Varied academic ability is a problem across the country and is the focus of this action research project report. The four teacher researchers were searching for way to reach all learners with their mathematics instruction. The purpose of the research was to increase mathematical performance in a varied ability math classroom. To address varied…

Background: A previous study (Stuart, 1999) showed that early phoneme awareness and phonics teaching improved reading and spelling ability in inner-city schoolchildren in Key Stage 1, most of whom were learning English as a second language. Aims: The present study, a follow-up of these children at the end of Key Stage 1, addresses four main…

In this paper, I describe part of my research project that examines the use of Educational Drama in Education for Sustainability in the upper stages of the primary school (10- and 11-year-olds). Central to the research is a small-scale qualitative research study. Here, I describe the educational focus of the study and outline the methodology.…

As a member of a delegation of educators, physicians, and lay people to rural Fiji the author shares her experiences and reflections of early care, education, and family life on a small, remote island. She discusses her visits to the village and boarding school, and her interactions with teachers, children, and parents in the early childhood…

In this article, the author shares her experience in visiting Mount Lebanon School in West Lebanon, New Hampshire. Mount Lebanon (pre K-3) calls itself a school community, and that community has a strong showing in every aspect of school life, beginning with the way the building is laid out. To get almost anywhere in Mount Lebanon School, one has…

This paper will review several important constructs in the area of social and emotional development of children in grades 2-5. The importance of social and emotional development has become increasingly evident in light of new research on the brain and the development of programs to prevent social and behavioral disorders in youth. This review will…

The "No Child Left Behind Act of 2001" (PL 107-110) established the Reading First (RF) Program (Title I, Part B, Subpart 1), a major Federal initiative designed to help ensure that all children can read at or above grade level by the end of third-grade. The legislation (Section 1205 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act) requires…

This article examines the practices of home-school communication in the Early Childhood Development (ECD) phase in South Africa. The aims of this qualitative investigation were to determine the nature and effectiveness of home-school communication practices and to make recommendations on how communication can be improved to facilitate better…

This case study is set in a remote rural area of China--the Tianshui area of Gansu Province. It examines a strategy involving the use of Video Compact Discs (VCDs) to enhance primary education in these areas. Firstly, the challenging context of Tianshui area is described. Secondly, strategies for promoting rural education using VCDs and the…

The Digital Education Enhancement Project (DEEP) is investigating the ways in which new technologies can improve the teaching of literacy, numeracy and science in primary schools in Egypt and South Africa. Forty-eight primary teachers (24 in each country) have been carrying out a sequence of classroom-focused professional development activities,…

Background: Recent literature has identified that children's performance on cognitive (or problem-solving) tasks can be enhanced when undertaken as a joint activity among pairs of pupils. Performance on this "social" activity will require quality relationships between pupils, leading some researchers to argue that friendships are characterized by…

This study explores how children's drawings, as rated on the Formal Elements Art Therapy Scale (FEATS), are related to their emotional and behavioral health. Participating students (ages 8-16, N=53), attending a therapeutic day school for students with emotional and behavioral disorders, drew a picture of a person picking an apple from a tree…

In response to the underachievement of its Latino children, one district implemented Parent Partnership for Achieving Literacy (PAL), a program to build cultural bridges between home and school. Professional development (PD) that helped mainstream teachers develop cultural competence to work effectively with Latino children and their families was…

Reduction in the size of classes from Kindergarten to Grade 3 was a major Liberal Party campaign promise in Ontario's 2003 provincial election. It was intended to demonstrate a new government's commitment to improving public education. By the 2008-09 school year, the provincial government's goals had been achieved: over 90% of all primary classes…

This book is intended to be a contribution to raising the awareness of primary teachers and trainee teachers as to what is involved in all the different professional dimensions of their work in schools. The book deals with the key professional issues in primary teaching that are addressed in primary teacher training courses. The book aims to…