Education Commons^™

Using Motivational Theory With At-Risk Children, Rachel M. B. Collopy, Theresa Green

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

Rawsonville Elementary is a neighborhood school near Detroit, where the automotive industry is the major employer. Recent layoffs have affected many families in the area, and more than half of the school's 480 students receive reduced or free lunch. Of the district's six elementary schools, Rawsonville has been identified as most in need of Chapter 1 services. For years, the school improvement team had worked hard to improve student motivation and learning. Yet, something was still missing. The number of at-risk and underachieving students entering the school continued to increase.

At the same time, a group of researchers at the …

Preservice Teacher Education Using Flexible, Thematic Cohorts, Kenneth D. Peterson, Nancy Benson, Amy Driscoll, Ronald B. Narode, Douglas Sherman, Carol Tama

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

Describes one school of education's response to the call for reform, and outlines the qualities unique to institutional change experienced in its evolution from a four-year undergraduate program to a fifth-year graduate teacher preparation program featuring thematic cohorts of students. Profiles of four of the cohorts are presented.

Geographically, R.I. Teachers Are Among The Best, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Isn't it time that we recognize the good teachers and good work being done in the schools of this state rather than constantly harping on problems with education and how our students don't measure up to those in other countries?"

The Image Of The Teacher In Rural Colombia: An Inquiry Into Themes, Metaphors, And Implications For Education, Haleh Arbab

Doctoral Dissertations at the Center for International Education

This dissertation explores the meaning the rural inhabitants of the North of Cauca region in Colombia make of the rural primary school teacher. It examines the themes and metaphors used by rural teachers, community members, and youth to describe the teacher's present image, their perspectives on the possible changes, and the implications of these perceptions for future educational interventions.

The themes and metaphors that emerged alluded to two general images. The researcher has named these the portrait of the teacher as a hero and as an ordinary human being. The first, she proposes, is an ideal image that comes from …

I Never Knew I Could Stand Up To The System: Families' Perspectives On Pursuing Inclusive Education, Elizabeth Erwin, Leslie C. Soodak

Department of Teaching and Learning Scholarship and Creative Works

The purpose of this study was to investigate the experiences encountered by parents committed to inclusive education for their children with disabilities. In-depth interviews of nine study participants were analyzed to identify common themes related to their experiences and perceptions. Results revealed that parents desired inclusive education, because they viewed it as a fundamental right for their children. Most importantly, findings indicated that parents employed numerous strategies to obtain inclusive education for their children, often seeking assistance from the courts and media. These findings suggest the need for meaningful family and school collaboration.

Parents, Professionals, And Inclusive Education: A Call For Collaboration, Leslie C. Soodak, Elizabeth Erwin

Department of Teaching and Learning Scholarship and Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Reading Instruction In First-Grade Classrooms: Do Basals Control Teachers?, James V. Hoffman, Sarah J. Mccarthey, Debra Bayles, Debra Price, Bonnie Elliott, Mark Dressman, Judy Abbott

Faculty Publications

This study describes first-grade teachers beliefs and practices about reading instruction. Drawing from interview and observational data, 16 teachers from four districts were placed on a continuum from skills-based to literature-based in relationship to their use of the basal. Only 2 teachers were found to rely solely on the basal, while 3 teachers enhanced the basal with literature, and 4 teachers used only literature in their reading instruction. Six teachers enhanced their basal use with additional skills and 1 teacher relied on skills only in her reading instruction. This diversity' of teaching beliefs and practices was corroborated by questionnaire data …