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What Does Effective PreK Teaching Look Like?
by Michael Sadowski on January 1, 2006
The new requirement that preK teachers in New Jersey’s Abbott districts hold a bachelor’s degree is based on the assumption that this credential makes a difference in the quality of instruction a teacher provides. Experts differ on whether a bachelor’s degree by itself can make someone a better teacher. But a number of studies have pointed to specific benefits of the degree when it is combined with specialized instruction in early childhood education.
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Bridging the PreK–Elementary Divide: Concerns about early achievement gaps prompt programs that link prekindergarten with elementary school
by Sue Miller Wiltz on July 1, 2005
Nap time is over, and most of the students in Miwa Takahashi’s prekindergarten class at T. T. Minor Elementary School have put away their sleeping mats and split into two groups. Eight youngsters take seats at a table with their teacher, while nine others gather around an instructional assistant a few yards away. It’s time for one of their favorite daily activities: Plan-Do-Review.
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Three Promising Initiatives: From "Bridging the PreK–Elementary Divide"
by Sue Miller Wiltz on July 1, 2005
States and districts throughout the country are experimenting with innovative approaches to preschool and its relationship to early elementary education.
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High School Reform the San Jose Way: It wasn't about testing, says the district's former superintendent
by Robert Rothman on May 1, 2005
Although high school improvement in response to California’s test-based accountability system has generally been slow, the San Jose Unified School District has stood out by showing impressive gains. Yet according to former superintendent Linda T. Murray, the improvement has had little to do with the state’s accountability system.
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Volcanoes and Huesos: An Intelligent Museum in El Paso
by Sue Miller Wiltz on January 1, 2004
On a recent weekday afternoon, a purple bus filled with excited three- and four-year-olds pulls up outside the new Head Start IntelliZeum on El Paso’s sprawling North Side. With the help of teachers and parents, the youngsters clamber down the steps and are ushered in groups of eight inside the sparkling, 2754-square-foot facility to an interactive exhibit known as the Dinosaur Time Zone.
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Making the Case for Heroes
by Peter H. Gibbon on July 1, 2002
What made Abraham Lincoln rise from poverty and obscurity to become a wise, cunning, and compassionate president? How did he carry on during the Civil War when his son died and his generals failed? After southerners offered $40,000 for Harriet Tubman's capture, why did she repeatedly return to Maryland to rescue slaves she did not know? Why did the villagers of Le Chambon risk their lives to hide Jews from the Germans? What made Sir Thomas More defy his friend Henry VIII and die for the Catholic Church?
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The Happy Meeting of Multiple Intelligences and the Arts
by Howard Gardner on November 1, 1999
Contrary to what you may have heard, there is no part of the mind/brain that is dedicated specifically to the arts. Indeed, I don't believe that our species evolved over thousands of years to be able to be able to participate in the arts, except for the obvious fact that most of us are able to carry a tune or draw a house or dance in time, more or less. However, we are the kind of species that can learn to carry on those activities that are valued by our culture. And so, when we find ourselves in an environment where certain activities are held in high regards, and where we are given the opportunity to engage in those activities, most of us will turn out to be pretty good.
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Facts, Not Fads in Title I Reform
by Gary Orfield on November 1, 1999
It requires hard work to foster and keep good schools in poor communities, and that work has never been so important. With the trend toward resegregation and with the virtual abolishment of affirmative action, Title I remains one of the few means to narrow the achievement gap between affluent and disadvantaged children.
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Tinkering with Title I
by Kelly Graves-Desai on November 1, 1999
The debate continues about how to reauthorize Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the federal program that provides $8 billion to K-12 schools with high proportions of economically disadvantaged students. The discussion has examined how well the 1994 amendments have been implemented and how they should be refined.
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Teaching Teachers to Work with Families: A new study by the Harvard Family Research Project recommends substantial changes in how teachers are trained and certified
by Leon Lynn on September 1, 1997
At the heart of any successful parent-involvement program are teachers who are not only committed to building family and school relationships, but who also have the skills and knowledge to do it well. To succeed, a teacher must be able to make good use of families' expertise and resources, at the same time reaching out to families to support them. All the while, the teacher must also meet the day-to-day challenges of the classroom.
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