Almost immediately after schools closed due to the coronavirus outbreak in spring 2020, we began to see anecdotal evidence that charter schools were reacting quickly and serving students well. This paper offers evidence that smaller networks and schools that represent over 65% of the charter school landscape were able to respond quickly and take…

In this article, we summarize more than a decade of work on high-leverage practices being used in the context of science teacher preparation. We describe the challenges and insights that ultimately resulted in more robust practices, a diversified suite of tools to support these practices, expanded knowledge of our own teacher education pedagogies,…

Promoting the adoption of an alternative pedagogy can be a difficult process. Many professors are not interested in significantly modifying how they teach their course. Those that are interested in pedagogical reform still have concerns that must be addressed before or during an implementation. This paper presents a case study following the…

Teaching reading to low-level English as a Second Language (ESL) students can be a challenge, according to the author. At times, teachers are teaching adult students to read in English when some in class are not literate in their first language. In such a situation, they are not mapping a sound-symbol correspondence onto a known oral language, as…

We describe the development and initial evaluation of the efficacy of "We Have Skills!" (WHS), a video-based social skills instructional program for early elementary school students. The components of WHS were designed to be scientifically sound, maximally useful to elementary school teachers, and effective in increasing students' social…

The Afterschool Alliance, in partnership with MetLife Foundation, is proud to present the final issue brief in its latest series of four issue briefs examining critical issues facing middle school youth and the vital role afterschool programs play in addressing these issues. This brief explores afterschool and digital learning. At the core of…

At a middle school, English language learners "beg" to take quizzes via iPod, engaging in interactive language arts exercises that seem more game than test. In a high school classroom, students write, videotape, and edit public service announcements, documentaries, and films. Students from the Seattle metropolitan area create stories via…

Courses in anatomy have traditionally relied on lectures and cadaver dissection laboratories. In speech and hearing sciences, there tends to be less access to cadavers than in medical schools and other allied health professions. It is more typical to use anatomical models, diagrams and lecture slides. Regardless of the resources available, anatomy…

In the rapidly changing world of higher education, innovative approaches to teaching adults are needed to drive instructional practices for helping to prepare the professionals of the future. The papers collected in "Innovations in Teaching Adults" were originally presented at a conference at City University of Seattle. The authors of…

The Lewis & Clark Rediscovery Project is a technology professional development program designed to help teachers restructure teaching and learning practices in the classroom, and to foster technology use in the schools. The 5-year program (extended into a 6th) was funded in 1999 with a grant from the U.S. Department of Education: Technology…

New educational technology supports a new vision of learning and teaching at Silver Ridge Elementary School in Silverdale (Washington), part of the Strategy 2020 design of the Central Kitsap School District. Technological and pedagogical innovation features extensive use of computers, flexible building arrangements, and special education in…

This report describes four innovative and culturally responsive early childhood education programs in Montana, Washington, Alaska, and Oregon. The introduction discusses developmentally appropriate early education and effective teaching practices. The report devotes one chapter to each site, with profiles and "close-ups" of selected…

This review of research is part of a larger project which identified exemplary community college programs that employ innovative curriculum and instructional practices in order to help low-skilled adults attain a family sustainable wage. The project goal was to identify best practices that are replicable at other community colleges. These programs…