This book describes one individual's reinvention as an educator, from a liberal humanist to an advocate of critical pedogogy. It examines relationships between schooling, the wider social relations that inform it, and historically constructed needs and competencies that students bring to schools, focusing on the social conditions of disaffected…

More attention should be given to the local dimension of equity research. A question that must be asked is to what extent there is an unequal distribution of opportunities to participate in vocational education and training (VET) that is mirrored by area of residence in both urban and rural localities. Questions must also be asked about the extent…

A study analyzed patterns of participation at the local level in adult and community education (ACE) and technical and further education (TAFE) in Melbourne, Australia postcodes. Patterns of participation were hypothesized as being different from those in Sydney, New South Wales, where previous research established the marked differentiation of…

A study examined the profiles of vocational education and training (VET) clients in disadvantaged areas of Sydney and Melbourne, Australia, building on earlier analysis of VET participation in those cities. The study examined the characteristics of VET clients coming from postal codes identified as disadvantaged to determine, if possible, to what…

This reference includes presentations that cover current research, best practices, and solutions to improve student achievement. The 25 chapters are: (1) "The Three Stories of Educational Reform: Inside; Inside/Out; Outside/In" (Michael Fullan); (2) "Hey, You with the Frontal Lobes: Brains for Educators, Educators of Brains"…

This collection of papers presents the current state of research on effective instructional programs for Hispanic American students. The 10 chapters are: (1) "Effective Programs for Latino Students in Elementary and Middle Schools" (Olatokunbo S. Fashola, Robert E. Slavin, Margarita Calderon, and Richard Duran); (2) "Effective…

This critical ethnographic study examines the discourse systems experienced by three migrant fifth-grade boys during an apple harvest season in south-central Pennsylvania. Numerous examples reveal the discourse collisions facing these boys, whose home language and culture did not reflect the mainstream, and how dominant mainstream discourses…

This volume features the reform journeys of six American high schools. The six high schools portrayed here include four large comprehensive high schools (Oakland Technical High in Oakland, California, and Brighton High in Boston, Massachusetts, are urban; Sir Francis Drake in Marin County, California, and Rex Putnam in North Clackamas, Oregon, are…

This annual report features national data on academic progress in U.S. public schools, showing student achievement and opportunity patterns from kindergarten through college, by race, ethnicity and family income. It focuses on academic achievement (reading performance on the most recent adminstration of the National Asssessment of Educational…

This paper looks at how the necessary technology skills have changed over time and how those changes affect the ways in which technology skills are taught and assessed. It reviews how educators' views of technological fluency are shaped by both the "pull" of technology--increasing technical power and applications that affect what workers…

In 2001, the Pennsylvania Department of Education contracted with Western Michigan University to evaluate Pennsylvania's charter schools and charter school initiative over two years. The study used site visits, work sample review, document review, focus groups, portfolios and surveys to gather data regarding the movement's effectiveness, progress,…

This book presents an overview of the different policy approaches to educational disadvantage and equity within the Australian public school system. It highlights two general trends: the shift toward school-based management and funding approaches increasingly directed toward reading and mathematics achievement. More specifically, the book: (1)…

This book investigates the educational methods, achievements, and teacher expectations among black and white students with disabilities. It finds that poverty, racism, cultural differences between blacks and whites, and inferior socioeconomic conditions are the main causal factors that result in black children being "labeled" as exceptional and…

Over the last thirty years access to higher education has expanded markedly. Remediation and support programs, including summer bridge programs, have grown in response to the needs of international students, non-English speakers and disabled students, and others who need help in gaining an equal footing with other students. The other main thrust…

Data that were originally gathered during the 1978-1990, 1994, and 1996 Scottish School Leavers Surveys were subjected to a secondary analysis to identify the qualifications, characteristics, and choices of high-attaining female school leavers. The following were among the key findings of the analysis: (1) on average, young women from all social…