Sprouts Early Learning Center to participate in the Celebrity Reader program, an event which features an invited guest reading a book aloud to the entire group. Past Celebrity Readers have included municipal officials, state and local lawmakers, members of the agency's Board of Directors and other friends of Project Self-Sufficiency.
Janet Allocca has participated in the Celebrity Reader program twice. A former pre-school teacher as well as a former actor in children's theater productions, Janet is an enthusiastic supporter of Project Self-Sufficiency and the Even Start program. "I really love to read to children and to see their reactions. When you are reading to children, if you put a little bit of drama into it, they get so much more out of it. Through this program, the children learn that they can trust other adults and that there are other people who care about them," noted Janet recently.
The Even Start Family Literacy Program is housed in the former Pettit House on Project Self-Sufficiency's new campus in Newton. The home has been converted into areas for study, reading and counseling. There is even a separate Children's Library on the premises, so that children can read to themselves while their parents work in an adjacent room.
"The facility gives the participants a sense of self-respect," noted Janet Allocca. "The facility is top-notch, so the clients feel good about themselves just being there. I admire the vision and perseverance that went into creating this beautiful place."
Project Self-Sufficiency counselors visit participating families at home twice a month, bringing along books that are developmentally appropriate for the age of the children in the household. If the children are old enough, parents and children create a craft project to accompany the story they read together. If infants are involved, the counselor plays games with the child and parent which encourage language development.
Patricia David, Coordinator of Project Self-Sufficiency's Even Start Family Literacy Program, remarks, "Parents are children's first and most important life-long teachers. Research has shown that the higher the educational level of the parent, particularly the mother, the better the children in the family will do in school. Research has also demonstrated that the earlier a child is exposed to language and early literacy development, the better that child will perform in school. With the Even Start program, we work with families to increase developmental activities in the home and help the parents understand the singular and powerful role they play in their children's education."
For information about participating in the Even Start Family Literacy Program, or to find out more about the other programs and services available at Project Self-Sufficiency, call the agency at (973) 940-3500.


The purpose of this research was to study an effective elementary school principal in order to determine what characteristics were present that resulted in effective school operations. The result was a case study of a school in the metropolis of Phoenix, Arizona. The principal studied was the founding principal of the school, and she has been the principal at this site for eight consecutive years.
This study focused on characteristics used in daily interactions by the principal. Information was gathered through a combination of observations, interviews, focus groups, and conversations. Data were collated and common themes identified. The common themes were then explored and identified in greater detail to create a list of skills necessary for effective school leadership.
A set of six recurring characteristics were identified by the researcher as those characteristics necessary to lead a school effectively. The identified characteristics included: relationships, culture and climate, leadership, curriculum, philosophy, and commitment. The information contained within this dissertation informs current leadership literature by providing additional research into effective school leadership characteristics.
|School||ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY|
|Subjects||Educational administration; Elementary education|
About ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
With nearly 4 million records, the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (PQDT) Global database is the most comprehensive collection of dissertations and theses in the world. It is the database of record for graduate research.
PQDT Global combines content from a range of the world's premier universities - from the Ivy League to the Russell Group. Of the nearly 4 million graduate works included in the database, ProQuest offers more than 2.5 million in full text formats. Of those, over 1.7 million are available in PDF format. More than 90,000 dissertations and theses are added to the database each year.
If you have questions, please feel free to visit the ProQuest Web site - http://www.proquest.com - or call ProQuest Hotline Customer Support at 1-800-521-3042.


tutoring, “pull-out” remediation programs, and dramatic school restructuring. Reading is an accomplishment that depends not just on discrete skills, but on a wide range of developmental supports and cognitive achievements. Mending an early language link is not by itself likely to have any effect on word reading if other connections in the net are frayed. Because reading is such a complex activity, children need an environment offering rich support and varied learning opportunities for every successive stage of their literacy development.
“Every week I send home a letter telling parents what we’ve done in the class. At the end of the letter, I give them a list of questions to ask the kids to check their comprehension. A lot of my parents would never ask these questions otherwise. When weeks go by and I don’t get any letters back from a family, experience leads me to suspect that maybe the parents can’t read themselves. Then I know that this child is going to need more of my time. I know that this child is out there alone.”
Dr. Ronald E. McNair Elementary School
New Orleans, Louisiana
Some children are far more likely than others to have difficulties in learning to read. This may seem a simple and obvious fact. Yet it is a fact that is overlooked far too often.
If our goal is to ensure that all children in America can read, then we must target prevention efforts to the children who we know will need them the most. We must do this as early as possible—before children fail in school, before they are labeled, and before costly remediation is necessary.


SE 3090 - Introduction to Special Education: Middle and Secondary
Prerequisite(s): K-12 TEACHER CERT & MIDDLE SCHOOL MAJORS
Provides teachers and other social service professionals with the understanding and skill to work effectively with children with disabilities in integrated settings. Emphasis is placed upon the disabilities most prevalent in society, such as learning disabilities, behavior and emotional disorders and cognitive impairments. Other forms of disabilities to be discussed include sensory, neurological and musculoskeletal. Competencies to be presented and discussed are consistent with International Council for Exceptional Children standards and include: historical, philosophical and legal foundations of special education, characteristics of individuals with disabilities, communication and collaborative efforts among professionals, understanding professionalism and ethical practices in special education. An observation component is integral to this course. This course is designed for K-12 Teacher Certification and Middle School majors only. The course is not intended for majors in the Early Childhood Studies or Elementary Education and Childhood Studies Departments. Falls and Springs.
*All course information is from the 2013-2014 Catalog.


The various courses offered in the Communication Studies program emphasize analysis, creativity as well as critical thinking, and oral communication skills. These skills are the foundation for successful relationship and for any specific profession. As stated in the Shasta College Mission statement, "success requires specific life skills and professional skills". Among the most crucial are the skills of effective communication and critical thinking, which you learn in the CMST courses.
In a changing global climate, communication knowledge and skill is central to personal effectiveness. This effectiveness can lead to career success as well as more satisfying personal relationships. The CMST department is committed to providing students with a state of the art education that will assist them in meeting both career and personal goals.
Employers seek five basic things from new college graduates. They are:
• people skills (e.g. Interpersonal, Intercultural and Small Group communication)
• critical thinking skills (e.g. how you analyze a problem and make effective decisions, studied in Interpersonal, Small Group, Public Speaking and Argumentation and Debate)
• writing skills
• computer skills
• degree and perhaps specialty skills (e.g. Intercultural Communication, Public Speaking, Oral Interpretation, Argumentation and Debate).
Useful links for Communication Studies:
"(Man) is distinguished from the animals by his freedom to do good or do evil"
-Martin Luther King Jr.


The Georgia Literacy Task Force’s definition of literacy is the ability to speak, listen, read, and write, as well as to view print and non-print text in order to achieve the following:
- to communicate effectively with others,
- to think and respond critically in a variety of settings to a myriad of print and non-print text, and
- to access, use, and produce multiple forms of media, information, and knowledge in all content areas.
As a part of the federal Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy planning grant, the Georgia Department of Education is developing a state literacy plan. The Georgia Literacy Task Force (GLTF) was established in 2008 to begin development of the Georgia Literacy plan.
Georgia Striving Reader Comprehensive Literacy Grant
Cohort Four SRCL Grant Competition Support Documents
Submissions are due in Fluid Review by December 5, 5PM
Striving Reader Literacy Planning Documents
Birth to Five
Professional Learning Modules
Comprehensive Reading Solutions, in collaboration with the Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy (SRCL) Program, has provided professional learning modules for use with birth through grade twelve literacy instruction. The SRCL Professional Development Architects: Michael C. McKenna, Pd.D., University of Virginia, Sharon Walpole, University of Delaware and Terri Purcell, Ph.D., Cleveland State University have developed research-based learning modules that have been added to the Comprehensive Reading Solutions website. We have established this website to archive and provide contracted services for direct teacher professional learning (specific to early literacy, elementary, middle, and high school). The modules provide free access to professional learning that may be used to support literacy instruction. The content of the professonal learning modules include topics (but not limited to) Assessment, Language & Literacy Development, Building Basic Skills, Strategies for Student Reading, Teaching Vocabulary and Writing. The modules may be used independently, in a study group, or within a professional learning community.
The learning modules have been approved for professional learning units (PLUs). Four modules must be completed in order for 1 PLU to be awarded in addition to completing the assignments, maintaining a documentation log, and having these items approved by the PLU Coordinator. The Professional Learning Unit Course Completion Form must be signed by each participant and approved by the PLU Coordinator.
To access Comprehensive Reading Solutions, use the following link:
Professional Learning Unit Course Completion Form


Early Childhood Education (EDU)
View the Early Childhood Education Associate Degree Requirements,
Policies, and Procedures.
The Early Childhood Education program at Belmont College prepares students to work
with children from birth through age 8. Early childhood educators support the growth
and development of children in a variety of early learning settings that include:
preschools, center-based and home-based child care programs, Head Start, infant
and toddler learning environments, and public/private school settings. Students
will graduate prepared to effectively work with co-workers, families and the community.
Teachers play an important role in the lives of children and their families. Join
this challenging and rewarding field as an educator, advocate, and leader in the
present and future success of children! Graduates of the Early Childhood Education
program may find employment in public and private pre-schools, Head Start, Early
Intervention Programs, and public school settings.
- Describe sequences, stages, and milestones of children’s growth and development,
social, emotional, and cognitive domains and recognize variations of typical and
atypical developmental characteristics of young children, from pre-natal periods
through the age of eight.
- Preliminary understanding of historical and contemporary theories and research,
to include psychoanalytic, behaviorist, Piagetian, Vygotskyian, and information
processing models, on the characteristics and needs of children from birth through
age 8 to include aspects of physical, cognitive, social, emotional, language, and
aesthetic domains, play, activity, learning process, and motivation to learn. Candidates
recognize that developmental domains are interrelated and provide examples of interrelationships
among developmental domains.
- Recognize and articulate multiple influences on children’s development and learning
which include the diverse cultural, economic, and linguistic contexts for development,
ecological contexts (home, community, support systems, etc.) child’s health status,
and disabilities, individual developmental variations and learning styles, and opportunities
to play and learn.
- Demonstrate familiarity with well-known interventions programs such as The Perry
Pre-School Project, Chicago Parent-Child Program, and Head Start.
- Cite current research about the influence of early intervention programs on child
- Describe the essentials of developmental research and the principles used as a basis
for creating effective learning environments.
- Acknowledge and value the central role of relationships and efficacy in the promotion
- Recognize elements of preliminary early childhood learning environments and opportunities
to learn that are healthy, respectful, and supportive.