Step-by-step, schools from the elementary through high school levels are making the transition to 21st-century learning. Some have crossed the threshold almost entirely. In today's progressive classrooms, yesterday's rows of quiet listeners have given way to small groups of active learners, thoroughly engaged in discussions and explorations. And…

The Common Core State Standards call for students to develop digital media and technology skills. One way to help them reach that goal: incorporate gadgets they're already familiar with--cell phones, tablets, and smartphones--into their learning environment. Mobile devices are becoming essential to students' daily lives. According to a 2011 Pew…

This guide addresses the practical aspects of managing a classroom, with suggestions and resources appropriate for grades K-12. Most of the tips are applicable to students of all ages, but the actual techniques will look different for the various grades. For instance, "build community" might mean playing name games with elementary students but…

By understanding how the brain works, educators are better equipped to help students with everything from focusing attention to increasing retention. That's the promise of brain-based learning, which draws insights from neurology, psychology, technology, and other fields. Bringing this information to the classroom can help teachers engage diverse…

In today's school systems, students of color, particularly in urban settings, represent the majority student populations (Lewis, Hancock, James, & Larke, in press). Interestingly, the educators--teachers and administrators--that comprise these settings are predominately White, and, in turn, the students of color commonly face pressures that…

In this article, the author offers an analysis of key problems with the latest Federal school reform initiative. He critiques the No Child Left Behind Act's (NCLB) Title One as it relates to standardized testing and accountability. In addition, he provides a short history of the Act, connecting it to President Lyndon Johnson's historic Elementary…

Introduces a theme issue that investigates the impact of high-stakes accountability on the context of arts-based school reform, addressing the effects of North Carolina's accountability program on schools participating in an arts-integration initiative piloted in 25 schools when the state raised the stakes of standardized tests. The article…

Explores both the development of child welfare in the United States and the impact of international declarations of human and child rights from a global perspective, focusing on: child welfare and the visiting teacher profession in the United States; research on the well-being of children; child welfare policy in an international context; the…

Examines the meaning of power differentials that exist between key interest groups in education, discussing the movement to foster educational collaborations between families, schools, and community institutions, particularly in low income, urban areas. The paper explores how differences such as race, gender, socioeconomic status, and culture…

Explores the limitations of strict adherence to standards, critiquing the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium's "Model Standards for Beginning Teacher Licensing and Development" and suggesting that it emphasizes instrumental thinking (focused on the means to particular ends) rather than an ethical orientation. The paper…

Presents historical information and chronological details about the education of Native American children, uncovering the practices of educators that attempted to create in Native American children a sense of cultural shame and interspersing the words of various people involved in Native American education (students, teachers, and federal agents).…

Presents the reflections of five educational scholars on the potential impact of the events of September 11th on curriculum and how to address it. Edited excerpts are featured from Maxine Greene, Nel Noddings, Jesse Goodman, Michael Apple, and Gloria Ladson-Billings. Respondents address such issues as cultural awareness, moral education, and…

Offers an anthropological perspective by examining the role of knowledge transmission in the maintenance and transformation of professional communities in higher education, exploring the use of the ritual process at academic meetings (such as those of the American Anthropological Association). Emphasizing successful conference rituals, the article…

Examines a 1920s campaign to implement the project method in Milwaukee public schools, following the perilous road it traveled from exemplary model to urban classrooms, and arguing that public high schools have been very resistant to pedagogical innovations which might unleash students' learning potential. The impact of this reform, started by…

Discusses cultural influences on the definition of disability, explaining the distinction between what is in students and what the cultural construction for them is; exploring eastern and western conceptions of people with disabilities; noting the negative consequences that the American construction of disability brings to people with…