The Population Council is identifying the elements of formal schooling that lead to more protective behaviors, reduce HIV risk, and improve learning outcomes among poor young people in Malawi.
When good-quality schooling is available, disadvantaged children stand a better chance of escaping poverty. Indeed, it is likely in the poorest countries that schooling makes the greatest contribution to children’s futures.
But in Malawi, one of the world’s poorest countries, nearly half of girls marry before age 18, and young people face high risk of HIV infection. Schools in rural Malawi have limited resources and inadequate supplies, extremely high student-teacher ratios, and a dearth of trained teachers.
To better understand the effect of school quality on learning and health, the Council began following the progress of more than 2,500 in-school and out-of-school adolescents in the Balaka and Machinga districts of Malawi in 2007. Multiple rounds of data on young people’s schooling experiences, learning, and health outcomes have been collected. Longitudinal studies of this duration and breadth are unusual, and such comprehensive data on young people from a developing country are rare.
With each round of data collection, participants are asked a series of questions about their experiences in school, including attendance, grade repetition, classroom environment, and educational attainment. The participants complete a literacy and numeracy test to assess their learning. In 2010, 2011, and 2013, the data collection expanded to include testing, with consent from participants and their parents, for exposure to HIV and herpes.
The study’s longitudinal design, encompassing repeated assessments of the schooling environment and yearly follow-up of a sample of in- and out-of-school adolescents, permits the direct comparison of outcomes and experiences reported over time. This information provides a uniquely rich and broad picture of the relationships between schooling, educational outcomes, and HIV risk among young people in Malawi. Council findings will inform policy recommendations and program designs for school and community-based interventions that reduce HIV risk and improve student learning.
Key findings thus far:
- On-target progression through school is associated with a lower risk of early premarital sex and marriage for girls. However, it is common for students to start their schooling late, repeat grades, and withdraw temporarily or permanently. Nearly 25 percent of girls’ dropout is related to pregnancy.
- Many girls who leave school face a rapid loss of both literacy and numeracy skills. Further, because girls leave school during adolescence at much higher rates than boys, over time we observe a gender reversal in literacy outcomes and a widening gender gap in numeracy outcomes, both in favor of boys.
- Girls who can read and those who can do math are less likely to report their sexual behavior inconsistently than those without these skills.
- Literate girls marry and have children significantly later than girls who cannot read.
- Girls who attend school are significantly less likely to engage in premarital sex than their peers who have recently left school.
- By Round 5 of data collection (2011), girls who were currently attending secondary school were about 60 percent less likely to test positive for herpes than girls who had dropped out before completing primary school.
- Girls who perceive themselves to be at risk of becoming infected with HIV are more likely to marry early than girls who perceive no risk of future infection.
The Council continues to analyze this dataset to learn more about the effects of schooling and is pursuing additional funding to implement interventions to improve girls’ literacy and numeracy based on these findings.


This product is offered exclusively by Scholastic Inc.
Read and Rise Child Care Conversations Facilitator’s Kit English: Outlines the comprehensive curriculum of the six-session workshop series. Kit addresses topic such as the use of family culture and traditions to foster literacy development. It provides effective strategies for strengthening home-to-school connections, and for creating literacy rich environments in homes, school, and communities.
Read and Rise is a sustainable and systematic literacy engagement program designed to bring families, schools, and communities together to support children’s literacy development, while celebrating the positive impact of family culture and tradition. Scholastic created the comprehensive Read and Rise program as part of our dedication to all families and schools to help them build the capacity they need to instill a culture of reading and learning in their children. Through Read and Rise, Scholastic is committed to ensuring that all children have the opportunity to meet and exceed the educational challenges of the 21st Century.
Set Includes: • How Do Dinosaurs Go to School? (Fun Card) • How Do Dinosaurs Go to School? (Paperback) • Putumayo Kids Presents World Playground (Audio CD) • Read and Rise Journal - Child Care Provider Conversations (Journal) • Read and Rise Facilitator's Guide - Child Care Provider Conversations (Facilitator's Guide) • Read and Rise Family Guide (Family Guide)


Skyping Spain in Elementary Music/Spanish Class
Last month, the Spanish teacher and I worked together to have our second grade skype another second grade class in Spain. The Spanish teacher set this up with a teacher from Spain. The children in Spain wanted to sing and ask questions during the Skype interview so the Spanish teacher asked if our students could sing some of their holiday concert songs. I jumped at the chance because they were ready to sing their songs to an audience and it would be the first time that all three second grade classes would be singing their songs together. Plus, I feel that skyping other classrooms with a great way for students to learn so many educational concepts.
Both set of students enjoyed the interview thoroughly. We began by singing “Rhythm of the Season” by Jennings from Music K8. We then sang Donald Moore’s version of “Siyahamba.” The students from Spain then sang “Santa Clause is Coming to Town” and another children’s Christmas song that I did not recognize. We then sang “Dreidl Spin!” and they finished with singing a Spanish song to us. The interview continued with questions from both sets of students. I had to leave at this point to go teach a PreK Older’s music class.
What The Students and I Learned:
At the end of day, I made notes about the experience as I did this a few year’s back with another music class in the United States. Skyping another country brought this experience to a whole new level. I noted the following items:
- The children seeing and asking questions with children from another country was amazing!
- The students getting to sing together their holiday concert songs for the first time was wonderful. They sounded so good.
- Hearing the Spanish teacher speak so fluently in Spanish to the teacher in Spain was also amazing. I usually hear her speak to the young children, which means that she speaks slowly and incorporates English. I told the students at my lunch table that listening and watching her speak so fluently and naturally was my favorite part.
- Hearing the children in Spain sing so many songs to us.
- Both classes of students realizing that music is an integral part of the curriculum.
- The technology: this could not have even been thought of ten years ago! And it gets easier and easier to do.
- Seeing this and relating this to when my second graders three years ago skyped a second grade class in Illinois and asked questions about weather, time, singing concert songs, etc. And when the 3rd graders skyped a class and spoke about their 50 states project. It is just amazing.
- The students realizing that the world is a very big place.
- The students realizing that they are not the only ones who prepare for performances.
What You Need:
The equipment required for this to happen was:
- A Network with other professionals (a great group to begin with is the music teacher facebook network at https://www.facebook.com/groups/musicpln/ or the Music Education google+ network at https://plus.google.com/u/1/communities/102610005911356159206) so you can easily find another music educator to skype.
- A Skype account. There are other tools like FaceTime that also work well.
- A computer/laptop/tablet that has an internet connection, a microphone, and a decent set of speakers. It is also beneficial to hook it up to a screen, TV, or interactive whiteboard.
- Meet with the educator before to test everything and to plan out how the lesson will occur.
- Communicate with all teachers involved and the administration so you have their support.
- Communicate with your IT personel so you have their support with setup and any technical issues that could arise.
- Plan B if something goes awry. I was going to write “if the tech fails,” however, it might not be the tech failing that could cause you to go to Plan B. It could be a student getting sick in the middle of the lesson or a very young student “baptizing” your music carpet, etc, that could cause you to use Plan B.
Overall, the experience was a wonderful learning tool and very successful for the students. My one con was how low the resolution was that was being projected onto the screen so it was difficult for the students to see each other clearly. However, they heard each other beautifully and it was a tremendous learning experience. One I hope to have again in the near future.


SELECTING BOOKS FOR YOUR BUNNY
Wouldn't it be nice if someone would just give you a list -- when your child is two, read these books; when your child is three, read these . . .? If you've been looking for the perfect literacy development recipe, stop searching! No such prescription is possible.
While there is information about the expected sequence of child development, it is also well established that no two children are exactly alike. Every child develops in a unique and highly individualized way. Among early childhood educators, the prevailing philosophy is that we must pay attention to what we know about how children develop, as well as what we learn about the individual needs and ineterests of the specific child. This approach to early childhood education is known as developmentally appropriate practice.
While it is impossible to develop the perfect, age-specific reading list, there are certain book characteristics to look for as you select materials to read to your developing child.
- Simple and repetitive songs and poems
- Classic nursery rhymes
- Hand and finger games
- Sturdy books made from cloth, cardboard, and plastic that the child can handle and chew on
- Old magazines and catalogs to examine and tear
- Books about daily life and the toddler's world
- Simple predictable plots with repetitive phrases
- Books that invite chatting, chanting, humming, and dancing
- Illustrations that include objects the toddler can identify -- "point and say books."
- Traditional folk, fairytales, and fables
- Wordless picture books that allow pre-schoolers to develop their own stories
- Books about first experiences, achievement, and problem solving
- Increasingly complex plot lines
- Easy-to-read books with controlled vocabularies
And remember . . .
It is the language and social interaction that surround the reading, not just the words and pictures of the book itself, that foster literacy development. So, have fun with books! Re-read old favorites again and again. Share a wide variety of books with your child -- storybooks, concept books, information books, poetry books, books about people like you and about people who are different.
READ! READ! READ! Just 20 minutes a day can make all the difference in your child's life!
Prepared by the Texas Library Association Children's Round Table and the Texas State Library and Archives Commission


All grade levels
Science at Howard Gardner School is an inquiry process. Students wonder why, observe, explore and experiment both in the classroom and in the outdoor classroom of Mountain Lake and Robinson Park in our neighborhood. They may also take field trips related to their topic of study. Classes are held in the students’ homerooms.
The base of classroom study is the FOSS Kits (Full Option Science System) which were designed by University of California at Berkley. This program is a collection of activities aligned with the national science standards and covers topics in Life, Earth and Physical Science. Students collaborate in small groups on hands on experiments, recording data, creating graphs and reflecting on their results. They have the opportunity to apply skills of measurement and the scientific method. There are supplementary reading texts used after the activities as well as math connection problems.
Since our classes are multi-aged grouped the curriculum alternates years with the exception of Kindergarten which will study trees, leaves, wood and paper, and fabric each year.
Students in all classes are invited to suggest experiments to try in the class or to share results of investigations they do at home. At various times there may be mung beans sprouting for the primary class, wildflowers for the upper class or an avocado plant demonstrating phototropism for the intermediate class.
Environment and Ecology concepts are investigated by students during the fall and spring exploration of outdoor habitats. In addition students of the upper and senior classes do more observation of wetlands at Mountain Lake. We take only pictures and leave only footprints. (We do pick up garbage and collect data)
Personal interests of students in the upper class are developed through assignments such as current events in science and science careers presentations. They are encouraged to express themselves through nature sketching, writing song lyrics to remember concepts and a keeping a moon journal.
Members of the senior class have research assignments such as creating an advertisement for an element to learn about the periodic table. Students read the Science World magazine for current information on science and technology. They will have an end of the year project depending on the odd or even year, either designing, implementing and presenting an experiment demonstrating the scientific method or creating a personal reflection presentation of their relationship with the natural world.
I earned a Bachelor of Arts from Kutztown University and Elementary Education Certification from Marywood University. I have also continued to take classes in environmental education such as: Project Wild, PA Songbirds, Project Learning Tree, River of Words, PA Land Choices, Forest Stewardship, Project Wet & Wow, Healthy Water, Healthy People and Watershed Education.
My first teaching position was in Quito , Ecuador in 1987 where I taught first grade English and science. I returned to Scranton in 1990 and taught in the Upper Class of the Montessori School which became the University of Scranton Campus School which became the Howard Gardner School for Discovery. I served as interim Director of the Campus School for one year in 2001 and became the dedicated science specialist in 2003. I also serve as the Student Council support teacher.
During summers I I have taught for Carnegie Mellon C-MITES program for gifted students and the HGSD SCAMPS program.
I live in rural Dalton near the Lackawanna State Park and the Zeigler Preserve of the Countryside Conservancy where I enjoy hiking and kayaking.
I believe it is important to model what I teach and teach what I believe to be true so I volunteer with local environmental groups to test the water quality of streams in our community and participate in cleanups.


The objective of this grand plan is to align the public school system to the need to produce and sell cheap, skilled labor locally and internationally. Will the K+12 program solve the problems confronting Philippine education? What will be its impact on the education system in the country?
By BENJIE OLIVEROS
Everybody agrees that Philippine education is in a state of crisis. And the quality of Philippine education, the shortages in teachers, classrooms, facilities, books and learning materials have worsened year after year, even as the 1987 Constitution mandates that education should be the priority in the national budget. Also worsening is the dropout rate.
In 2008, out of 100 pupils entering grade one, only 66 finish elementary education. Only 58 of the 66 who finish grade school enroll in first year high school, and only 43 of the 58 complete their secondary education. Of the 43 students, only 23 enroll in college and out of this only 14 students finish a degree.
Among those who are able to continue studying, achievement test results are still way below the passing mark.
To address this, President Benigno Aquino III has, since his presidential campaign, been batting for an additional two years of basic education. Education Secretary Bro. Armin Luistro has been laying the groundwork for this, saying that it could be fully implemented by school year 2017-2018.
Will the K+12 program solve the problems confronting Philippine education? What will be its impact on the education system in the country?
The proposal to add two more years to basic education is not new. This is already contained in the Philippine National Action Plan for EFA (Education for All) 2015 Goals (Philippine EFA 2015), which was formulated in 2005.
Much earlier, one of the recommendations of the Philippine Education Sector Study funded by the Asian Development Bank in 1997 is for the government to strengthen and allot more resources to basic education by lessening its exposure in tertiary education.
At first glance, the proposal seems logical. Filipino students do not perform well in achievement tests, then give them more years of education. However, progressive students and teachers’ organizations are correct in saying that it is not as simple as it seems. First, the government is not allotting enough budget for education because it is allocating more for debt servicing and military expenditures.
Kabataan Partylist revealed that in 2009, the government allotted a mere P2,502 ($57.95) per student per year. And at 2.17 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the education budget in 2009 is way below the UNESCO recommended standard of six percent of GDP. By adding another two years in basic education, the government would merely stretch a very limited budget. This measure would only worsen the shortages in classrooms, teachers, learning materials, and facilities.
Perhaps, the Aquino administration is banking on local government units to foot the bill because through the Governance of Basic Education Act of 2001, the management of local public schools have been devolved. Local government units allot one percent of their internal revenue allocation to education. These funds are managed by local school boards. For example, in Quezon City, the city government funds the salaries of some teachers — who are considered city-hired as differentiated from those with plantilla positions at the Department of Education — trainings and activities of teachers, and the construction of school buildings.
But what about poor municipalities? Would they have to enter into Public-Private Partnerships? This again is nothing new and was called build-operate-transfer schemes under the previous Arroyo administration. How would poor municipalities pay for it? More taxes?
Pages: 1 2


<< -- 2 -- Gordon Rumson MUSIC MATTERS
From these simple starting points ('music matters' and 'what am I hearing?')
Mellers proceeds to investigate connections and ideas with a breadth of
knowledge that is startling.
There is however, one stumbling block to a wider appreciation of Mellers'
contribution: his explanations require a basic understanding of music theory.
At the simplest level this is knowing what an oboe sounds like and why it
is associated with pastoral music. Further along it requires the reader
to understand the cycle of fifths and key relationships such as the mediant
and a knowledge of some of the structures of music, whether sonata-allegro
or the raga.
This should not be a problem, but it is. Literate people should have
a working knowledge of the parts of speech, the idea of rhyming in poetry,
perhaps even an idea of the sonnet. But most people do not have the foggiest
notion of the musical equivalents of these simple ideas. This, in spite
of 'music education' so called.
There is also one interesting facet of Mellers' discussion of music and
that is his frequent appeal to the emotional, even psychological and spiritual
character of a tonality: F minor is lugubrious, D major ceremonial, or B
flat major in Schubert heavenly. At one time such comments were the norm
and Mellers is merely continuing a long-standing tradition.
Because, at one time, not that long ago, the character of the keys was not
a pretense, it was a verifiable fact. Tuners prior to about 1850 did not
aim for equal temperament at all and according to Owen Jorgensen's massive
book Tuning, tuners could not have effectively achieved equal temperament
until around 1900. Therefore, before that they tuned some kind of well-temperament
where, by definition, the keys have slightly different characters based
on the purity or impurity of the intervals. Now, Mellers was born in 1914.
Tuners trained before 1900 or so were probably tuning well-temperament for
many years past Mellers' birth.
As such, Mellers probably heard unequal temperaments in his youth and
never overcame his faith that each tonality had a different character and
that this character means something. Thus, in his detailed analysis of compositions,
Mellers regularly derives philosophic meaning from such information.
Copyright © 28 November 2002
Gordon Rumson, Calgary, Alberta, Canada


Right to Education Act 2010
From April 1, 2010 a historic Right to Education (RTE) act will be enforced in India. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
promised that financial constrained will not hamper its implementation. The law envisions to provide free and compulsory education for all
children between 6 and 14 years of age. In his address to the nation Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced the Right to Education
becoming a fundamental right. He said that the Government of India pledges to provide education to every child in India. The PM said,
"Right to Education Act will realize the dreams of many children across the nation." .
Highlights of RTE Act
Sixty-three years after independence, India Thursday, the 1st April 2010
enforced a historic Right to Education (RTE) act that promises freedom from
illiteracy for this vast and diverse country. Following are the key points of
the legislation that expects to empower the nation through education:
1. Free and compulsory education to all children of India in the six to 14 age
2. No child shall be held back, expelled, or required to pass a board examination
until completion of elementary education (up to class eight);
3. A child who completes elementary education (upto Class 8) shall be awarded a certificate
4. Calls for a fixed student-teacher ratio;
5. Will apply to all of India except Jammu and Kashmir;
6. Provides for 25 percent reservation for economically disadvantaged communities
in all private and minority schools. The reservation to start with Class One beginning 2011
7. Mandates improvement in quality of education;
8. School teachers will need adequate professional degree within five years or else will lose job;
9. School infrastructure (where there is problem) to be improved in three years, else recognition cancelled;
10 Financial burden will be shared between state and central government on the basis of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (Education for All)
11. Private schools to face penalty for violating RTE. .
* The funds reqired to implement the RTE act of Rs.171,000 crors..
* 5 lakhs more trained teachers required.
* Playgrounds for every school are the basic needs.
UNESCO, ILO, UNICEF welcome Right To Education Act
UNESCO, ILO and UNICEF applauding the ground-breaking Right to Education Act, legalising the right to
free and compulsory education for all children between the ages of 6 and 14 in
India. "Tens of millions of children will benefit from this initiative ensuring quality
education with equity," said Karin Hulshof, UNICEF Representative in India. "RTE
will propel India to even greater heights of prosperity and productivity for all
guaranteeing children their right to a quality education and a brighter future."
There are an estimated eight million Indian children and young people between
the ages of six to 14 out-of-school, the majority of whom are girls. Without
India, the world cannot reach the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of having
every child complete primary school by 2015.
"This act is an essential step towards improving each child's accessibility to
secondary and higher education, bringing India closer to achieving national
educational development goals, as well as the MDGs and Education for All
(EFA)," said UNESCO New Delhi Director Armoogum Parsuramen, commending in particular the
Ministry's commitment to implementing the act in collaboration with the state
governments. "UNESCO places the right to education at the heart of its mission, and stands
ready to accompany all partners in their efforts to ensure its successful implementation."
India joins list of 135 countries in making RTE
With the Right to Education Act coming into force, India has joined the league
of over 130 countries which have legal guarantees to provide free and compulsory
education to children. According to the UNESCO’s ‘Education for All Global Monitoring Report 2010’,
about 135 countries have constitutional provisions for free and non-discriminatory education for all.
However, the report says that despite the legal guarantee of free education,
primary school fees continue to be charged in some countries.


Help support New Advent and get the full contents of this website as an instant download or CD-ROM. Includes the Catholic Encyclopedia, Church Fathers, Summa, Bible and more all for only $19.99...
First American Governor of California, U.S.A. b. in Nashville, Tennessee, 15 Nov., 1807, of Virginian ancestry; d. at San Francisco, California, 16 May, 1895. At an early age he was taken by his father to Missouri, where amid primitive conditions of life he succeeded in obtaining an elementary education. At the age of nineteen he returned to Tennessee, and soon after married Harriet W. Rogers, to whom he attributed much of the success of his later career. After his marriage he started in business for himself, studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1839. He also edited "The Far West", a weekly paper published at Liberty, Missouri. About this time he became a member of the Church of the Disciples, or Campbellites, founded by Alexander Campbell, a seceder from the Baptists. In 1843, removing with his family to Oregon, he took a prominent part in the formation of the territorial government and was a member of the legislature from 1844 to 1848. During this period the published debate between Campbell and Bishop Purcell of Cincinnati fell into his hands, and though after reading it he still remained a Protestant, his confidence in Protestantism was considerably shaken. He then began a systematic investigation of the true religion, became convinced of the truth of the Catholic claims, and in June, 1846, was received into the church at Oregon City by Father De Vos.
In the year 1848 Burnett went to California, where he was elected a member of the Legislative Assembly and took a leading part in its Proceedings. He was appointed judge of the superior tribunal in August, 1849 and did good work in the framing of the State Constitution. In September he was chosen chief justice, and on the thirteenth of November of the same year he was elected the first American Governor of California, though California was not admitted as a State into the Union till September, 1850. He resigned the governorship in 1851 and resumed the practice of law until his appointment in 1857 as a Justice of the Supreme Court of California by Gov. J. Neeley Johnson. His term expired in October 1858. He was also President of the Pacific Bank from 1863 to 1880, after which he retired from active business. In 1860 Judge Burnett wrote his famous book "The Path which led a Protestant Lawyer to the Catholic Church" (New York, 1860), wherein he bases his conversion on clear-cut logical principles. With regard to this work Dr. Brownson says "In writing his book, Judge Burnett has rendered a noble homage to his new faith. . . . Through him California has made a more glorious contribution to the Union than all the gold of her mines, for truth is more precious than gold, yea, than fine gold" (Brownson's Review, April, 1860). This was followed by his work on "The American Theory of Government, Considered with Referenee to the Present Crisis" (2d ed., New York, 1861). During the period of his retirement he published "Recollections and Opinions of an Old Pioneer" (New York, 1860), which "is especially valuable in connection with the early political and constitutional history of the Pacific coast" (Nation, XXX, 389), and "Reasons Why We Should Believe in God, Love God and Obey God" (New York, 1884).
The Ave Maria (Notre Dame, 1-29., 1898); Catholic News, files (New York, 5 June, 1895); The Pilot, files (Boston, 1 June, 1895); Brownson's Review, April, 1863).
APA citation. (1908). Peter Hardeman Burnett. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03083a.htm
MLA citation. "Peter Hardeman Burnett." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 3. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03083a.htm>.
Transcription. This article was transcribed for New Advent by Joseph P. Thomas.
Ecclesiastical approbation. Nihil Obstat. November 1, 1908. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.
Contact information. The editor of New Advent is Kevin Knight. My email address is webmaster at newadvent.org. Regrettably, I can't reply to every letter, but I greatly appreciate your feedback — especially notifications about typographical errors and inappropriate ads.


Issue Number 2; Spring 2003
"Growing up audiophile," by Andra McCartney and Anna Friz, considers the importance of early life and formal training experiences in the construction of gendered identities and relationships with sound technologies. Using dialogic ethnographic techniques, each of the authors act alternately as ethnographer and research subject, interacting in a conversation composed around open-ended questions stimulated by the key words sound, technology, and education. The approach draws attention to the way in which the past structures and facilitates our present. It also asks us to consider how the present colours and tints our memories and understanding of that past.
In "Girls' and Boys' Technological Toys: Music Composition in the Computerized Classroom,"
"Evoking Beliefs about Music Teaching and Learning," Lori-Anne Dolloff
turns our attention to the underlying belief and value structures shaping the
student teacher's identity. Concerned in particular with designing research
strategies that will enable students to connect theory and practice, she uses
student teachers' pictures and visual illustrations of "music teacher"
as a space for dialogue. The approach reveals important distinctions between
elementary and secondary music teachers that are consistent with cultural
stereotypes concerning the nature and value of music education at different
stages of development. It also captures the sense in which the construction of a
teacher identity is unique to the individual, an evolving work of art.
Laurie Stras and Abigail Wood review Music and Gender.
Sponsored by Grime International
This page was last updated on 01/02/03.


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Home › Results from ReadWriteThink
1-10 of 39 Results from ReadWriteThink
- Professional Development | Grades 3 – 5 | Professional Library | Journal
Acting Out: Literature, Drama, and Connecting With History
The article includes recommendations for teachers interested in integrating literature, drama, and history.
- Professional Development | Grade K | Professional Library | Book
Building a Foundation for Preschool Literacy: Effective Instruction for Children’s Reading and Writing Development (Second Edition)
This book focuses on best practices for providing preschoolers with early literacy instruction.
- Professional Development | Grades K – 5 | Professional Library | Journal
Close reading in elementary schools
Close reading is a recommended instructional approach to meet the challenges of teaching complex texts. But close readings are more common in high school and college than in elementary schools. In this article, we identify the components of close reading that were developed after a group of elementary school teachers observed their colleges in high school. In addition, we focus on the modifications necessary to implement close reading in elementary schools.
- Professional Development | Grades 3 – 8 | Professional Library | Journal
Conversation: The Comprehension Connection
Conversation provides opportunities for students to practice and use cognitive strategies, and is critical for developing comprehension.
- Professional Development | Grades 2 – 7 | Professional Library | Book
Creating Lifelong Readers Through Independent Reading
This book provides information on the benefits of independent reading, how to set up a classroom library, and ways to actively engage students in independent reading.
- Professional Development | Grades K – 3 | Professional Library | Book
Creating Strategic Readers: Techniques for Developing Competency in Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary, and Comprehension
Organized around the five essential components of reading instruction, this text lays the groundwork for a comprehensive literacy classroom.
- Professional Development | Grades 6 – 12 | Professional Library | Book
Developing Academic Thinking Skills in Grades 6-12: A Handbook of Multiple Intelligence Activities
These skill-based activities will help students develop the academic thinking skills and language to understand challenging content concepts.
- Professional Development | Grades 2 – 5 | Professional Library | Journal
Digital Readers: The Next Chapter in E-Book Reading and Response
This article discusses the use of digital e-book readers in the classroom.
- Professional Development | Grades 6 – 12 | Professional Library | Journal
Engaging the Disengaged: Using Learning Clubs to Motivate Struggling Adolescent Readers and Writers
This article describes the use of learning clubs to motivate struggling students to engage in literacy events and foster literacy development.
- Professional Development | Grades 1 – 3, 5 | Professional Library | Journal
Exploring the Use of the iPad for Literacy Learning
The goal of this investigation was to explore how a fourth grade teacher could integrate iPads into her literacy instruction to simultaneously teach print-based and digital literacy goals.


§ 4.22. Middle level education.
(a) The middle level planned instruction aligned with academic standards serves children who are approximately 1114 years of age. School entities may modify the grouping of students based upon student needs identified by the school entity.
(b) Curriculum and instruction in the middle level program must be standards-based and focus on mastery of academic subjects, the development of critical and creative thinking, information literacy, good health and encourage active participation in the school and community.
(c) Planned instruction aligned with academic standards in the following areas shall be provided to every student in the middle level program. Planned instruction may be provided as a separate course or as an instructional unit within a course or other interdisciplinary instructional activity:
(1) Language arts, integrating reading, writing, listening, speaking, literature and grammar.
(2) Mathematics, including mathematical reasoning, algebra and problem-solving.
(3) Science and technology, which involves active learning experiences and which may include laboratory experiments and instruction in agriculture and agricultural science.
(4) Social studies (civics and government, economics, geography and history, including the history and cultures of the United States, the Commonwealth, and the world).
(5) Environment and ecology, including social, political and economic aspects of ecology, and instruction in agriculture and agricultural science.
(6) Information skills, including access to traditional and electronic information sources, computer use and research.
(7) Health, safety and physical education, including instruction in concepts and skills which affect personal, family and community health and safety, nutrition, physical fitness, movement concepts, motor skill development, safety in physical activity settings, and the prevention of alcohol, chemical and tobacco abuse.
(8) The arts, including art, music, dance and theatre.
(9) Career education, including exposure to various career options and the educational preparation necessary to achieve those options.
(10) Technology education, emphasizing practical application of academic skills and problem-solving experiences facilitated by technology.
(11) Family and consumer science, including principles of consumer behavior and basic knowledge of child health and child care skills.
(d) This section does not preclude the teaching of other planned instruction designed to achieve a school entitys academic standards.
(e) School entities shall determine the most appropriate way to operate their middle level programs to achieve the purposes under subsection (b) and any additional academic standards as determined by the school entity.
The provisions of this § 4.22 amended under sections 121, 2603-B and 2604-B of the Public School Code of 1949 (24 P. S. § § 1-121, 26-2603-B and 26-2604-B).
The provisions of this § 4.22 amended February 15, 2008, effective February 16, 2008, 38 Pa.B. 872; amended February 28, 2014, effective March 1, 2014, 44 Pa.B. 1131. Immediately preceding text appears at serial pages (332273) to (332274) and (346981).
This section cited in 22 Pa. Code § 4.27 (relating to physical education and athletics).
No part of the information on this site may be reproduced for profit or sold for profit.
This material has been drawn directly from the official Pennsylvania Code full text database. Due to the limitations of HTML or differences in display capabilities of different browsers, this version may differ slightly from the official printed version.


The Backyard Volcano
Age: Elementary and up
Time: About 15 minutes
Type of Activity: Backyard science
Encourage your children to explore science in their own backyard. Plant a garden, catch butterflies, or better yet, build a live volcano! Sound tricky? You'll be surprised. MaryAnn Kohl, author of the book Science Arts, makes it easy with the following simple instructions.
· Baking pan
· Soda bottle (16 or 20 oz.)
· Moist soil
· 1 tablespoon baking soda
· 1 cup vinegar
· Red food coloring
· The great outdoors!
Step One: Place the baking pan on the grass, and set the soda bottle in the middle of the pan.
Step Two: Mound and shape the moist soil around the bottle to form a mountain. Bring the soil right up to the top of the bottle's opening, but don't get the soil inside the bottle.
Step Three: Pour one tablespoon of baking soda into the bottle.
Step Four: Color one cup of vinegar with red food coloring.
Step Five: Pour the colored vinegar into the bottle. Stand back and watch red foam spray out of the top and down the mountain like lava from a volcano.
Tips for parents
Experimentation is an exciting way to teach your kids about the world around them. But before you get started, Kohl has a few words of advice: "Keep it simple! Begin with materials you have around the house, such as flour, cornstarch, and paints, and, most importantly, let the child do most of the experimenting. You can provide the encouragement." Kohl adds, "Don't worry about not understanding the 'science' that's happening." You and your kids can make your own hypotheses, then look up the answers later online or at the local library.
For simple, fun science for kids aged 4 to 8, read The Magic School Bus Gets Baked in a Cake: A Book About Kitchen Chemistry (Scholastic Trade) by Joanna Cole.
Looking for just the answers? Pick up a copy of The New York Public Library Incredible Earth: A Book of Answers for Kids (John Wiley & Sons).
More on: Earth Science and Nature


Early Childhood Education
As the number of parents working outside the home increases, the need for quality childcare continues to grow both locally and nationally. Education and training has been identified as one of the key factors to decrease the current rate of staff turnover in childcare settings. Early childhood educators work with children from birth to age eight in childcare and early learning settings.
Paraprofessionals are assistants in classroom settings who provide instructional support for pre-K-12 classroom teachers. By providing students with individualized instruction, teacher assistants tutor and assist children in learning course materials. Teacher assistants also supervise students in the cafeteria and playground. They record grades, set up equipment, and help prepare materials for instruction. Teacher assistants are also called teacher aides, instructional aides, paraeducators or paraprofessionals. The federal legislation No Child Left Behind requires newly hired paraprofessionals to complete two years of college, obtain an Associate Degree, or to pass a rigorous test.
Certified teachers in the K-12 school system are required to hold a bachelor's degree, complete a state-approved teacher preparation program at a regionally accredited college/university, and pass a basic skills test and a test for each endorsement. A teacher is responsible for implementing required curriculum in the classroom, assessing student progress, managing classroom discipline, communicating with parents, working cooperatively with other professionals and adhering to all school district policies.
Early Childhood Education prepares students to enter the childcare and early learning field as highly skilled caregivers or early learning professionals who can immediately contribute to the development and growth of a child. The Early Childhood Education curriculum promotes high quality learning and play in early care and educational settings. Opportunities for the ongoing professional development of caregivers is also included. Students have the opportunity to apply newly acquired skills and knowledge through participation in cooperative work experiences. Certified teachers may apply specific courses towards continuing education credits. In an effort to accommodate currently employed students, Early Childhood Education courses are generally offered in late afternoon or evenings. Program curriculum is reviewed by an advisory board composed of local and regional early learning professionals.
Students may earn an Associate in Applied Arts and Sciences Degree in Early Childhood Education upon completion of the two-year program of study. This degree allows graduates to enter the workforce. A certificate in Early Childhood Education is available upon completion of one year of the program.
An Associate in Applied Science-Transfer (AAS-T) degree in Early Childhood Education is also offered for students planning to transfer to a four-year college or university.
Students may earn an Associate of Arts in Elementary Education (DTA) upon completion of a two-year program. This degree transfers to four-year university programs in Elementary Education. This degree also allows students to work as education paraprofessionals in the K-12 school system.
- Pre-School Teacher or Assistant
- Child Care Provider
- Child Care Center Teacher
- Child Care Center Director
Washington Scholarships are available for students who are currently working in childcare and early learning settings.
Students may begin their study in the ECE programs in any quarter. A placement test offered by the Student Development Center must be completed prior to admission to the program.
WSP criminal background check is required to enroll in the program. READ 088 is the minimum level recommended to enroll in ECE courses above 100 level and is required at degree completion. Some courses require permission of the faculty advisor to enroll.
Early Childhood Education coursework is typically offered in late afternoon, evenings and on weekends to accommodate students who are working. WAOL courses are available every quarter.
For additional information including regional employment data, completion rates, student characteristics, and employment see http://www.wtb.wa.gov/etp.


96 pages you'll find 4 styles of meditation for balance, harmony and instant
stress relief, plus 15 gentle moving yoga poses that can also be used as a
basic motor skills lesson plan, followed by 18 chapters about how to live
social skills and a dictionary of 40 one sentence definitions of happiness.
For kids of all ages and abilities! Fully illustrated.
Traditional yoga poses and breathing techniques have been adapted to help foster motor skill development, coordination, concentration and stress relief to students of varying abilities and with special needs.
The poses and meditations are suitable for teens and adults, too!
Table of Contents
4. Instant Stress Relief
Moving Yoga Poses
1. The Leaf
2. The Flower
3. The Cricket
4. The Owl
5. The Bird
6. The Squirrel
7. The Chipmunk
8. The Rocker
9. The Seal
10. The Salutation Pose
11. The Snake Pose
12. The Turtle
13. The Starfish
14. The Cat Pose
15. The Swing
How to Live Social Skills
15. Self Sufficiency
40 One Sentence Definitions of Happiness
About the author - Susan Kramer has been teaching yoga, dance and academics kinesthetically as a dance specialist since 1965 and maintains a large educational web site at susankramer.com. She has a M.A. in educational research and Ph.D. in religious counseling.
Adaptive Dance and Rhythms
Classical Ballet Beginning to Advanced
Kinesthetic Math and Language Lessons
Meditation for all Kids
God Speaks through the Holy Spirit
Meditation for Teens and Adults
Rhythms and Dances for School Age Kids
Rhythms and Dances for Toddlers and Preschoolers
Yoga for all Kids
How to Sew Cloth Dolls and Costumes
Fundamentele bewegingen voor kinderen met dansjes, meditaties en yoga


How to squeeze the utmost quality out of your film/scanner combination.
By Tom Ang
A number of film scanners use infrared light to detect dust specks prior to a mask-based removal of them. But silver grains scatter infrared very well, so dust removal based on infrared cannot work with black-and-white film, apart from those developed in a C41 process (such as Ilford XP2 or Kodak T400CN). Some systems will not work with Kodak Kodachrome film.
Poor numeracy skills combined with a confusing subject make resolution a topic that will baffle digital photographers for many years to come. One reason for this is that the term "resolution" is now used in at least five distinct senses:
* Input resolution: in points per inch (ppi), measures the fineness of details scanned-the frequency or density of data sampling.
* Output resolution: in pixel per inch (also ppi), measures the size of pixels in the output-the spacing of output pixels.
* Device resolution: in dots per inch (dpi), measures the fineness of output from a device such as a printer, or the density of device-addressable points.
* Sensor resolution: in pixels or megapixels, measures the total effective number of pixels available on a photosensor.
* Lens resolution: in line pairs per millimeter (lpm), this measures the fineness of detail that can be distinguished to a given contrast.
The other reason for confusion is that we are not used to the virtual unit. That unit is the pixel, and it has no size until it is output.
The central notion, therefore, is that you think pixels and you count in pixels. As you get used to working with digital images, you get a feel for whether the number of pixels you have in the image is sufficient.
Broadly speaking, given images of average proportions, images smaller than about 150 pixels long cannot show anything but the broadest structure of a picture. For Web use, your images generally need not be longer than 720 pixels-which is also adequate for smaller prints (i.e., half the size of an average postcard). For fair-quality prints and output to A4 size, you will work in the 2000 to 2500 pixel range. For good quality work, the numbers rise to image lengths of 3000 to 4500 pixels and more.
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Our Primary School incorporates the National Curriculum into its teachings programs. The National curriculum prepares students for the Indonesia local examination. The primary medium of instruction is Bahasa Indonesia but closely supported by English.
Several subjects such as Mathematics, Science, Information Technology and other supporting subjects are taught in English from Primary One to Primary Six.
National Core & Compulsory Subjects
- Bahasa Indonesia
- Moral Education (Pendidikan Moral) for Non-Muslim Students
- Islamic Religious Education (Pendidkan Islam) for Muslim Students
- Art Education (Pendidikan Seni)
- Physical & Health Education (Pendidikan Jasmani & Kesehatan)
- Pendidikan Kewarganegaraan
- English Language
- IQRO (for muslim students)
- Information and Communication Technology
- Living Skills (Kemahiran Hidup)
- Writing and Presentation skills
- Character & Values
Primary School focuses on the development of its students’ different skills and talents. In addition to the curriculum, the school offers a wide range of co-curricular activities:
- Cultural Dance
In addition we have doctor and dentist visit to ensure regular check up of your child health.
Prepare Primary 6 students to sit for the common examination i.e. Ujian Akhir Sekolah / Primary Achievement Test. Students also will sit for Cambridge Examination starting from Primary 3.


In early 1815, Nathan
Rothschild approached Czar Alexander I (1801-25) at the Congress of
Vienna with a proposal that he set up a central bank in Russia.
Whether it was because he distrusted this shady banker or was aware
of the perils of central banking is not known, but he prudently declined.
In 1860 The State Bank of the Russian Empire was founded with the aim
of boosting trade turnovers and the strengthening of the monetary system.
Up to 1894 it was an auxiliary institution under the direct control
of the Ministry of Finance. In that year it was transformed into
being the banker of the bankers and operated as an instrument of the
government’s economic policy. It minted and printed the
nation’s coins and notes, regulated the money supply and through commercial
banks provided industry and commerce with very low interest rate loans.
Its vast gold reserves, the largest in the world, except for the year
1906 exceeded the bank note issue by more than 100%.
Not unexpectedly Russia had the smallest national debt in the
world. The following table reflects the number of rubles per
inhabitant in 1908.
By 1914 83% of the interest and amortization of the national debt
was funded by the profits of the Russian State Railways. In
1916 the total length of the main lines was 100 817 verst or
In 1861 Czar Alexander II (1855-81) abolished serfdom, which at that
time affected 30% of the population. By 1914 80% of the arable
land was in the hands of the peasants. The Peasants’ State
Bank, described at that time as the “greatest and most socially
beneficent institution of land credit in the world” granted loans at
a very low rate of interest, which was in effect a handling
charge. Between 1901 and 1912 these loans increased from
222 million rubles to 1.168 billion rubles.
Agricultural production soared so that by 1913, Russia had become
the world’s bread basket as the following table reveals.
Russian agricultural production of cereals exceeded the combined
production of Argentina, Canada and the United States by 25%.
Mining and industrial output also expanded by huge margins.
Between 1870 and 1914 industrial output grew by 1% per annum in
Great Britain, 2.75% per annum in the United States and 3.5% per
annum in Russia. During the period 1890 to 1913 industrial
production quadrupled and Russian industries were able to satisfy
80% of internal demand for manufactured goods a perfect example of
With the Russian State bank creating the people’s money out of
nothing at almost zero interest; as opposed to the rest of the world
where central banks allowed parasitic private banks to create their
nations’ money supply at usurious rates of interest, it comes as no
surprise that in 1912 Russia had the lowest levels of taxation in
the world. Furthermore there was hardly any inflation.
An independent study by British lawyers concluded that the Russian
Code of Laws and judiciary were “the most advanced and impartial in
the world.” Elementary education was obligatory and free right
up to university level.
In labor relations the Russians were pioneers. Child labor was
abolished over 100 years before it was abolished in Great Britain in
1867. Strikes, which were forbidden in the Soviet Union, were
minimal in Czarist times. Labor laws were so advanced and
humane that President William Taft was moved to say that “the
Emperor of Russia has passed workers’ legislation which was nearer
to perfection than that of any democratic country.” The Czar
and his state bank had created a workers’ paradise that was
unrivalled in the history of mankind.
On November 7, 1917, the Rothschilds, fearful that replication of
this extraordinary example of freedom and prosperity would destroy
their evil banking empire, instigated a Judeo-Bolshevik revolution
in Russia, which wrecked and ruined a wonderful country and resulted
in the deaths by murder and starvation, according to Alexander
Solzhenitsyn, of 66 million innocent people.


|Instructor Info:||Melissa Burch|
Office Extension x5465
|TA Info:||Katie Myers-Cooper|
The majority of adults are able to read fluently. However, when children learn to read, the process is dependent on a number of skills and requires a great deal of adult guidance. In this course we will discuss the cultural importance of literacy across societies and throughout childhood. We will focus on the development of the complex skill of reading, including phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, and higher-order processes that contribute to decoding and text comprehension. Because instruction can play a determining factor in children's acquisition of literacy skills, we will study early reading materials and examine strategies that are employed in the classroom to facilitate the acquisition of these skills. Evaluation will be based on class participation, a series of short papers, and a longer final project.
The objective of this course is to provide an understanding of the process of literacy development, the functions of literacy, and social context in which these skills emerge. We will examine how parents and teachers structure the environment to assist in the development of literacy. We will consider challenges in learning to read, including dyslexia. We will explore predictors of literacy, and the factors that mediate demographic differences in reading skill. Reading theoretical papers as well as original studies in psychology and education will inform these issues.
In addition, we will be partnering with the William H. Peck Community School in Holyoke. They have recently started a family engagement program, the Home School Bridges Project. We will work with them to develop materials and activities for families and teachers that will allow us to apply the information from our readings to practice.
To receive an evaluation in this course, students are required to:
1) Attend and participate in class regularly. If a student has more than 4 unexcused absences, s/he will not receive an evaluation.
2) Complete readings and prepare for class discussion.
3) Complete all written assignments in a timely manner. Writing assignments will include a reflection on early experiences with and values of literacy, a summary of a research article, a series of response papers, three integration papers to student poster presentations, and an outreach project (including a draft) in which the topics of the class be applied to suggestions for practice.
4) Participate in one of three poster sessions on assigned themes of the course.
Written work is due in class. It is essential to active participation in the course and so that we can provide timely feedback. However, if a medical or personal emergency arises, please contact me as soon as possible so that we can make arrangements. We will not evaluate late work, but all assignments must be completed and included in the final portfolio in order to receive an evaluation.
An “incomplete” will be granted at the discretion of the instructor and only under the most unusual and incapacitating circumstances. If you miss more than two classes, or feel that you are in danger of not completing the course for any reason, please come see me as soon as possible. Any student seeking an incomplete must (1) request the “incomplete” in writing prior to the last week of class, (2) provide appropriate written documentation of the illness or circumstances, and (3) make specific arrangements with the instructor to complete the required coursework. A timeline for completion of any missing work will be negotiated. Students will have no more than one semester to complete any missed assignments to replace the incomplete with an evaluation. Failure to complete the required work within the negotiated timeframe will result in a “no evaluation.”
I encourage students with disabilities or special needs to discuss with me whatever arrangements may be needed to facilitate their work in the course. Students with special needs should contact me during the first week of class to discuss any special arrangements. Proper documentation must be in place with CASA.
Students are expected to follow the Ethics of Scholarship (http://www.hampshire.edu/casa/ethics-of-scholarship.htm) described in Non Satis Non Scire. )
Skip Course Information


Some of the best ways to keep your young child busy is simply by having them do activities that teach them basic life skills. At this age, they will see it as a big game. So it’s fun for them, and they are learning!
Here’s some suggestions for developing toddler skills through playing!
- Water plants. A great way to incorporate some nature into their life skill building! Whether outdoors with the water hose, or inside with a little bucket, I think most kids are fascinated with water and plants, so teach them how the two go together. (Makes a great “first chore” too!).
- Button. Use large buttons to teach this skill to little ones. There are several children’s toys that encourage buttoning clothing on dolls or stuffed animals. Or have them play with the buttons on an adult coat. Try this great use for old shirt sleeves to create a “button bracelet” for your toddler to play with!
- Zip! My son already loves to zip up plastic Ziploc bags, my coat, whatever… it’s still hard for him to manage, but he tries and it keeps him entertained!
- Velcro, Buckles and Snaps! After every meal, our son has to “but-kle” the high chair straps back together after I take him out of his seat. He just love these simple routines!
- Match. Give your child fabric patches cut from scraps and have them match textures or colors. You could match stuffed toys to pictures, or create your own matching game with various small household items or toys!
- Open and close. Use various sized jars with screw-top lids to have your child practice screwing and unscrewing. “Op’n-it!” and “F’x’it!” are common phrases we hear anytime we unscrew the cap off a pouch of his baby food or other container. Children love the twisty-turn action.
- Pour. Use dry goods like beans, rice or even salt to have your toddler pour from one container to another. Try using plastic measuring cups or pitchers. Vary this activity by using liquids (if you’re daring!), or pour in liquids through a funnel into another container!
- Transfer. Use hands, a scoop or a sponge to transfer liquids or solids from one container to another. Sponges are great to squeeze water from one bowl to another. Spoons and scoops work well for pasta, beans, sand, rice, etc. Or for larger objects, try tongs to move pom-poms, cotton balls, peanuts in the shell, etc. These are all good motor skill development exercises!
- Sort. After the magic of transferring wears off, have your child sort by color, size, shape, type. Use muffin tins as sorting trays!
- Cook! Give your child an egg beater to whip (the hand-crank kind), a spatula and bowl to scrape, or a whisk. Show them the movements of each one. (Fun tip: put a little water and dish soap in a bowl for them to whisk or beat up some bubbles!).
- Fold clothes. A great way to teach kids to help around the house – start small by just having them fold washcloths in half. I already have my 18-month old stack up his cloth wipes. Sure, he doesn’t get very far before wanting to go play, but he’s learning!
The great part about all these activities is they build motor skills, and your child’s independence!
What other important life skills for toddlers can be turned into fun and games?
Read the entire 101 Toddler Activities Series:


NAEP reading scores: Bad news was sadly predictable
Anybody paying attention over the past eight years to the implementation of No Child Left Behind will not be surprised that it failed to do what it was chiefly aimed at accomplishing: Improving reading scores.
Today we learned the latest results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress -- which is known as the “nation’s report card” because it is the only standardized measure that allows us to compare student test performance at different grades nationwide.
It shows, my colleague Nick Anderson writes here, that fourth-grade reading scores stalled after the law took effect in 2002, rose modestly in 2007, then stalled again in 2009.
Eighth-grade scores went up 1 point on a scale of 500 since 2007 but showed no real gain over the seven-year span when NCLB was in high gear.
This was all predictable.
At the heart of NCLB was the Bush administration’s $6 billion “Reading First” initiative, which supported specific approaches to literacy instruction that emphasized explicit phonics instruction and didn’t do enough to foster comprehension. A lot of reading experts warned that the program would fail, but the administration didn’t listen.
So it was no surprise when the Education Department’s own research arm concluded in a 2008 report that kids in schools with the program did no better on tests than those in schools without the program.
But Reading First had more problems than simply being ineffective. The program was mired in allegations of conflicts of interest and mismanagement. Government investigators found that some people who helped oversee the program had financial ties to publishers of Reading First materials that the Education Department advocated that schools use.
Former Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, who served in the NCLB period, called Reading First one of the “most effective” education programs she had ever seen. I’d hate to see the other ones.
But this isn’t just history.
There is a bill now in Congress called “Literacy Education for All, Results for the Nation,” or the LEARN Act, which would devote $2.35 billion to literacy programs from birth to grade 12.
The problem is that it promotes some of the very methods of instruction that were doomed to fail in Reading First.
When are the people who write the laws ever going to learn?
Follow my blog all day, every day by bookmarking washingtonpost.com/answersheet And for admissions advice, college news and links to campus papers, please check out our new Higher Education page at washingtonpost.com/higher-ed Bookmark it!
| March 24, 2010; 11:54 AM ET
Categories: No Child Left Behind, Reading | Tags: NAEP, No Child Left Behind, Reading First
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Teaching demonstrations, lectures, documentaries, performance, and primary source footage of students and teachers in actual classrooms. Covers hundreds of special topics and themes, including music education.
Content produced by the U.S. Department of Education, 1966-present. ERIC (Education Resources Information Center) is the premier education database addressing all aspects of education, including theories of teaching and learning.
Browse the ERIC.ed.gov Thesaurus, especially when you are starting a search. This controlled vocabulary will help you discover terms and synonyms.
Comprehensive full-text database of core education journals. Most have complete run indexing, i.e., from v1 n1, with extensive full-text coverage for many. A necessary complement to ERIC, especially for newer articles.


WASHINGTON, D.C. — Television for children has always generated controversy and debate. A new Reading Rockets webcast will examine the current state of children’s growing use of television, video games and computers, drawing upon the expertise of a researcher, an education journalist and a teacher in the field.
“Young children are using technology more than ever,” says Noel Gunther, executive director of Reading Rockets. “The question is how to harness the power of screen time to help children learn.”
The new webcast, “Educational Media: Screen Time and Literacy,” will premiere November 30, 2009, on www.ReadingRockets.org. The webcast will examine the questions raised by the new and growing field of educational media and discuss the latest research findings, cover practical solutions and explore lingering questions. Experts include:
• Deb Linebarger, Ph.D., is assistant professor of communication in the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania and the director and principal investigator of the Children's Media Lab. Linebarger’s research focuses on the relationships among children's developmental status, their use of media, and their larger social worlds. Her work has been presented at numerous conferences and published in psychology, communication, education, and pediatric medicine books and journals.
• Lisa Guernsey, the author of "Into the Minds of Babes: How Screen Time Affects Children From Birth to Age 5." She is also a senior policy analyst at New America Foundation, a nonpartisan think tank and incubator for explanatory and investigative journalism on pressing policy issues, and a regular contributor to the Early Ed Watch blog. Guernsey has been writing about education for nearly 15 years and has worked for various publications including the "Chronicle of Higher Education," the "New York Times," and "The Washington Post."
• Marnie Lewis, the Instructional Technology Coordinator at Tuckahoe Elementary in Arlington, Virginia. Lewis evaluates educational sites and software to enhance instruction and works directly with staff to integrate technology into lessons. She received a B.S. in elementary education from Northeastern University, completed graduate work in instructional technology through George Mason University, and has taught in classrooms for over 10 years. She is also a PBS Teacher, a Smart Exemplary Educator, and a Discovery Star Educator.
Children are watching more TV than ever, according to the latest Nielsen figures. A recent article in the "Los Angeles Times" pointed to new statistics that show screen time is at an eight-year high. The figures indicate kids ages 2 to 5 watching the screen for more than 32 hours a week on average and those ages 6 to 11 watching more than 28 hours. Besides television, kids six and under are increasingly using computers and video games.
Reading Rockets is a national, multimedia initiative that provides information on teaching kids to read and helping those who struggle. The project is a service of public broadcasting station WETA in Washington, D.C., and is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs.
The 45- to 60-minute webcasts are available for viewing anytime on ReadingRockets.org. “Educational Media: Screen Time and Literacy” is the 17th webcast in the Reading Rockets professional development series.
Reading Rockets is a part of a bigger Learning Media project at WETA. Sister sites include LDOnLine.org, the world’s leading website on learning disabilities and ADHD; ColorinColorado.org, the first major, comprehensive bilingual website for Spanish-speaking families and teachers of English-language learners; and AdLit.org, a literacy website for educators teaching adolescent children from fourth through 12th grades. The latest project is BrainLine.org, a new resource for preventing, treating and living with traumatic brain injury.
WETA Television and Classical WETA 90.9 FM are public broadcasting stations serving the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia with high-quality programming. WETA Television produces the "PBS NewsHour"; "Washington Week with Gwen Ifill and National Journal"; history films by Ken Burns such as "The National Parks: America’s Best Idea"; and performance specials from the White House, the U.S. Capitol and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Sharon Percy Rockefeller is president and CEO of WETA. For more information on WETA and its programs and services, visit weta.org.
# # #


Resources for Struggling Immersion Learners
- In an immersion program, how much of a reading lag still falls into the normal range when learners are acquiring initial literacy?
- What initial literacy challenges should constitute a cause for concern?
Below are selected online and print resources that pertain to issues discussed in this chapter.
- Parents Guide to Reading and Language
Public Broadcasting Systems (PBS), 2008
This online guide is available in English and Spanish and describes how children become readers and writers and how others can help them develop by talking, reading, and writing together every day.
- Launching into Literacy: Early Childhood Professionals’ Developmental Language and Literacy Milestones
Kehl and Ballweg, 2007
These pages describe various research-based language, math, and pre-literacy behaviors that typically developing children (ages 0-3, 3-5) display.
- Learning to Read/Reading to Learn Campaign: Helping Children with Learning Disabilities to Succeed
The National Center to Improve the Tools of Educators, based at the University of Oregon, sponsored a Learning to Read/Reading to Learn campaign in 1996. This web page presents 10 prerequisite skills necessary for building a solid reading foundation. It also contains links to other resources that address developing reading skills in children with learning disabilities as well as tips for parents.
- Recognizing Reading Problems
Colorín Colorado, 2007
This bilingual site provides useful information about reading for parents and educators. This particular article identifies specific behaviors to look for when a child is struggling with learning to read and ways to respond.
- Dyslexia and the Brain: What Does Current Research Tell Us?
R. F. Hudson, L. High, and S. Al Otaiba, 2007
This online article defines dyslexia and dispels some common myths about this neurological disability. It includes resources and recommendations for teachers and parents of dyslexic children who struggle with reading.
- Reciprocal Teaching
Florida Online Reading Professional Development (FOR-PD), 2005
(Predicting and Questioning)
(Clarifying and Summarizing)
(Reciprocal Teaching and Whole-Class Instruction)
These websites developed by the FOR-PD Program describe the rationale behind Reciprocal Teaching and explain how to implement it in the reading classroom. The first two pages focus on the four reading strategies, what they are and how to instruct students on their use. The third page considers how reciprocal teaching can be used with a whole class and assessment options. These FOR-PD pages also provide links to additional resources and references.
- Encyclopedia of Language and Literacy Development
Canadian Language and Literacy Research Network
Launched in 2007, this online resource is being developed by the Canadian Language and Literacy Research Network to provide in-depth, research-based information about topics such as language, numeracy, reading and writing development. Submissions are written by internationally recognized experts and address unilingual and multilingual development for typical and atypical learners.


“Southern trees bear a strange fruit,
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,
Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze,
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.”
So goes the first stanza of a poem written by Abel Meeropol and eventually set to music by the poet himself. That song attracted the attention of Billie Holliday, who, against the wishes of her record label and her producer, made a recording in 1939. The record sold a million copies that year and became a staple of the singer’s subsequent live performances.
Meeropol, a high school teacher in the Bronx, once said that the poem and song were his response to the horror he felt when he saw for the first time a Lawrence Beitler photograph of the lynching of two African-American men in Marion, Ind. Accused of murder and rape, the two men were dragged from the jail and, with the aid of the police, hanged from a nearby tree. The arms of one of the lynching victims were broken so that he would stop struggling against his assailants; in the photo, which became a popular and gruesome commemorative item – the photographer sold thousands of copies at 50 cents each – the bodies of both men hang limply from the tree branches while a jubilant crowd mills in the foreground.
“Here is fruit for the crows to pluck,
For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck,
For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop,
Here is a strange and bitter crop.”
Art can often spring from pain. That is the impetus for the song “Strange Fruit,” and it is also the inspiration for a series of lithographs created by contemporary African-American artist Joseph Norman and bearing the same collective title. Each of the 13 black and white lithographs in this series features a limp fish suspended in air; they offer excellent examples of the artist’s evolving aesthetic. In a recent lecture at the Morris Museum of Art in Augusta, where this series of lithographs is on display, Norman spoke of growing up in the 1950s in what he himself referred to as the Chicago “ghetto.” Even with the support of his parents, every day posed new challenges, and Norman put his faith in his natural athletic abilities to clear the path to a better life. A knee injury crushed that dream, and he suddenly found himself without a plan and essentially without an identity. He had always been the star athlete; now what was he supposed to do?
He turned to art, and for his subject matter, he chose the impoverished and essentially segregated neighborhood in which he lived. Norman claims that he eventually came to realize that even in that unlikely place, beauty dwells. His basic approach he came to label “poetic realism.”
The “Strange Fruit” series offers a good example. Instead of making the viewer confront head-on the gritty reality of the situation – in this case, the battered remains of the lynching victim – Norman has provided a visual metaphor – a partially decomposed fish on a string. It’s a powerful image, one with religious overtones, that takes an act of ultimate inhumanity and transforms the brutalized victim into a holy martyr.
Art also has served as a transformative force in Joseph Norman’s own life. It prompted him to pursue further education; in fact, he eventually earned two master’s degrees, one in art education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and one in drawing from the University of Cincinnati. He is now a professor at the Lamar Dodd School of Art at the University of Georgia, and his works are part of the permanent collection of over 50 museums, colleges and other institutions.
“Strange Fruit” is on display at the Morris Museum of Art through Sunday, Sept. 16. The oldest museum in the country devoted to the art of the American South, the Morris is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. For more information, call (706) 724-7501 or visit www.themorris.org.
A recipient of the prestigious Carolina Trustee Professorship in 2008, Dr. Mack currently holds the G. L. Toole Chair at the University of South Carolina Aiken.
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Fact Sheet Series 2004 - Adult Basic and Literacy Education
The OVAE Fact Sheet Series highlights efforts currently underway at the Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE) to support the principles of the President's No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The principle(s) supported by this effort are:
- Increase Accountability and Academic Achievement
The United States has conducted periodic assessments of the literacy skills of the nation's adults since 1985, including the Young Adult Literacy Survey (1985) and National Adult Literacy Survey (1992). In 1994, building on the success of those and similar studies conducted in Canada, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a group of the world's most industrialized countries, sponsored the first International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS).
Based on the IALS, the National Center for Education Statistics and the Office of Vocational and Adult Education of the U.S. Department of Education are currently conducting three new surveys:
- The Adult Literacy and Lifeskills Survey (ALL) will measure the literacy and numeracy skills of a representative sample of adults aged 16-65 in the United States and other countries.
- The Adult Education and Literacy study (AEL) will use the ALL assessment instruments with a representative sample of adult education participants from programs funded under Adult Education and Family Literacy Act.
- The Level One Study is designed to examine the skills of lower literacy adults while also serving as a pilot for the AEL study.
Outcomes and Products
- Comparison of the literacy of U.S. adult populations with those in similar countries
- Data to monitor changes in adult skill levels since 1994
- Comparison of the literacy skills of those enrolled in adult education programs and those in the general population
- Data to describe the characteristics of a representative sample of adult education programs
FY 1998 to FY 2004


Learn a NEW Phonological SystemDiscover
exciting new ways to help your students recognize and remember vowel
patterns and their sounds, and to read and write with accuracy and fluency!
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young readers confidence and motivation with teaching strategies that
are active and exploratory.
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readers to connect phonemic awareness and print. Utilize
graphic/phonetic (shape/sound) cues for rapid and accurate association
of sounds with symbols.
Hands-On Tools And Word-Learning Activities.
Use a proven and powerful
system for remembering how to read and spell words….Provide your
students with a carefully selected and useful set of letter/sound
Deliver Effective, Inventive Lessons.Learn easy
to implement ideas to engage your students....Have them actively work
with words to "break the code" and learn how print patterns
Systematic, Explicit, Key-Step Instruction
teaching techniques arranged in a sequence that maximizes learning.
motivational and grade-appropriate activities
and scores of reading and writing activities that reinforce the readers
acquired skills…and provide numerous opportunities for your students
to practice the relationships they are learning!
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develop successful readers by implementing synthetic phonics,
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Women in Need
Inside the Family
Making Ends Meet
women in 19th century France faced a distinctly different set of circumstances
than men of the same social class. Not only did they have new dangers-
unwanted pregnancies that might jeopardize their livelihood, the venereal
diseases that plagued unregistered prostitutes, etc.- but their options
were far more limited.
Delacriox, La Liberté
Guidant Le Peuple
(1830). This symbolic image of women revolutionizing
France was to some extent realized by working women's activism.
genteel young women, who might be permitted lessons at a convent,
women of the poorer classes, without this opportunity, were confined
to menial labor in factories or households, where succumbing to sexual
harassment was essentially in their job description.
though, these lower-class women found outlets for their voices.
One of the most prominent and revolutionary factions were the Saint-Simonians.
"All for the improvement of the most numerous and poorest class"
served as the motto of the Globe, the group's official newspaper,
and this was hardly an overstatement. Led by Father Enfantin and
Monsieur Bazard, the Saint-Simonians were committed to remedying
social evils, primarily through improving the situation of the impoverished,
but also through striving towards gender equality. Added poignancy
was provided by the fact that women were directly involved in the
movement, and their presence was actually encouraged-- something
that did not occur among the Republican organizations of the time.
Suzanne Voilquin, who later emerged as a leading feminist and social
critic, was a hat-maker's daughter who worked as an embroiderer;
other members such as Madame Bazard, Aglae Saint-Hilaire, and Cecile
Fournel, provided an alternative image to that of frivolous salonnières
concerning solely with society.
provided the major forum for expression their perspective. Women
were heavily involved in this as well, and the logical extension
were publications such as the Femme nouvelle and the Tribune
des femmes, both of which consisted of writings from women like
Voilquin. They were immortalized by her as "our poor little
papers, created and continued by proletarian women deprived of fortune,
social standing, and an elementary education to light our path."
They contained impassioned pleas for equal access to education,
an improvement in factory conditions, and numerous other related
issues that concerned the Saint-Simonians as a unit.
Off Water (1858). The conditions of rural women,
often neglected by social reformers, was addressed extensively
by the Saint-Simonians, making them one of the most inclusive
drew heavily on Biblical text for the social views. Indefinite progress
was their mantra, which was in turn linked to a notion of God-given
liberty for all people. Therefore, the poor classes required assistance
because their financial situation suppressed them so greatly. Inextricable
overlap between social, economic, and moral principles was key to
their doctrine. Even their belief in equal rights for women was
founded on religious grounds. Father Enfantin himself was quoted
as proclaiming, "Women, like us, you are in God! Thus it is
your right to be free! Show yourselves, make yourselves known, we
will respect your words and your acts." Through the means of
the Saint-Simonian group, many working-class women did just that.


Editor’s Note: This is a piece I originally wrote for HomeschoolBenefits.org.
As a teacher, I have used many different approaches for teaching reading: phonics, whole language, literature based, etc. Many workshop instructors attempted me to convince me their program was the best. I have also encountered many people who believe that phonics and sight words is the only way to teach reading and that whole language is the reason children cannot read. Then there are those TV commercials that claim their program is the miracle cure that will have your child reading a book with a few short lessons. Of course, the fine print says it is one of their books.
Whole language and literature based approaches use interesting materials and real books. Children learn that reading is more than just a “reader” used in reading class. However, one problem is vocabulary. For beginning readers this can be challenging. If children are exposed to predictable books, then some children may memorize them rather than actually read them.
Teaching phonics helps children learn the skills to decode words themselves. It is easier to have books that children can successfully read when books using controlled vocabulary are used.
Then there are the miracle cure programs. They are based on research, and they are expensive. Does this mean that they must work? Not necessarily. These programs will work for some children, but may not help a child with a real disability. I taught in a school for learning disabled students that required students in my 45 minute reading to attend 15 minutes of a computerized reading program, because it would teach them sight words. Next, they had to attend 15 minutes of bean bag therapy. The rationale behind the bean bag therapy was that this would improve motor skills and fix their reading problems. I was left with 15 minutes to teach reading, and I had students reading on eight different levels. There was very little time for actual reading.
So what is the best way to teach reading? The literature based approached is good, because it develops an interest in reading; reading is about books and not just a subject in school. Phonics instruction helps a child learn decoding. I have reached the conclusion that my mom was right. The best way to teach reading is to give a child a book that they will enjoy and have them read every day. A child will only learn to read by consistent practice. So the best method for teaching a child to read is … to read, read, read.


TEENAGERS do not recognise the importance of achieving a maths GCSE to their future career aspirations, according to recent research.
Whilst hoping to join the ranks of highly-skilled professionals such as teachers, doctors, engineers and video game designers, many young people did not recognise that maths would be a pre-requisite to achieving their preferred careers.
The Nationwide Bulding Society asked 2,000 Year 8 and 9 pupils whether they felt a maths GCSE (Grade D or higher) was a necessary requirement for a number of careers and the results indicated a worrying mismatch in perceptions: Around 30% of young people didn’t think they needed a GCSE in maths to pursue a career in accountancy.
Almost half (47 per cent) didn’t think that maths was necessary to become a nurse.
More than half (51%) didn’t think the maths was needed for a career in plumbing.
These findings are worrying as the minimum level maths GCSE expected by the Government is now a grade C.
Students failing to achieve this will potentially have to continue their maths studies. The achievement of a C grade is also seen as essential to many entry level jobs across a wide range of industries, including many apprenticeships or training courses such as plumbing, nursing and accountancy.
Adults with poor numeracy skills are twice as likely to be unemployed as those who are competent and more likely to suffer financial difficulties2.
Stephen Uden, head of citizenship at Nationwide, comments: “It is worrying that many young people fail to recognise the importance of numeracy skills as a basic requirement for a wide range of future careers.
Our Talking Numbers* programme aims to rectify this. By highlighting the importance of numeracy, we are working to improve the numeracy skills of 200,000 young people by putting numbers in real life, everyday situations. Working with teachers, parents and pupils we will provide the crucial foundations of numeracy skills, delivered in the ways that young people have told us they want to learn them, whilst also highlighting their importance to future life and careers.”


Grades 1–8: ESL and English Literacy Development (Ontario Ministry of Education)
||5.0 (1 WK096)
||Dec 22, 2008|
||, Advanced, Elementary, Beginner
Preface: “The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1–8: English As a Second Language and English Literacy Development – A Resource Guide, 2001” describes programs and procedures that support students who are from countries or communities in which standard Canadian English is not the primary language of communication and who may have difficulty meeting the expectations of the Ontario curriculum because of their lack of proficiency in English. Teachers should use this resource guide in conjunction with the various curriculum policy documents that make up the Ontario curriculum for Grades 1 to 8. The guide has been designed to help schools and classroom teachers provide the accommodations and modifications that will enable students from a variety of linguistic, ethnocultural, and educational backgrounds to participate as quickly and as fully as possible in all program areas and to achieve the expectations of the Ontario curriculum.


T EDUC 526
Explores the domain of the arts, particularly music, drawing, painting, and three dimensional expressions such as pottery, sculpture and architecture, to find means of better integrating arts and arts instruction into the school curriculum.
The course emphasizes research and experience based methodology to foster creative expression and visual literacy in K-8 students. Students will learn how to promote the enjoyment of creative exploration through a variety of art media and techniques. Students will be required to read and analyze research articles on theories in art education and human cognition. Based on a comprehensive understanding of the elements and principles of design, students will learn how to guide children to describe, analyze and interpret works of art.
Student learning goals
Promote the sheer enjoyment of experiencing, creating, and teaching art.
Analyze and discuss research and theory in art education.
Correlate basic art concepts and vocabulary with performance modes.
Foster sensitivity to the artistic development of children and the ability to modify art activities for students with varied levels of cognitive development and skill.
Facilitate connections across beliefs, cultures and across curricular areas.
General method of instruction
This is a survey course that focuses on building a framework for understanding and implementing the Art Standards into the basic education of all students Kindergarten through grade eight. Exercises and assignments will be explained through lecture, demonstration, model lessons, art historical examples and childrens' literature. Emphasis will be place on the exploration of the Elements and Principles of Art through in class art projects in the following mediums: Drawing, Painting, Design, Sculpture and Crafts.
The best way to approach art education is with enthusiasm and an open mind. If you are committed, persistent in your practice, and approach projects with dedication you will successfully increase your visual awareness and creative knowledge.
Class assignments and grading
Art Portfolio (inclusive of all in-class artwork) Art Lesson Plan Art Resource Notebook (continuing all materials from the course) Art Critique Poster and Art Elements Poster Group presentation of a Biographical Essay on a selected artist
Attendance and participation are of supreme importance! Timely and regular attendance is integral to your success in this course. Grading is based on the participation and completion of the above objectives. Great emphasis is placed on effort and dedication. Specific percentages and points will be outlined in the course syllabus.


People's Collection Wales
The People’s Collection Wales is a website full of fascinating photographs, sound recordings, documents, videos and stories about the history and heritage of wales and its people. Discover trails, collections and stories, or just search for a photo of your favourite place! Join the site and add your own history!
Spring Bulbs for Schools - investigation
Plant bulbs in your school grounds to study climate change. Join this UK wide investigation and improve science and numeracy skills. All schools must apply by the end of July to take part in the following September. Free to all schools in Wales -spaces limited.
More information www.museumwales.ac.uk/scan/bulbs
Science, Geography and ESD&GC.
Tales of Welsh Tradition Bearers
As well as the long and rich tradition of writing prose and poetry in Welsh found in Wales since the 6th century, there has also been a particular emphasis on oral storytelling. Wales, a country of some 8,000 square miles at the western edge of Britain with a population of just under three million, is geographically speaking indisputably small. Despite this, the native language of Wales, Welsh (one of the Celtic languages belonging to the Indo-European group), has been spoken since the 6th century. It is one of the oldest living languages in Europe today and 21 per cent of the population of Wales still speak it, while a far greater number have some understanding of it.Tales of Welsh Tradition-Bearers


Bob McGrath, beloved by children and teachers for his performances on the popular "Sesame Street" TV series for more than thirty years, has worked with Marilyn Davidson, authority in the field of music education, to write this very creative music curriculum for children ages 4 - 8. Seven appealing songs recorded by Bob McGrath appear on the included CD, and these songs are the basis for the seven lessons. Four other songs appear in the book as well as the CD to illustrate various musical styles, and the long-time favorite "Sing," with signing gestures included, is the encore. Students have their own book also; it's in full color and includes punch-out puppets to use with music listening activities. These lessons were prepared to help teachers provide a conceptually balanced and meaningful, yet light-hearted, music class. All Music for Fun materials are correlated to the MENC National Music Standards for Early Childhood, K-4. Appropriate for grades PreK-2.
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Group Educational Therapy (GET)
Note: This is offered as needed
The GET (Group Educational Therapy) program provides students with explicit and intentional intervention in order to develop core academic skills and higher order processing, using NILD’s (National Institute for Learning Development) five core techniques in a small group model. GET raises expectations for change within the students; both in their ability to think and in their confidence to attempt difficult tasks independently.
The purposes of this program are to develop and strengthen skills in reading, math and written expression. Through the five core techniques, the students practice reading comprehension strategies, enhance vocabulary development, solidify foundational math computation skills, teach alternative problem-solving strategies, and encourage flexibility in thinking as well as to foster organizational skills and academic accountability.
GET meets three times each cycle and includes resource room activities such as checking RenWeb, organizing notebooks and assignment books, planning timetables for tests and projects and studying for or finishing tests when extended time is needed.


TAMIU Professor Contributes
to Children's Music Magazine
A local musician and educator is helping children better understand and celebrate Cinco de Mayo around the country through music. Dr. Gilberto D. Soto, associate professor of music education at Texas A&M International University, co-authored a song and developed a lesson plan for the May/June 2006 issue of John Jacobson's Music Express Magazine.
"Viva el Cinco de Mayo," written by Dr. Soto and internationally recognized music educator and clinician John Jacobson, tells of the Battle of Puebla in 1862 where "many lives were changed forever by the courage of a few," and tells the children, "We sing because we're free!" The song also invites neighbors to "rise and sing the glory of heroes in ev'ry tale."
Although the five years of struggle against the French that continued after the Battle of Puebla aren't included in the song, Soto's lesson plan includes the rest of the history lesson in a condensed version for intermediate students to understand. The plan also includes suggestions for materials that are traditional items of the state of Puebla, México.
Music Express, published by the Hal Leonard Corporation, is a unique music education resource that supplies five new songs in each issue, provides new activities and teaching strategies and keeps teachers updated on issues facing music educators nationwide.
Soto is author of ¡Fiesta De Canciones! and co-author of Multilevel Strategies for English Language Learners and Spotlight on Music. He teaches courses for music and children as well as being in charge of the guitar program in the department of fine and performing arts and the popular Classical Guitar Ensemble. He received his B.Ed. from Universidad Autonoma del Noreste in México, B.A. from Abilene Christian University and his M.M. and Ph.D. from University of Southern Mississippi.
For more information, please contact Soto at 326.3046, e-mail email@example.com or visit offices in Center for the Fine and Performing Arts, room 216A.
University office hours are 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday - Friday.
Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests
and interviews should contact the Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information
Services at firstname.lastname@example.org