Service learning can contribute to preservice teachers' understandings of reading instruction and also their confidence as teachers of reading. This qualitative study compared two sections of one undergraduate reading methods course: one with a service learning component and one with a typical field placement. The service learning…

This article focuses on elementary principals as instructional leaders, as well as public school initiatives and educational accountability in the United States. It presents the methodology, instrumentation, measures of academic achievement in Florida, data collection, and processing procedures. Finally, it presents data analysis, results of the…

This article describes a multiyear research project involving practicing K-2 teachers and the incorporation of Moodle as a qualitative data portal. Utilizing a case study of two participants, findings from the Moodle-facilitated data point known as "e-forum" are used to examine whether the community-building goal of the research was…

What has been left out of studying school violence and shootings is a comprehensive look at the culture that creates violence and the lack of support for those deemed "different" in an educational setting that promotes and rewards competition. If parents, teachers, and other adults associated with children were teaching the values of…

A recent decline in reading has become a major issue, as Americans are not reading out of necessity or as a leisure activity. In addition, a connection has been found between children's leisure reading habits and their level of academic achievement, causing even more concern. (Contains 1 table.)

Anyone involved in education gets a sense that, as teachers gain experience, they begin to lose the idealism they once had. The idealism found in preservice teachers (wanting to change the world and affect lives) is soon altered by the reality of the profession. The purpose of this study was to determine the philosophical beliefs that preservice…

Recent educational accountability efforts have married student assessments with reform mandates and sanctions. As a result, students--beginning in early elementary grades--are feeling the pressures of this new era of high-stakes accountability. This article chronicles a story of the consequences of high-stakes testing on a father and his son.…

Graphic novels offer an exciting new medium across the curriculum, but classroom research must be done. Anecdotal evidence is a start, but reform requires thoughtful study. Teachers are in the best place to do this research, as they have ready access, currency, and credibility. Teacher research on graphic novels, indeed all new media, is also…

Instead of being a simple concept, "student-centered learning" is actually a complicated and messy idea that has encompassed a wide range of sometimes fundamentally different meanings, each holding important implications for education. Thus, educators need a more nuanced and more productive framework for conceptualizing…

The authors observe that the nature of knowledge is multidimensional, and that current efforts to shape curriculum are guided by patterns of cognitive interests. Building from an example related to teacher education, they argue that higher education experiences represent a clash between freedom and conformance that relates to these curricular…

With support, young adolescents crave the challenge of learning about serious ideas through serious literature. Middle-level learners also enjoy opportunities to become immersed in activities that foster a deeper understanding of serious ideas. After discussing the value of using serious narrative literature, a rationale is provided for supporting…

As teachers attempt to sustain meaningful school change, the need for visionary yet feasible reform becomes profound. To help reach this end, this article examines the ideas of Willingham and Perkins for principles of effective teaching and learning. While seemingly divergent in their approaches for reform, examination of their collective ideas in…

This article aims to clarify concerns regarding what constitutes acceptable scholarship in education at a time when such scholarship is under challenge from publications and institutions with a strong bias toward policy advocacy. This is accomplished by examining the Fordham Foundation--supported publication "Whole-Language High Jinks"…

Standards and accountability policies are central elements of school reform agendas aimed at equalizing students' access to quality education and closing the achievement gap. Yet, such policies have failed to yield the expected, large scale results. One explanation may be found in the embedded zones of wishful thinking. Two particular zones…

In this essay, the authors argue that understanding students' learning styles is likely to (a) help teachers recognize the causes of some academic problems, and (b) lead to better planned, differentiated instruction. Learning style, as defined by Dunn and Dunn, is highlighted, and research supporting its effectiveness is outlined. By citing…