As of April 2024, 38 U.S. states and the District of Columbia have laws or policies related to evidence-based reading instruction (Schwartz, 2024). To ensure the success of these efforts, educators need and deserve multifaceted support that involves professional learning, curriculum resources, ongoing support from leaders and coaches, and a…

In 2023, the U.S. Department of Education announced the "Raise the Bar: Lead the World" initiative to use decades of research and professional experience to transform public education and advance education equity. There are three focus areas: (1) Achieve Academic Excellence; (2) Boldly Improve Learning Conditions; and (3) Create Pathways…

This article presents findings from a study of the minimum conditions needed to scale a previously successful model of high school reform in New York City. Most studies of scale work backward to identify conditions that were in place when scale was successful, rather than identifying those that were minimally required, and thus more likely to be…

The language of economics and economic imperatives are driving standardized school reform in the United States without input from teachers. This teacher action research project responds to concerns about contemporary school reforms by considering how economics-minded dialogue about literacy education can help teachers support students' literacy…

This paper explores the agentive role of school leaders in interpreting and implementing macro language education policies at preschool level in the Maldives. The Preschool Management Act of 2012 initiated a change in the medium of instruction from English to Dhivehi, recognising the importance of developing children's literacy skills in the…

Researchers have found that middle school students undergo developmental changes that require unique educational structures and support. As a result, experts have suggested a number of specific strategies for organizing middle schools in order to best meet students' needs. This Information Capsule summarizes middle school redesign initiatives that…

In this paper, I will consider the lessons that can be learnt about literacy policy and its role in large-scale education reform programmes, with particular reference to policy-making in England since the election of New Labour in 1997. New Labour's promise to the electorate in 1997 was that state-funded education could be fixed and turned into a…

Billions of dollars are spent searching for programs and strategic plans that will prove to be the panacea for improving literacy achievement. With all of the experimental and researched programs implemented in school districts, the overall results are still at a minimum and many improvement gains have been short term. This book focuses on…

New Zealand's literacy strategy seeks to translate into reality the broad policy goals of equipping all New Zealanders with the knowledge, skills and values to be successful citizens of the twenty-first century. The central policy concern is reflected in international surveys showing that although the country's student achievement is above the…

The following principles of systemic reform can guide improved services for inmates with learning disabilities: (1) involve all stakeholders in creating a shared vision and action plan; (2) enlist administrative support; (3) provide meaningful, ongoing professional development; (4) identify resources; and (5) monitor and improve the change…

Ethiopia's Education Sector Review and a subsequent symposium set up a framework and guidelines for Incorporating, integrating and financing a nonformal component in a comprehensive educational system for Ethiopia. Most of the governmentally sponsored educational activities now classified as NFE are conducted by organizations other than the…

Demographic, social, and economic factors are shaping the future environment and clientele of California's adult education system. Continued population growth means adult education will have to serve larger populations. Direct implications of increasing ethnic and racial pluralism are demands for more flexible delivery systems that accommodate…

This document presents the Equipped for the Future Framework (EFF) content standards that were developed over a 6-year period by hundreds of adult education practitioners, experts, and others nationwide to create a working consensus on what adults need to know and be able to do in the 21st century. Chapter 1 defines adult literacy for the 21st…

Reviews issues cited in "A Nation at Risk" and other studies calling for educational reform, and discusses the role of libraries in general, and academic libraries in particular, in improving education in the United States. Library programs at three universities, involving information literacy, research skills, and peer counseling, are…

The Fifth International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA) and its "Hamburg Declaration" and "Agenda for the Future" have already had demonstrable impacts in various areas of adult education policy and practice. The following are among the specific areas and activities developed as a result of CONFINTEA: (1) promotion of…