Seven adolescents who are blind and seven of their parents were interviewed about the adolescents' social lives. Adolescent and parent perspectives are reviewed, followed by implications for teachers to support the social connections of students who are blind.

Young adolescents have unique basic and developmental needs. Middle level educators are best able to reach and teach young adolescents when they understand students' needs and when the school environment, including its organizational structures and teacher practices, are responsive to these needs. Findings from a recently conducted…

Universities and schools are struggling with the critical issues surrounding teacher quality, student learning, and the gap between research and practice. This study employed a collective case-study design to explore the impact of leadership teams and school-university partnerships on teacher leadership, professional development, and overall…

School bullying, also referred to as peer victimization, has increased rapidly in recent years and can be extremely harmful if schools and teachers do not establish effective bullying-prevention programs. Recent data on the number of students who are victims of bullying indicate that between 30 and 80 percent of students in schools report being…

Teacher retention has become a major issue facing policy makers as our nation's school-age population continues to grow while the teaching workforce continues to decline because of attrition and an aging workforce. Common reasons cited by teachers for leaving the profession can also be linked to burnout. This study examined burnout levels in a…

Adolescence is a challenging time for most young people, but for those with or at-risk of developing emotional or mental health conditions, it can be particularly harrowing. Studies indicate that 1 in 5 adolescents have some sort of serious emotional, behavioral, or mental health problem. Early identification and treatment can make a substantial…

Teachers can help minority children close the academic achievement gap in intermediate and middle school by combining literacy instruction and content-area material. This connection improves reading achievement and increases curriculum knowledge, even if students have previously experienced difficulty with primary school reading. Fortunately,…

In this article, the author examines the role that teachers play in the moral development of American students. Historically, one of public education's purposes in America has been the development of moral citizens. However, educators currently face more academic accountability due to No Child Left Behind. Consequently, teachers must strike a…

Educators are often unaware of the effects of psychological trauma on learners. Through the examples of two students, a fifth grader and a first-year college student, the author explores the intersections between trauma and learning and discusses how teachers might mitigate the effects of trauma in their classrooms.

Comprehension strategies, while helpful, are not sufficient to produce student achievement at high levels. The authors examine the role of background knowledge and vocabulary in developing understanding and facilitating achievement. Through purposeful instruction in vocabulary and by building and activating background knowledge, teachers can help…

This article examines and critiques the leadership capacity of department leaders in a high school and attempts to gain a deeper understanding of how department leaders perceive their role as teacher leaders, making a distinction between what an individual department leader does in his or her position and teacher leadership as a form of continuous…

In this article, the authors assess the evidence related to various instructional styles for teaching reading to children with learning disabilities. Results of the literature review indicate that whole language and direct instruction are the two major approaches to teaching reading. Whole language has proven successful for many students with…

For school improvement, more teachers need to function as leaders. Understanding the various dimensions of teacher leadership is requisite knowledge for encouraging the development of more teachers as leaders. Teacher leaders can fulfill multiple roles as they encounter obstacles in schools. The author addresses the challenge of supporting…

Learning objects are instructional materials found on the Internet that can be used to illustrate, support, supplement, or assess student learning. Small in size, they can provide instruction that is just enough, just in time, just for you. Is it time to move your classroom into the twenty-first century? In this article, the author explores what…

Great teachers understand the fundamental difference between motivation and inspiration: motivation is self-focused and inspiration is other focused. Exceptional teachers guide students to greatness by inspiring them to discover where their talents and passions intersect. For today's besieged classroom teacher, the desire to motivate students…