Education & Pedagogy

"Alabama Education News" is published monthly except for June, July, and December by the Alabama Department of Education. This publication, authorized by Section 16-2-4 of the "Code of Alabama," as recompiled in 1975, is a public service of the Alabama Department of Education designed to inform citizens and educators about programs and goals of public education in Alabama. This issue contains the following articles: (1) Meeting the AYP Challenge, Closing the Achievement Gap = Rewards; (2) Dr. Harold Dodge Is Named 2006 Superintendent Of The Year; (3) State Career Tech Director Retires; (4) Schools Brace For Costly Winter Utility Bills; and (5) Stars Fell On Alabama Fourth-Graders. Regular features include: (1) Board Briefs; (2) Good News in Alabama Schools; (3) Awards, Opportunities and Professional Development; (4) Calendar; and (5) Teacher of the Month.

"Alabama Education News" is published monthly except for June, July, and December by the Alabama Department of Education. This publication, authorized by Section 16-2-4 of the "Code of Alabama," as recompiled in 1975, is a public service of the Alabama Department of Education designed to inform citizens and educators about programs and goals of public education in Alabama. This issue contains the following articles: (1) State Report Cards Provide More Accountability Data; (2) Using the Educational Ruler; and (3) 12 Standards for Effective Professional Development in Alabama. Regular features include: (1) Board Briefs; (2) Good News in Alabama Schools; (3) Awards, Opportunities and Professional Development; (4) Alabama Education in the News; (5) Calendar; and (6) Teacher of the Month.

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Focus on Dropout Factories: Associated Press Article Spotlights Low-Performing High Schools, Draws Criticism from Many School Officials; (2) "The High Cost of High School Dropouts": New Alliance Brief Pegs Cost of Class of 2007 Dropouts at $329 Billion; (3) Senate Passes Education Funding Bill by "Veto-Proof" Margin: Battle with the White House Over Spending Expected in Coming Weeks; (4) "Budget Showdown 2007": New Issue Brief Examines Facts Behind Education Funding; and (5) Who's SMART?: U.S. Department of Education Releases Grant Recipient Numbers for Academic Competitiveness and SMART Grants.

"Alabama Education News" is published monthly except for June, July, and December by the Alabama Department of Education. This publication, authorized by Section 16-2-4 of the "Code of Alabama", as recompiled in 1975, is a public service of the Alabama Department of Education designed to inform citizens and educators about programs and goals of public education in Alabama. This issue contains the following articles: (1) Great Gains in Proficiency Yet More Work to Do; (2) Points of Interest: News You Might Have Missed from the Alabama Department of Education; and (3) Statewide Parent Visitation Month. Regular features include: (1) Good News in Alabama Schools; (2) Board Briefs; (3) Awards, Opportunities and Professional Development; (4) Calendar; and (5) Teacher of the Month.

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Democrats Consider Leftover Spending Bills: Coalition of Health and Education Advocates Pushes for $2 Billion in Additional Spending; (2) "Tough Choices or Tough Times": New Commission Recommends Radical Changes to American Education System; (3) "From Cradle to Career": "Education Week" Report Stresses Education as a Continuum, Highlights States Providing the Best Opportunity for Student Success; and (4) "Fiscal Survey of the States": With Budget Surpluses, States Restore Funding to Previously Cut Programs, Keep a Careful Watch on Changes in the Economy and Medicaid Costs.

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) "Great Expectations": Parents Expect Children to Pursue Postsecondary Education but Don't Think Schools Provide Enough College Planning Information; (2) "Writing... LOL!": Report Finds That Teenagers Do Not Consider Instant Messaging, Texting to be Writing; (3) "National Indian Education Study": Fewer Than One in Five American Indian and Alaska Native Eighth Graders Read At or Above Grade Level; and (4) Are State Standards Up to Standard?: For Many States, AFT [American Federation of Teachers] Says No. (Contains 1 footnote.)

America's economic productivity and competitiveness are grounded in education. The public schools and the higher education institutions alike are falling behind those of other nations. This paper recommends four policy proposals that offer substantial promise for improving American education, are achievable and have low costs. These recommendations are: (1) Choosing K-12 curriculum based on evidence of effectiveness; (2) Evaluating teachers in ways that meaningfully differentiate levels of performance; (3) Accrediting online education providers so they can compete with traditional schools across district and state lines; and (4) Providing the public with information that will allow comparison of the labor market outcomes and price of individual postsecondary degree and certificate programs.

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) More Good, Less Bad, and Still Need for Improvement: Latest International Test Reveals U.S. Progress in Math and Narrowing Achievement Gaps, but No Improvement in Science; (2) Economic Woes Hit States: Education Spending Cut as Recession Affects State and Local Budgets; (3) Measuring Up: Report Finds States Make Little to No Improvement in Providing Access to College and Ensuring Success; and (4) New Brief Examines the Role of Career and Technical Education in Career Guidance. (Contains 1 footnote.)

This paper presents the annual report of the Consolidated Grant Title V, Part A: Innovative Programs for the fiscal year 2008-2009. This report contains three sections. Section I, "Progress Report by Program", contains the following programs: (1) Local Education Reform Plan To Improve Reading, Math, and Language Arts; (2) Reading and Math Reform Programs; (3) Improving Teacher Quality; (4) Expanded Learning Opportunities; (5) Alternative School Program; (6) Cooperative Education Services; (7) Technology Education; (8) Integrating Science and Allied Health; (9) Gifted and Talented Education; (10) Private, Non-Profit Schools Program Participation; and (11) Education Technology. Section II focuses on participating schools data. Section III focuses on financial expenditure data. Individual programs contain tables.

This report shows that over time more American Indian/Alaska Native students have completed high school and gone on to college and that their attainment expectations have substantially increased in the past 20 years. Despite these gains, progress has been uneven and differences persist between American Indian/Alaska Native and White students on key indicators of educational performance. This report is organized into the following four sections: (1) Demographic Overview; (2) Preprimary, Elementary, and Secondary Education; (3) Postsecondary Education; (4) and Outcomes of Education. The data in this reports draws on many different surveys, including from the National Center for Education Statistics. In addition to data from the National Center for Education Statistics, this report draws from federal agencies and other organizations.

This Issue Brief examines postsecondary vocational education within the context of all undergraduate education. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has traditionally reported data on postsecondary vocational education using a taxonomy that divides subbaccalaureate postsecondary education into academic and vocational areas of study (Choy and Horn 1992; Levesque et al. 2000). To better reflect the correspondence between instructional fields and the educational requirements of careers in today's economy, NCES recently developed the new taxonomy described in this Issue Brief. The new taxonomy classifies all undergraduate majors as academic majors or career majors. Because federal law defines vocational education as instruction for careers below the baccalaureate level, the new taxonomy further divides career majors into subbaccalaureate and baccalaureate level majors. At the baccalaureate level, career majors are considered nonvocational and at the subbaccalaureate level they are considered vocational.

This book examines issues of citizenship, citizenship education, and social change in China, exploring the complexity of interactions among global forces, the nation-state, local governments, schools, and individuals--including students--in selecting and identifying with elements of citizenship and citizenship education in a multileveled polity. It also provides a clear, detailed guide to studies on China, discussing the country's responses to global challenges and social transitions for over a century--from its military defeats by foreign powers in the 1840s to its rise as a world power in the early 21st century--on its path toward reviving the nation and making a modern Chinese citizenry. "Citizenship and Citizenship Education in a Global Age" is accessible to readers in the fields of sociology, globalization, citizenship studies, comparative education, and China's development.

Adult literacy is a long-lasting issue in modern US and adult literacy education often falls off the radar of the support system for education. This study examined and synthesized extensive literature relevant to adult literacy education with a focus on minorities in the US. It identified progresses and challenges in three major issues in adult literacy education: leadership, retention and funding. Although gains have been achieved in this field during the past few decades, there are still a lot of barriers that necessitate strengthened efforts in various social sectors to advance adult education for minorities. This study attempted to illuminate solutions for the problems faced by adult literacy education for minorities and generate perspectives for policy makers, adult literacy educators, administrators and researchers in this field.

Culturally based education (CBE) grounds high quality instructional practices in culturally and linguistically relevant contexts. CBE is more than teaching language and culture as special projects, it is a systematic approach fully incorporating and integrating specific cultural ways of thinking, learning, and problem-solving into educational practice. For Native students these approaches include recognizing and utilizing Native languages as a first or second language, pedagogy that incorporates traditional cultural characteristics and involves teaching strategies that are harmonious with the Native culture knowledge and contemporary ways of knowing and learning. The National Indian Education Association (NIEA) is witnessing a broad-based reduction and diminishment of culturally based education in schools which provide an effective and meaningful education for Native students. This paper offers recommendations that will help expand culturally based education in schools.

Since the mid-1990s, constituency building and advocacy for better public education have grown steadily in New York City. "Working Together to Achieve Greater Impact" explores how that growth was fueled by the Donors' Education Collaborative of New York, which pools its members' financial resources and expertise to advance shared grantmaking goals. The case study illustrates the importance--and challenges--of the sixth of Grantmakers for Education's eight Principles for Effective Education Grantmaking: "leverage," "influence" and "collaboration." [For the full report, "Working Together to Achieve Greater Impact: The Donors' Education Collaborative of New York City. Principles for Effective Education Grantmaking. Case Study Number 3," see ED537197.]