Teacher preparation programs play an essential role in this nation's elementary and secondary education system, which relies on them to recruit, select, and prepare approximately 200,000 future teachers every year. Strong programs recruit, select, and prepare teachers who have or learn the skills and knowledge they need to be hired into teaching…

Increasing student achievement and success is the biggest concern of educators across the nation. Educational leaders strive for ways to ensure that all students succeed. In doing that we must develop a strategic plan. The purpose of this article is to discuss the relationship between the "Ways of Knowing Through the Realms of Meaning"…

Each year, Austin Independent School District Department of Research and Evaluation (DRE) staff develop a plan of work to describe the scope of work for the coming year. The plans that make up this document identify programs to be evaluated and services to be provided by DRE staff and provide the blueprints for evaluation that staff will follow…

The Coordinating Board for Higher Education and the Missouri Department of Higher Education present this FY2009 Annual Report to inform individuals of the state's status and progress in higher education. This year's shortened format is intended to provide a snapshot of how Missouri measures up in the goals outlined by the state's coordinated plan…

President Barack Obama's call for innovation to improve the nation's schools strikes a chord with many in policy circles, who are already discussing how the federal government can play a role not only in supporting the expansion of what works, but also in creating solutions to unsolved problems. But some experts are pointing out that significant…

Though elementary and secondary schools remain among the safest places for children, school safety concerns continue to garner considerable attention from school and community stakeholders, as well as policymakers. As affirmed in the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), it is clear that all children need a safe environment in which to learn…

Inclusion for students with disabilities into the general education classroom has grown exponentially over the last decade. With legislation, such as, No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and The Individuals with Disabilities Educational Improvement Act (IDEA) of 2004 schools are moving towards integrating their classrooms more than they ever have in the…

In the run-up to the 2000 presidential election, candidate George W. Bush and his advisors made a strategic decision to appropriate educational rhetoric generally associated with Democrats and the left. This decision helped Bush present himself as "different kind of Republican" and a "compassionate conservative" and to…

Just as in 1982, when the myth of waiting for Santa Claus was first addressed in "Gifted Child Quarterly," many districts all over the country are still waiting for Santa Claus to arrive with a sleigh full of presents. Unfortunately, Santa and his presents in the form of mandates to identify and serve, funding, teachers licensed in…

This document has been developed by the New Jersey Department of Education with the assistance of the TA Customizer Project funded by the U.S. Department of Education Charter Schools Program (CSP) and conducted by the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE). Its focus is on providing information and technical…

States have been working on strategies to address the equitable distribution of teachers for a number of years. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as reauthorized by the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001, specifically calls for states to identify and address the inequitable distribution of highly qualified, experienced…

Equal educational opportunity for English language learners (ELLs) has been a goal of the public educational system in the United States. Language policy reforms have increased accountability in order for schools to improve student achievement and measure the progress of ELLs. The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requires assessment and…

Drawing from the surge of anti-bilingual education sentiments at the turn of the millennium, Ron Unz and the program he initiated, English for the Children, promoted Proposition 203 to dismantle bilingual and English as a second language (ESL) programs in Arizona's public schools. According to Unz's initiative, language-minority students were to…

The views of 33 superintendents in South Texas were obtained concerning the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act through a Likert-format survey. Results were that superintendents perceived NCLB as having limited, at best, impact in encouraging the development of more educational services; opening more communication between the district and parents;…

Universal design for learning (UDL) holds promise for teachers who are struggling with creating lessons that allow all students access to and engagement with the general science curriculum. In this article, the authors demonstrate how a secondary physical science lesson about solubility and concentration can be designed for diverse learners' needs…