The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine what, if any, impact that attending a four year old kindergarten program had on five year old kindergarteners reading ability as measured by Dominie testing, compared to those five year olds who did not attend a four year old program at Inman Elementary School. The significance of this study…

The aim of this issue is to provide readers with a better understanding of the inexplicable connection between school, community, and incarceration, and how better prepared professionals can make a difference in the lives of youth in the school-to-prison pipeline (STPP). This issue provides readers with an awareness of the current status of the…

Florida's decision to equate a GED to a high school diploma undermines the attempt of No Child Left Behind to close the achievement gap, while infringing on the public's trust. Public trust fosters a culture of systemic equity and social justice, which are necessary for academic excellence (Byrk & Schneider, 2003). Florida's code of ethics for…

More than six years after the election of our current president, the nation is analyzing the effects of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) federal legislation. Educators are discovering that the plan is flawed, developmentally inappropriate, ill funded, and leaving more students, teachers, and schools behind than ever before. In this article, the…

Across America, the numbers of homeless children and families are growing as a result of many factors including the recent economic crisis, home foreclosures, and natural disasters. Because of an increase in the number of homeless children throughout the United States, this population has unmet needs that can be targeted in school settings under…

The Department of Education plans to re-evaluate how many students' test scores districts and schools will be permitted to exclude when determining whether they've met annual educational goals under the No Child Left Behind Act. At a June 13, 2006 hearing before the House Education and the Workforce Committee, Deputy Secretary of Education Raymond…

The "State ESEA ['Elementary and Secondary Education Act'] Title I Participation Summary Report for 2003-04" summarizes the participation data for the Title I, Part A (Title I), Grants to Local Education Agencies (LEAs) program. This program provides federal funds to assist eligible school districts and schools in supporting…

In recent years, special educators' roles and responsibilities have undergone significant transformations deriving from both internal and external sources. This article initially reviews some of the reform movements that have sought to bring research-based practices into the classroom, particularly for students considered exceptional or at-risk.…

With its roots in clinical and educational psychology, school psychology is an ever-changing field that encompasses a diversity of topics. "The Oxford Handbook of School Psychology" synthesizes the most vital and relevant literature in all of these areas, producing a state-of-the-art, authoritative resource for practitioners,…

Meeting the requirement for highly qualified teachers as outlined in the No Child Left Behind Act has left school districts in a quandary, especially those that serve a population of students deemed "at-risk" and where attracting and retaining highly qualified teachers is difficult. One professional development program based on…

In 2002, the Bush administration adopted the Children's Defense Fund's (CDF's) mission to "Leave No Child Behind" as a motto. This report details the CDF's assessment of the state of children in the United States, examines how the Bush administration has translated the President's promise to "leave no child behind," and lays…

Briefly describes the first 40 years of Title I of the Elementary Secondary Education Act. Describes significant changes in Title I under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, including school-choice options for students in failing schools, supplemental educational services for at-risk students, and the hiring of highly qualified teachers. (PKP)

Even before the 2005 "Disaster in the Delta"--as the devastation and loss wrought by the category-three hurricane known as Katrina came to be known--statistics emerged about the aggressive educational neglect of Louisiana's African American schoolchildren. The harrowing data about the inadequacies being as racialized as the distribution…

In this era of No Child Left Behind, educators are urged to reach children with special needs. Learning to recognize these children and develop strategies for teaching them is a fundamental hurdle for new educators. Abuse, poverty, or malnutrition, for example, are among the circumstances of some children--circumstances which taken alone, may…

This Opportunity 08 position paper advises that the next President of the United States should focus on lifting the achievement levels of our nation's schoolchildren. It recommends that the new President should mount a determined effort, together with states and local school districts, to boost the academic performance of low achievers by: (1)…