This annotated bibliography is reformatted and customized by the Center for Positive Practices. Some of the authors featured on this page include Sharon L. Nichols, Thomas L. Good, James L. Alouf, Louis Fischer, David Schimmel, Sarah Westfall, Jay P. Greene, John M. Maurice, Jesse L. M. Wilkins, and Lynell Burmark.
(2003). When Schools Compete: The Effects of Vouchers on Florida Public School Achievement. Education Working Paper. This study examined whether the existence or threat of competition would cause public schools to improve, focusing on Florida's A+ Program, which combined educational vouchers and high stakes testing. The theory behind the program is that chronically failing public schools will have an incentive to improve if they must compete with other schools for students and the funding they generate. The study identified five categories of low-performing schools based on the degree of threat each school faced from voucher competition: voucher eligible schools, voucher threatened schools, formerly threatened schools, and two categories of similarly low-performing schools not facing any immediate threat of voucher competition. It examined test score improvements on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test and the Stanford-9 to see whether low-performing schools facing a greater degree of threat from voucher competition made more improvements than low-performing schools facing a lesser degree of threat from vouchers. Results indicate that Florida's low-performing schools are improving in direct proportion to the challenge they face from voucher competition. Schools already facing voucher competition show the greatest improvements of all five categories. Threatened schools show the second greatest improvements. An appendix offers 14 tables. (Contains 13 references.) [More] Descriptors: Competition, Educational Improvement, Educational Vouchers, Elementary Secondary Education
(2003). Enlighten Up! An Educator's Guide to Stress-Free Living. This book explores new definitions of stress and its consequences, changing the context of stress through the discussion of far-reaching new discoveries about how to defuse it. The book focuses on what stress symptoms really indicate, how clutter obfuscates internal clarity, how to reframe relationships with other people as healing connections, and how shifts of consciousness allow people to draw on unseen power. Nine chapters include: (1) "The Wake-Up Call" (e.g., locus of control and depression and stress); (2) "The Work Ethic" (e.g., the physiological reaction to stress, and stress, memory, and high stakes testing); (3) "It's About Time" (e.g., life after teaching and picking up the pace); (4) "Throw Your Clutter in the Gutter" (e.g., the Chinese perspective of Feng Shui); (5)"The Busyness of Life" (e.g., the business of education and moving from busyness to business); (6) "Affording the Possibilities" (e.g., how to shop for bargains in education); (7) "The People Principle" (interpersonal relationships and respecting diversity); (8) "Good Vibrations" (how bold new scientific concepts play out in music, words, and the human heart); and (9) "Power and Purpose (e.g., multiple levels of meaning and the power of purpose). Descriptors: Elementary Secondary Education, Stress Management, Stress Variables, Teacher Burnout
(2003). Accountability Issues for Instructional Leadership: Field Research, Site-Based Management, and a Campus Action Plan. The purpose of this study was to use data collected from a field research project to enable teachers and instructional leaders to understand and overcome the problems associated with high-stakes testing, especially as they relate to the narrowing of the curriculum. In spring 2001, 27 of the 48 teachers at a middle school in Texas responded to a survey of beliefs and opinions regarding the effects of standardized testing. Respondents registered strongly negative feelings and opinions about standardized testing, with more than 8 in 10 strongly agreeing or agreeing that they felt pressured by standardized testing, and 96.3% agreeing that their students felt pressured as well. Respondents generally agreed that they sometimes taught to the test (70.3%), that they taught test taking strategies to their students (92.1%), that they were compelled to adjust their lesson plans to accommodate standardized testing needs (59.2%), and that they felt the need to devote special attention to students with limited English proficiency to prepare them for the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills. The one area of positive impact identified by teachers was that standardized testing had not reduced the number of elective courses available to students. Three appendixes contain the survey and response information. (Contains 48 references.) [More] Descriptors: Accountability, High Stakes Tests, Instructional Leadership, Middle School Students
(2003). Connecting Arts Education Policy and Research to Classroom Teaching. A national arts research agenda is presently substantiating claims about positive academic and social effects. As a result, states such as California responded with legislative activity that included the arts in mandates for educational reform. This was followed by the development of state content standards in dance, music, theater, and the visual arts to stimulate comprehensive, sequential arts programs in California's K-12 public schools. Yet these policy breakthroughs for arts education and the rhetorical promise of reform have not ensured compliance nor do they correspond to the reality of schooling. This paper describes the balance between this disconnection and provides a historical perspective on public policy and arts education research, and implementation at the local school level. The paper states that in California an emphasis on high stakes testing, including a high school exit examination that has exacerbated the problem and moved the arts to the curricular periphery in K-12 schools. It notes that, to complicate matters, the two large state systems for postsecondary schooling have adopted requirements of one year of visual or performing arts study for entrance eligibility. The Department of Education at the University of California Irvine, is working to build a community of learners to address these problems. The Arts Core research project, providing professional development for teachers, and the ArtsBridge program, building instructional partnerships among artists and K-12 teachers, are two examples of collaborative efforts aimed at successfully integrating the arts into the K-12 curriculum. (Contains 30 references.) [More] Descriptors: Academic Standards, Art Education, Educational Change, Educational Cooperation
(2004). Portfolios to Webfolios and beyond: Levels of Maturation, EDUCAUSE Quarterly. Webfolios may have the most significant effect on education since the introduction of formal schooling. When fully matured and implemented by capable professional educators throughout every discipline in an educational institution, webfolios promise a viable alternative to current, high-stakes testing, which focuses education on test-taking rather than teaching and learning. The promise webfolios hold–a richer educational experience for all–will not be realized, however, unless educators embrace webfolio concepts and apply them at their highest level of maturation. This article will be of interest to anyone concerned about the role and value of portfolios. It will help students, teachers, program administrators, and information-systems personnel understand the potential webfolios hold for improving education. It also illuminates the paradigm shift that occurs when educational institutions make the leap from traditional portfolio assessment to webfolio assessment, evaluation, and reporting. This article chronicles the journey from paper and e-portfolios to webfolios, and defines five levels of maturation. The authors include a Taxonomy for the Determination of Levels of Maturation, which can be used to ascertain an institution's current level and can provide a conceptual framework for attaining the highest level the institution desires. Then, with a plan in place, the taxonomy can be used to assess the institution's progress. The distinction among paper, e-portfolio, and webfolio is critical because only the webfolio will support an institution's progress through all five levels. Two case studies that offer useful insights into how two institutions approached and handled the move through several levels of webfolio maturation are presented. [More] Descriptors: Portfolios (Background Materials), Portfolio Assessment, Classification, Case Studies
(2003). Teachers and the Law. Sixth Edition. This book is about teachers and the laws that affect them. New to this sixth edition are new court cases and a chapter that highlights likely controversies in the coming years, including school choice, high-stakes testing, control of the Internet, and gang clothing. The book is divided into two parts. Part I, "The Legal Aspects of Teaching," addresses questions related to teacher contracts, dismissals, tenure, collective bargaining, liability, child abuse, defamation, and copyright laws. Part II, "Teachers' and Students' Rights," explores legal issues related to the scope and limits of personal freedom of expression, covering such topics as religion and conscience, personal appearance, due process, privacy, homeschooling, bilingual and multicultural education, student records, sex and racial discrimination, free speech, and academic freedom. The book follows a question-and-answer format. Most of the questions and answers are based on reported court cases. Each chapter begins with an overview and ends with a summary and endnotes. Included in appendices are selected provisions of the U.S. Constitution, a summary of major civil laws affecting schools, and a list of legal resources for teachers. The book also contains a glossary, a selected bibliography, and a subject index. Descriptors: Academic Freedom, Collective Bargaining, Contract Salaries, Copyrights
(2003). Including Students with Disabilities and Achieving Accountability: Educators' Emerging Challenge. This study examined the issue of how the inclusion of students with disabilities is being achieved in the midst of the high-stakes testing environment of south Texas. Using a questionnaire mailed to general and special education teachers and school administrators, the study examined attitudes and practices concerning inclusion and testing. Responses were received from: 286 regular education teachers (35.3%); 91 special education teachers (45.5%); and 164 administrators (45.3%). Findings suggest that educators may benefit from a more thorough understanding of the concept of the least restrictive environment. Administrators indicate they were very knowledgeable about the provisions of the least restrictive environment guidelines and were interested in including students with disabilities in regular education classes. Regular education teachers were less familiar with the least restrictive environment and were less interested in having a student with a disability in their classrooms. Only 67% of special education teachers indicated confidence in their own understanding of the least restrictive environment. Findings also show few formalized collaborative partnerships to help with student inclusion. (Contains 14 references.) [More] Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Accountability, Administrators, Disabilities
(2003). Testing High Stakes Tests: Can We Believe the Results of Accountability Tests? Civic Report. Many states have implemented high-stakes testing since the enactment of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Yet the question remains whether high-stakes tests effectively measure student proficiency. This report describes a study that compared results on high-stakes tests with results on other standardized tests not used for accountability purposes and thus considered low-stakes tests. Data for the comparisons were gathered from test scores from 5,587 schools in 9 school systems in 8 states. Scores were compared on each test given in the same subject in the same school year. When possible, the results of high-stakes and low-stakes tests given at the same grade levels were also compared. For all the school systems examined in the study, high correlations between score levels on high-stakes and low-stakes tests were found. Also found were some high correlations for year-to-year gains in scores on high-stakes and low-stakes tests. But the correlations of score gains were not as consistently high, and in some places were quite low. The report concludes that stakes of the tests do not distort information about the general level at which students are performing. (Contains 10 tables and 23 references.) [More] Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Accountability, Achievement Gains, Educational Assessment
(2003). The Nature of Science and Perceptual Frameworks: Emphasizing a More Balanced Approach to Science Instruction, Science Teacher. In today's climate of content standards and high-stakes testing, science teachers are under more pressure than ever to focus on the "ready-made" knowledge of science content. Yet, science educators have long advocated a more balanced approach to science instruction, including emphasis on the processes by which scientific knowledge is produced, as well as the characteristics of this knowledge. Unfortunately, the values and assumptions that go hand-in-hand with the production of scientific knowledge are seldom addressed in the classroom. Failing to address this "hidden" nature of science can result in serious misconceptions on the part of students regarding the strengths and weaknesses of the knowledge that science produces. In this article, the authors call on educators to address the tentative and sometimes subjective nature of science in the classroom to help students make sense of socio-scientific issues they will encounter. By showing that even careful scientists' observations and inferences are affected by cultural and social influences, teachers can help students understand that different viewpoints and controversy are to be expected, especially in the frontier realms of science. [More] Descriptors: Scientific Principles, Scientists, Values, Misconceptions
(2003). Wyoming Community Colleges Partnership Report, July 1, 2002-June 30, 2003. This document offers individual institution reports for partnership programs in Wyoming's seven community colleges. The colleges are: (1) Casper College; (2) Central Wyoming College; (3) Eastern Wyoming College; (4) Laramie County Community College; (5) Northwest College; (6) Sheridan College; and (7) Western Wyoming Community College. Wyoming community colleges establish and maintain numerous partnerships and agreements in recognition of the need for collaboration, diversity, and dedication. The partnerships differ from college to college, just as the communities in Wyoming differ from one another. Laramie County Community College, for example, offers brief descriptions of the following partnership programs: (1) Concurrent Enrollment; (2) Education Program Practicums, which provide classroom experience for education majors; (3) Government Internship Program, which collaborates with the State of Wyoming Legislative Services Office to place student interns with legislators; (4) Dental Hygiene Program; (5) Nursing Program; and (6) Collaborations with various universities and colleges regarding articulation agreements. Casper College offers brief descriptions of programs, which include the following: (1) ACT Center, which provides workforce development and advanced skills courses, as well as high stakes testing; and (2) North Casper Elementary School, which offers Adult Basic Education/GED courses partially funded by Casper College. [More] Descriptors: Academic Education, Adult Literacy, Community Colleges, Cooperative Planning
(2003). Assessing the Impact of Inquiry-Based Science Teaching in Professional Development Activities, PK-12. This paper defines the nature of purposeful science teaching, describing how two Virginia professional development programs for teachers utilized science faculty for instruction in inquiry-based science. Both projects involved summer institutes for teachers that modeled inquiry-based science teaching so that teachers could seriously implement the method in their classrooms. They distinguished between the use of hands-on and inquiry-based activities by focusing on the nature of science as open-ended investigation, rather than the replication of an experiment with predictable results. Surveys of participants in both programs examined the frequency of inquiry use in their classrooms and the influence that approach had on student achievement and motivation. Overall, teachers in both groups were using the inquiry approach less than once or week or at least once a week. There were some gains in student achievement, particularly with student problem solving, student participation in hands-on activities, teacher-made tests, and student recall of content. Teachers in both groups reported gains in student motivation due to the inquiry approach, even in the high-stakes testing environment. Respondents cited no negative effects on student achievement. Two appendixes present the survey and four figures. (Contains 16 references.) [More] Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Elementary Secondary Education, Faculty Development, Inquiry
(2003). Inadequate Societal Expectations for American Youth: Numerous but Acutely Contradictory. Youth did not create the circumstances in which they live, but adults often ignore mediating circumstances and blame and bash youth, instead of providing help and guidance. This is evident in policies and attitudes toward youth that are punitive and harsh in nature. Many adults see youth as a culture to be feared or devalued because the media characteristically present youth negatively, particularly in news stories. The educational terrain is no exception to this trend; the urgency to increase student achievement has persisted. Current students, however, face unprecedented circumstances in a high accountability, high-stakes testing environment, where labeling schools as failing on the front page of newspapers has become common practice. Youth should be viewed as a critical resource. This paper outlines eight factors that illustrate some of the many things about youth to celebrate and eight things that adults should be doing for youth. Drawing upon work by Mary McCaslin and Eleanor DiMarino-Linnen, the paper argues that one powerful way to think about affecting social change in attitudes toward youth, which ultimately would affect how youth are treated, is based on a small wins approach. It defines this approach as the acceptance of small successes in pursuit of larger, more complicated ones. (Contains 41 references, 1 figure, 2 tables, and 7 notes.) [More] Descriptors: Attitude Change, Expectation, Models, Social Change
(2011). Handbook of Special Education, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. Special education is now an established part of public education in the United States–by law and by custom. However, it is still widely misunderstood and continues to be dogged by controversies related to such things as categorization, grouping, assessment, placement, funding, instruction, and a variety of legal issues. The purpose of this 13-part, 57-chapter handbook is to help profile and bring greater clarity to this sprawling and growing field. To ensure consistency across the volume, chapter authors review and integrate existing research, identify strengths and weaknesses, note gaps in the literature, and discuss implications for practice and future research. Key features include: (1) Comprehensive Coverage; (2) Issues & Trends; (3) Categorical Chapters; and (4) Expertise. This book is an appropriate reference volume for anyone (researchers, scholars, graduate students, practitioners, policy makers, and parents) interested in the state of special education today: its research base, current issues and practices, and future trends. It is also appropriate as a textbook for graduate level courses in special education. This volume contains 13 parts. Part I, Historical and Contemporary Issues in Educating Exceptional Learners, contains: (1) A History of Special Education (Michael M. Gerber); (2) Contemporary Issues (James M. Kauffman, C. Michael Nelson, Richard L. Simpson, & Devery R. Mock); (3) Statistics, Data, and Special Educational Decisions: Basic Links to Realities (James M. Kauffman & John Wills Lloyd); (4) Designing Rigorous Group Studies in Special Education: Common Understandings of Efficacy, Effectiveness, and Evidence Standards (Lana Santoro, Russell Gersten, & Rebecca A. Newman-Gonchar); and (5) Special Education and Teacher Preparation (Margo Mastropieri, Tom Scruggs, & Sara Mills). Part II, Legal Aspects of Special Education, contains: (6) The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act: The Evolution of Special Education Law (Mitchell L. Yell, Antonis Katysiannis, & M. Renee Bradley); (7) Free Appropriate Public Education (Mitchell L. Yell & Jean B. Crockett); (8) Individualized Education Programs for Children with Disabilities (Barbara D. Bateman); and (9) Least Restrictive Environment (Michael Rozalski, Jason Miller, & Angie Stewart). Part III, The General Education Context of Special Education, contains: (10) Responsiveness to Intervention Models for Reducing Reading Difficulties and Identifying Learning Disability (Rollanda E. O'Connor & Victoria Sanchez); (11) Standards-Based Reforms and Students with Disabilities (Martha L. Thurlow & Rachel F. Quenemoen); (12) Co-Teaching for Students with Disabilities: A Critical Analysis of the Empirical Literature (Bryan G. Cook, Kimberly A. McDuffie, Linda Oshita, & Sara Cothren Cook); and (13) General and Special Education Are (and Should Be) Different (Naomi Zigmond & Amanda Kloo). Part IV, Categorical Issues in Special Education, contains: (14) Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (Edward A. Polloway, James R. Patton, & Marvalin A. Nelson); (15) Learning Disabilities (Paige C. Pullen, Holly B. Lane, Kristen E. Ashworth, & Shelly P. Lovelace); (16) Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (Karen J. Rooney); (17) Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (Timothy J. Landrum); (18) Communication Disorders (Filip Loncke); (19) Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students (Jean F. Andrews, Pamela C. Shaw, & Gabriel Lomas); (20) Blind and Low Vision (George J. Zimmerman & Kim Zebehazy); (21) Traumatic Brain Injury (Renee Lajiness-O'Neill & Laszlo A. Erdodi); (22) Current Issues and Trends in the Education of Children and Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders (Maureen A. Conroy, Janine P. Stichter, & Nicholas Gage); (23) Multiple and Severe Disabilities (Susan Bruce); and (24) Special Gifts and Talents (Carolyn M. Callahan). Part V, Assessment of Students with Disabilities, contains: (25) High-Stakes Testing and Accommodations (Jennifer H. Lindstrom); and (26) Academic Progress Monitoring (Sheri Berkeley & Paul J. Riccomini). Part VI, Policy and Administration of Special Education, contains: (27) Conceptual Models for Leading and Administrating Special Education (Jean B. Crockett); (28) Fiscal Policy and Funding for Special Education (Tom Parrish & Jenifer Harr-Robins); (29) Using Professional Standards to Inform Leadership in Special Education (Mary Lynn Boscardin); and (30) Factors Influencing Special Education Teacher Quality and Effectiveness (Bonnie S. Billingsley). Part VII, Instructional Issues for Students with High Incidence Cognitive Disabilities, contains: (31) Reading (Paige C. Pullen & Deanna B. Cash); (32) Writing and Students with Disabilities (Steve Graham & Karen R. Harris); (33) The Development of Arithmetic and Word-Problem Skill Among Students with Mathematics Disability (Lynn S. Fuchs, Sarah R. Powell, Pamela M. Seethaler, Paul T. Cirino, Jack M. Fletcher, Douglas Fuchs, & Carol L. Hamlett); (34) Science and Social Studies (Tom Scruggs, Margo Mastropieri, & Lisa Marshak); (35) Physical Education (Luke E. Kelly & Martin C. Block); (36) Career and Technical Education (Maureen A. Schloss & Philip L. Gunter); and (37) Technology and Academic Instruction Considerations for Students with High-Incidence Cognitive Disabilities (Cheryl A. Wissick & J. Emmet Gardner). Part VIII, Instructional Issues for Students with Low Incidence Cognitive Disabilities, contains: (38) Educating Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities: Historical Overview and Future Projections (Fred Spooner & Fredda Brown); (39) Systematic Instruction of Students with Severe Disabilities (Erik Drasgow, Mark Wolery, James Halle, & Zahra Hajiaghamohseni); (40) Instructional Contexts (John McDonnell); (41) Access to General Education Curriculum for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities (Mike L. Wehmeyer); and (42) Preparing Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities for Life Skills (Stacy K. Dymond). Part IX, Transition of Adults with High Incidence Disabilities, contains: (43) Transition to Post Secondary Education (Joseph W. Madaus & Manju Banerjee); (44) Choice Patterns and Behaviors of Work-Bound Youth with High Incidence Disabilities (Jay W. Rojewski & Noel Gregg); and (45) Transition to Independent Living, David Scanlon (Jim Patton, & Marshall Raskind). Part X, Transition of Adults with Low Incidence Disabilities, contains: (46) Preparing Students with Low Incidence Disabilities to Work in the Community (Katherine J. Inge & M. Sherril Moon); and (47) Preparing Students with Low-Incidence Disabilities for Community Living Opportunities (Jane M. Everson & Meghan H. Trowbridge). Part XI, Parent and Family Issues in Special Education, contains: (48) Parent Organizations (H. Rutherford Turnbull, III, Karrie Shogren, & Ann P. Turnbull); (49) Resilience in Families of Children with Disabilities: Risk and Protective Factors (George Singer, Christine Maul, Mian Wang, & Brandy Ethridge); and (50) Promoting Family Outcomes in Early Intervention (Don B. Bailey, Jr., Melissa Raspa, Betsy P. Humphreys, & Ann M. Sam). Part XII, Early Identification and Intervention in Exceptionality, contains: (51) Advances in Theory, Assessment and Intervention with Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities (Carl J. Dunst); (52) Early Intervention and Prevention of Disability: Preschoolers (Kathleen Marshall, William H. Brown, Maureen A. Conroy, & Herman Knopf); (53) Frameworks for Guiding Program Focus and Practices in Early Intervention (Patricia A. Snyder, Tara W. McLaughlin, & Maria K. Denney); and (54) Early Identification and Intervention in Gifted Education: Developing Talent in Diverse Learners (Catherine M. Brighton & Jane M. Jarvis). Part XIII, Cultural and International Issues in Special Education, contains: (55) Ethnicity and Exceptionality (Dimitris Anastasiou, Ralph Gardner, III, & Domna Michail); (56) Gender and Exceptionality (Martha J. Coutinho & Donald P. Oswald); and (57) International Differences in Provision for Exceptional Learners (Dimitris Anastasiou & Clayton Keller). [More] Descriptors: Special Education, Educational History, Educational Research, Research Design
(2003). Time in the Arts and Physical Education and School Achievement, Journal of Curriculum Studies. With the increase in state-mandated high-stakes testing across the USA, schools and school districts are considering ways of increasing instructional time for core curricular subjects such as mathematics, science, English, and social studies. One seemingly logical approach to improving test scores is to reduce the time spent in subjects that are not tested, most notably art, music, and physical education, thus increasing time for the tested subjects. In this study, data was collected from 547 Virginia elementary school principals who completed a survey indicating the time specialists taught art, music, and physical education in their schools. After controlling for socio-cultural opportunities associated with the school community, partial correlations between time allocation and school-level passing rates on the Virginia Standards of Learning tests indicated no meaningful relationship between time allocation to art, music, and physical education and school achievement. The findings from the study do not support the notion that a reduced time allocation to art, music, and physical education is related to higher test scores. [More] Descriptors: Time Management, Principals, Academic Achievement, Physical Education
(2004). The Organization and Administration of Special Services: Variations, Tensions, and Possibilities, International Journal of Educational Reform. Educational administrators are spending considerably more time and effort on issues involving special services for disadvantaged and special needs students than they have in the past. In light of current school improvement initiatives to improve the academic success for all students, it is likely that this will even increase. Passage of No Child Left Behind and changes in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) indicate Congress's commitment to reform teaching and learning. These laws now mandate that at-risk students and students with disabilities be included in high-stakes testing. Mandates such as these provide not only challenges, but also opportunities for local school districts to look at past practices differently and create new possibilities to restructure teaching and learning. If ever there was a time for administrators to be visionaries who can see new ways to use special services, it is now. The array of special services is vast, and the manner in which these services are organized differs from district to district and from school to school. When discussing special services, educators typically mean those services that fall under three umbrella categories: (a) special education; (b) related services; and (c) pupil services (also called pupil personnel services or student services). Although special education typically refers to the 13 disability areas identified in IDEA, related services and pupil services are less clear. This study explores the organization of special services, their integration with regular education, the profiles of the administrators responsible for special services, and the perceptions of centralized and school administrators that suggest possibilities for change. [More] Descriptors: Federal Legislation, Disabilities, Educational Change, Related Services (Special Education)