The last decade of education change has been characterized by the rise of evidence-based policy and practice agendas. Internationally, we are witnessing efforts to increase and incorporate research use in public services. This article examines efforts in education to address the research-practice gap through an emerging field we term knowledge…

This volume brings together research carried out in a variety of geographic and linguistic contexts including Africa, Asia, Australia, Canada, the Caribbean, Europe and the United States and explores efforts to incorporate linguistic diversity into education and to "harness" this diversity for learners' benefit. It challenges the largely…

Educators, reformers, and commissions have long underscored the need to align all levels of education and build a seamless, coordinated P-16 system. Failing to do so, they have argued, has kept too many students from pursuing an advanced education and the nation from benefiting from a more educated populace. Such was the case in the late…

The two fields of leadership studies and school change have increasingly converged over the last 30 years. This paper reviews the origins of the intersection, and the development of research themes in three areas: The role of leaders in shaping and using organizational culture, the agency of teachers in the change process, and the importance of…

"Understanding the HighScope Approach" is a much needed source of information for those wishing to extend and consolidate their understanding of the HighScope Approach. It will enable the reader to analyse the essential elements of the HighScope Approach to early childhood and its relationship to quality early years practice. Exploring…

Community colleges, which serve almost half of postsecondary students in the United States, are receiving ever-increasing attention from policymakers and researchers. Although these institutions have always served a wide range of people in their communities, the number of students who enter community college requiring additional preparation before…

In this information age, career and technical education (CTE) has become a multibillion dollar training enterprise. To make the students more competitive in the labor force and to make the nation economically strong and firms internationally competitive, everyone has to depend on CTE to train today's workers of various kinds. This book brings…

For over 30 years, arts education has been a low priority in the nation's public schools. Arts teaching positions were cut, and arts education in schools has dwindled as schools try to increase test scores in mathematics and reading within the time constraints of the school day. Some communities have responded with initiatives aimed at…

In their popular explanation of No Child Left Behind, journalists and other public voices claim that unruly and inefficient public schools are being brought under the control of effective central authorities by scientific, test-driven accountability. Other popular themes of reform in media include mayoral control of schools, non-educators as…

Discusses the scant attention that education has paid to religion historically. Suggests perceiving Christianity in its historical development as ecclesiastical, social, and personal. Observes that religious education is independent of both theology and pedagogics. Demonstrates that the discourse between pedagogics and theology must be based on…

Discusses the 1916 Committee on Social Studies report. Describes the preparation of the report, who was involved and some of the social welfare and efficiency ideas of its authors. Observes that the report culminated in the introduction of the social studies into the U.S. secondary school curriculum. (SG)

Discusses the publication of the complete literary heritage of Comenius, known as the "Teacher of Nations." Suggests that the editors' attention to the exact textual processing and the explanatory part will make this critical edition irreplaceable. Describes the work as 60 volumes containing more than 200 works and correspondence. (DK)

A century ago, school children celebrated Columbus Day with recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. Educators should understand the origins of the pledge and know that the Constitution protects the rights of those who object to the pledge for personal, political, or religious reasons. Lists four versions of the pledge since the nineteenth century.…

Highlights of the historical development of structured and creative/free dance experiences for children within the curriculum of early childhood education in the 20th century are sketched. Although some educators dissented with the practice, in the 1920s most dance activities for young children were structured. The following decade was…

Recommendations are made in this discussion concerning priorities for action by early childhood educators, and the history of early childhood education is selectively reviewed to identify patterns supporting these recommendations. It is argued that the experiences of educational pioneers reveal the need to work for program funding from a variety…