This article explores the challenges facing the South African National Department of Education in its commitment to provide equal educational opportunities for all. "The Story of Nothemba" is central to the theme of this paper. It describes the story of a South African girl born in eQebe, whose physical disability and systematic…

This essay draws from the work of William James and three African American pragmatists, W.E.B. Du Bois, Ralph Ellison and Cornel West, to explore the moral relevance of the self as an empowered agent among African American youth. The focus is on Jamesian agency as a function of the individual's awareness of options in context, the self-empowerment…

This book describes "The Learning Community," a minischool that was founded in 1972 by five teachers as an alternative program within a large urban high school in Astoria, New York. The Learning Community included 150 high school juniors and seniors and 6 teachers. The book overviews the development of the minischool, beginning with the…

Many young students are not finishing high school and even fewer are entering college. This book demonstrates how some teachers have created classrooms that work for children at risk. They use an integrated, inquiry-driven curriculum to create holistic, language- and literature-based classrooms. Chapter 1 describes the nature of being at risk for…

The involvement of parents in schools has been legislated in Spain since 1970, with the main activities being parents associations and school councils, but these partnerships do not represent a particularly friendly situation. A research project was carried out through the University of Oviedo, Spain, Department of Education, to create a mechanism…

This paper describes a process that empowered special education teachers in Greenville Independent School District (Texas) to begin moving toward an inclusive model of special education. Specifically, the paper examines special education teachers' levels of concern regarding inclusion during this process. During the summer, 26 special education…

Family literacy programs must acknowledge the family as the primary place of learning, and developers of family literacy programs and curricula must focus on the family unit as a whole, building upon the cultural and knowledge capital of the entire family and acknowledging gender and age power relationships within the family. Educators must…

Intended to enable parents to support and advocate for their children during transitions, this guide contains training activities and hands-on action tools to help parents and staff work in partnership as children transition into and out of Early Head Start, Head Start, child care settings, and elementary schools. The guide is divided into three…

This paper explores the issues surrounding quality in higher education and its necessary adaptation to the online world of educational delivery. A historical perspective on quality standards is presented, and characteristics of recent models for quality control are outlined. Quality-related issues in Walden University's (Minnesota) two new online,…

This book is an easy-to-read inspirational book that was written to show adult literacy students how to achieve fulfillment by taking charge of their lives. The eight short chapters of the book are printed only on the right-hand page, with inspirational quotations and space for the reader's personal thoughts on the left-hand page. Chapter titles…

This document, which was developed to assist individuals working in publicly sponsored literacy programs in Georgia, offers instructional plans and practical strategies designed to help teachers empower their students of adult literacy, adult basic education, General Educational Development, and English as a second language. Detailed guidelines…

The mission of social work is to help people meet their basic needs and enhance their well-being. Through a strong empowerment orientation, the profession can aid people vulnerable to oppression as a result of racism, discrimination, and poverty. Social work can be a powerful force in advancing the practice of Indigenous education. Social workers…

What is the job of guidance program staff leaders? Specific, practical support is provided for bringing guidance and program staff together for successful implementation of programs and advocating for them outside the department. Part I, "School Guidance Program Staff Leadership: Evolving Concepts and Practices," addresses overall program…

Three competing models for public school improvement are described as points of reference. The technical transfer model of school reform focuses on how to better transfer knowledge already in the possession of academics. Placing the locus of authority in the classroom is the main issue of the professionalization model for school improvement. The…

A comprehensive how-to guide is presented to help in developing individualized instruction for adult learners. The guide provides information on planning, organizing, and implementing an effective personalized process for instructing adults to help them achieve their full learning potential. The monograph is divided into three parts: Part 1,…