The purpose of this article is to provide an introduction to asset mapping as a systematic approach to facilitating increased family and community involvement in comprehensive school physical activity programs (CSPAP). It includes a brief summary of the literature related to the importance of family and community in children's physical activity…

While many states are handling evolution better today than in the past, anti-evolution pressures continue to threaten state science standards. In April 2012, for example, Tennessee passed a law that enables teachers to bring anti-evolution materials into the classroom without being challenged by administrators. This law is similar to the Science…

The Leadership to Unify School Improvement Efforts (LUSIE) project worked with school leadership teams from 11 schools in 3 West Virginia county districts to create school plans for improvement. The school leadership teams, a total of 66 people representing a cross-section of each school community, accomplished this at four retreats held in…

This special newsletter issue on inclusion of students with disabilities includes the following articles: "Inclusion: A Responsible Approach" (Harley A. Tomey, III); "Research Base Limited on Effects of Inclusion" (Thomas P. Lombardi); "Research Supports Inclusion for Physically Disabled--Vocational Ed Prevents Dropping…

A research project that developed methods for describing, organizing, analyzing, and predicting state education policy activity had as its major focus the way that values affect that policy. Data were drawn from six states: Wisconsin, Illinois, California, Arizona, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. They were chosen to represent ranges of political…

Most children with learning disabilities receive all or part of their instructional programs in the general education classroom. To prepare teachers to meet the needs of these students, the Department of Special Education at West Virginia University designed a course of studies for rural regular education teachers leading to teacher certification…

To motivate teachers toward quality performance, administrators must follow effective organizational practices and methods for professional development. This report describes how Hampshire County, West Virginia, schools implement ideas that increase productivity. Among ideas used were those of James Lewis, Jr., whose book, Excellent Organizations,…

The Education Department of Salem-Teikyo University (West Virginia) was chosen to develop a pilot assessment plan as part of the overall Institutional Student Outcomes Assessment Plan. The plan delineated in this paper includes the following criteria: (1) students majoring in education may enroll in the teacher education program to earn elementary…