The school shooting in Parkland, Fla., in February 2018 led many students to engage in walkouts and other protests during the school day. Some schools supported their actions, while others disciplined students who participated. Alan Singer considers these schools' responses and explains that the social studies standards in many states encourage…

The accelerated growth of the Latin@ population in the United States in the last few decades represents one of the most significant demographic changes in the nation. Alongside this population shift, some other trends have started to emerge: the Latin@ population, especially Mexican-origin people, has begun to move and settle outside traditional…

Whether a library's reference collection is large or small, it needs constant attention. Singer's book offers information and insight on best practices for reference collection management, no matter the size, and shows why managing without a plan is a recipe for clutter and confusion. In this very practical guide, reference librarians will learn:…

Despite long-standing antidiscrimination laws, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which are meant to guarantee equal access, many school and community choirs appear to be populated primarily by students with typical physical, cognitive, and behavioral abilities. The purpose of this article…

This article is based upon a full-time study of masculinity and singing funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). Empirical work was conducted with boy performers and "peer audiences" for those performers in schools. The article focuses on girls' attitudes to boy singers and reveals a significant difference between…

According to a 2009 report by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), at least 68% of American households now play video games, and half the parents in America now play video games with their children. Grandparents are in on the action, as well. In addition, nursing homes and senior centers are now incorporating video games into their…

This article begins with a brief history of children's singing instruction in schools. When Kenneth Phillips began researching children's singing, he was surprised to learn that a strong program of child vocal pedagogy was in place in America's schools for about a hundred years--the 1830s to the 1930s. By the 1950s however, all that…

The article presents the main results of a 2 year research project on appropriate conditions for the inclusion of physically and multiple disabled pupils in German schools. The research project consists of three parts: A synthesis of all national and international empirical studies published during the last 40 years (Walter-Klose, 2012), 84…

At the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, the painting "El Jaleo"--a canvas spanning 11 feet that features a flamenco dancer--is a popular starting point for getting students to spend time with a work of art. But viewing and discussing the 1882 piece by the American artist John Singer Sargent isn't just a cultural experience. It…

The purpose of this study was to develop a model that may be used to estimate the financial costs of teacher turnover in urban school districts. It is estimated that 50% of the beginning teachers leave the profession within the first five years on the job (Murname, Singer, Wilett, Kemple, and Olsen 1991; Colbert and Wolff 1992; Ingersoll 2003;…

Explore successful models of intervention. No Child Left Behind has set the high expectation that every child meet grade level expectations. This publication synthesizes the research on intervention programs and best practices related to mathematical instructional pedagogy and differentiation to assist teachers, schools, and school districts in…

Some couples merely talk about making sweet music together. Yusef Chisholm and Lori Williams-Chisholm really mean it. This article presents an interview with Chisholm and Williams-Chisholm, both music educators in Washington, District of Columbia (DC), and active performing jazz artists, who infuse their classrooms with lessons from the stage.…

In West Bengal, India, a traditional caste community of artists, called "patuas", paint colorful scrolls to accompany songs which they sing to relate historic, current, religious, and cultural events to their audiences. These itinerant painter/singers are part of a long lineage that has passed the tradition down for generations. In this…

Over the past eight decades the lyrics of blues recordings have provided valuable insights into the opinions and feelings of singers and songwriters. Commentaries concerning workplace relations, self esteem, romantic involvements, financial security, clothing styles, alcohol use, religion, health, death, and other universal human issues have been…

"Harvard Education Letter" is published bimonthly at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. This issue of "Harvard Education Letter" contains the following articles: (1) Beyond the Gap: What Educators and Researchers Are Learning from High-Achieving African American and Latino Students (Michael Sadowski); (2) Aiming for AYP:…