Assigning students projects involving video production can lead to many positive academic outcomes, and today more opportunities exist for educators to incorporate such video-oriented projects into their classroom practice. Video-making technology is more affordable, more user-friendly, and more powerful than ever before. This article discusses…

Young children, their caregivers, and families should take advantage of opportunities to relish stories together. In this article, the authors describe one child's earliest experiences with story that have informed their work with preschool children and their families. Carol's (the second author's) daughter Sloane is privileged in all the ways…

This article presents an annotated bibliography of children's literature resources on war, terrorism, and disaster since 1945. This annotated bibliography focuses on grades K-8 from different continents/countries, including (1) Africa; (2) Asia; (3) The Caribbean; (4) Central and South America; (5) Europe; and (6) The Middle East.

In this article, the authors present findings from a case study of alignment that occurred between a Pre-K program and the larger K-12 system in which it was housed, to consider what this change process means for early childhood education. Specifically, they discuss and analyze the work of a collection of Pre-K stakeholders who proactively…

This article presents an excerpt from the most recent ACEI publication. It describes the characteristics of effective middle level teachers and the characteristics of effective content-area instruction which makes use of reading and writing as often as possible. The use of literacy processes in content disciplines can lead to improved…

At a recent professional development program, the authors asked teachers to recall the ways in which they learned about history in the course of their own schooling. The teachers at this professional development gathering not only identified some of the key challenges facing elementary teachers charged with teaching social studies curricula, they…

Universal Design for Instruction (UDI) is a set of principles helpful in guiding the process of designing classroom environments and instruction that are conducive to the learning of all students. UDI, designed by the Center for Applied Special Technology, is a framework that has been successful for all students, including those with disabilities…

President Bush appointed a 19-member National Mathematics Advisory Panel (NMP) in 2006 to create a blueprint for advancing mathematics education in the United States. After reviewing over 16,000 research publications and reports and receiving testimonials from 110 individuals, the panel made its report public in March 2008. The NMP report provides…

Bullying should not be considered a "normal" stage of child development. Rather, it should be seen as a precursor for more serious violent behaviors that necessitate immediate and appropriate intervention by a caring adult. Those who bully are four times more likely than non-bullies to be convicted of a serious crime by age 24 (Center for the…

Although some music lyrics and television content may indicate an overall easing of censorship in U.S. society, authors, educators, young people, and all other individuals who value free access to information continue to face the threat of censorship from people who try to impose their value systems on others. While censorship can affect any type…

This column of Childhood Education focuses on middle school girls. Cyberbullying has emerged as a new, insidious, and harmful way of getting back at an individual girl who may be "different" or disliked for a physical or social trait. Cyberbullying has been described as "willful and repeated harm inflicted through the medium of electronic text"…

Implementing true inquiry teaching is challenging. Many teachers confuse hands-on activities with inquiry and fail to provide opportunities for students to think critically and analytically. As with any teaching, teachers must guide, focus, challenge, and encourage students to continue questioning and exploring. The level of inquiry that a teacher…

While the middle school movement has gained legitimacy in recent years, attracting preservice teachers to the middle levels remains challenging. Essentially, attracting middle level preservice teachers is analogous to catching minnows in a bucket. As university faculty attempt to bait students into teaching young adolescents, grades 4-8,…

This teacher education program experimented with innovative methods for identifying potential technology teacher candidates, and with providing training methods that take advantage of candidate's existing technological expertise and experience. In this article, the authors call attention to the shortage of technology education teachers, provide a…

Transitions can be difficult at any age; however, the move from elementary school to middle school, coupled with the onset of adolescence, is often associated with a myriad of psychological and academic declines. One strategy currently used to "ready" elementary students for middle school is a departmentalized organizational structure. The purpose…