Wonderful schools do not simply have to be imagined. Phenomenal examples of education going right for children exist in the United States. These schools are serving all populations of children and families. What becomes clear, even with schools that appear quite different from one another, is that common themes emerge across effective schools and…

Many school leaders today, not to mention many teachers, view "accountability" as a loathsome political monster. Looming over educators, insensitive to the many problems they face, it wields the carrot of rewards in one hand and the club of sanctions in the other. Some educators even blame accountability for perverting their noble purposes,…

The rush of jobs from the United States to other nations has been explained by the Bush administration as a win-win situation for both technically advanced and developing countries. The free-market argument claims that the more sophisticated, complex jobs generated by an avalanche of new industries will be won by a well-trained, highly educated…

Students have problems in their lives, but can teachers help them? Should teachers help? The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act and its emphasis on standardized test results have forced school systems to produce high scores, and in turn school administrators pressure teachers to prepare students for taking standardized tests. Teachers may want to…

In this article, the authors talk about the state of boyhood in education and explain the idea that not all elements of the brain--especially not gender--are plastic. They discuss the mismatch between boys and conventional education and how gender "really" happens in the brain and describe the three biological stages in which human nature…

In this article, the authors discuss the basic psychological and biological differences between boys and girls, including the way in which society perceives them, and how the parents and schools interact with them. They present the overall current statistics and common observations about gender gaps in schools. To mention a few, boys are becoming…

In this article, the author first sets forth theoretical reasons for African American males' location in national disciplinary trends. Special emphasis is placed on the role of culture as a key factor in why Black boys lead the most measures of behavioral sanctions. Next, she analyzes how research findings centered on African American and boys'…

This article reports the findings of a study examining the types of artistic responses and personal interpretations that incarcerated male youths make as they listen and respond to selected pieces of young adult literature. The study utilized qualitative and quantitative methodology to gather information about incarcerated youth and their…

The issue of accountability for student achievement stands at the forefront of American education. Educators, parents, and business representatives have joined forces to support improvements in hopes of requiring children to attain the knowledge and develop the skills necessary for life. As a result, high standards, assessments, and benchmarks…

In this article, the author examines the added value of strengths-based interventions in response to her college president's challenge that an educator should not be simply out for a talk in teaching. She redesigned her dissertation experiment to measure the impact of strengths-based teaching in two classrooms of Introduction to Public Speaking…

For many years, the Gallup Organization has studied the characteristics that identify teachers' and counselors' talents. Recently, the Gallup Education Division has developed a book titled "Teach With Your Strengths" that explores the unique ways in which teachers think, feel and behave. The book explores three principles of great teachers that…

Students are faced with numerous challenges as they reach the high school level. Among these issues are declining levels of academic efficacy, expectancy, confidence, positive academic behaviors, and motivation. Intentionally developing existing strengths or talents may reverse these negative trends and equip students with the skills necessary to…

The aim of many educators is to help youth reach their maximum potential. The Clifton Youth StrengthsExplorer gives teachers a tool to help identify the talents of their students, as well as actionable suggestions for utilizing those talents. Such information can help teachers to individualize the ways in which they respond to youths, and the…

In this article, the author discusses several research reports demonstrating the existence of sex differences in cognitive function and language skills. Although dozens of studies published in the past five years have demonstrated dramatic sex differences in autonomic function, the educational literature has not emphasized those studies and their…

This article examines the history and the concept of the common school from the Common School Movement reformers of the 1850s to the present. These reformers envisioned schools that were to be tuition free and open to everyone, places where rich and poor met and learned together on equal terms. Central to the concept of the common school is its…