Experiencing FPBL (Free Project Based Learning) can develop effective content delivery for both teachers and students. With FPBL where students are free to choose their own projects they become intrinsically more motivated and self-confident. In this research study two groups (control group and experiment group) of students are used and two exams…

Introduction: The MUSIC Model of Academic Motivation consists of psychological components (i.e., empowerment, usefulness, success, interest, and caring) that have been derived from research and theory as ones that are critical to student engagement in academic settings. The purpose of this study was to: (1) determine whether men and women rate…

Background/Context: Despite a history of racial oppression and degradation in U.S. schools, African Americans have responded to racism and discrimination in ways that promote educational attainment and school success. Many Black adolescents have been empowered to succeed academically partly because of their awareness of racist practices in…

Planning and implementing major innovations in large urban districts can be a daunting and overwhelming idea--particularly when it comes to technology--due to real and perceived obstacles. Added to this challenge is the reality of the worst budget crisis in California history. When students are empowered by full access to technology, learning…

Ethnic studies includes units of study, courses, or programs that are centered on the knowledge and perspectives of an ethnic or racial group, reflecting narratives and points of view rooted in that group's lived experiences and intellectual scholarship. Supporters say ethnic studies promotes respect and understanding among races, supports student…

Efforts to improve student learning and success at community colleges are in the national policy spotlight. Colleges around the country are reviewing their institutional practices and gathering groups of education stakeholders to design and then implement changes in advising, developmental education, programs of study and curricula, student…

While Latina/o enrollments in higher education are on the rise, more than half of these students enroll at a unique institutional type, Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). As Latina/o enrollments in higher education increase, the number of HSIs and emerging HSIs also increases. Knowledge is presently limited on the Latina/o college choice to…

Academic analytics helps address the public's desire for institutional accountability with regard to student success, given the widespread concern over the cost of higher education and the difficult economic and budgetary conditions prevailing worldwide. Purdue University's Signals project applies the principles of analytics widely used in…

This book provides everything administrators and teachers need to build service-learning programs that prepare students as engaged citizens committed to equity and justice. The author describes practical strategies for classroom teachers along with the theoretical framework so readers can deftly move beyond the book to a meaningful program for…

Between 2000 and 2007, six western states conducted individual impact studies using public school youth in grades five, seven, and nine. Common areas of study included: risk behaviors, leadership positions held, helping others, close relationships with adults, self-identity, character, self-confidence, and empowerment. The purpose of the study was…

In an effort to explore the complexity of how teachers develop and sustain the ability to teach uncommonly in commonsense times, the authors conducted a life history case study of Rae, a fifth grade teacher at a local elementary school in the Southwest United States who has practiced and sustained uncommon teaching for four years. Combining…

The Student Voice project was launched in January 2007. The aim was to provide a method of encouraging students to become actively involved in decisions about their own learning and empowering them with appropriate ways to do so. Ninety-two pupils were divided up into specific focus groups (a voice). These "voices" include: (1) the…

Education has the power to change the world. We wrote this article in the spirit of the hope embodied by the election of President Obama and the critical need for improved teaching to benefit all the nation's students. This article offers a synthesis of the characteristics of excellent teaching for the diverse student population. This article…

The context of this article is the new technological environment and the struggle to use meaningful teaching practices in Norwegian schools. Students' critical reflections in two different technological learning environments in six upper secondary schools are compared. Three of these schools offer Internet-connected computers in special computer…

This case study examines the features of Georgia College Early College, including its partnership with Georgia College & State University. The school deliberately recruits students from the community who are performing below grade level and gives them the support they need to excel academically. The college-going culture, small class sizes,…