Contemporary concepts and evidence-based practices prepare new teachers for their roles in the education and well-being of students with disabilities and other special needs. Marilyn Friend combines research-informed concepts and skills with practical information for educators working in this challenging age of high standards and accountability, curriculum access, inclusive practices, professional collaboration, and student diversity. The third edition integrates the requirements of the NCLB and IDEA legislation with evidence-based practices so that readers understand the expectations for educators and students, and learn how critical concepts translate into educational practices. Real People, Real Classrooms:"Chapter Opening Vignettes "describe the experiences of three different students of varying ages as they relate to the topics discussed in each chapter and are referenced at key points in the chapter."Firsthand Account"features real life stories from teachers, students, parents, and school professionals sharing their own experiences and perspectives relating to life and learning with special needs."""Speaking from Experience "features capture the insights and advice of experienced teachers on topics ranging from working effectively with colleagues to finding ways to juggle all the responsibilities of being a special educator to addressing a variety of professional challenges, including those related to student behavior and family concerns.Real Research:Instruction in Action highlight teaching application for intensive instruction delivered by special education teachers in various educational settings.Positive Behavioral Supports illustrates the many positive, proactive ways to address students' behavior/social issues as part of overall classroom teaching and learning.Cutting Edge InformationTechnology Notes features showcase fascinating instructional and assistive technology applications for teaching students with exceptional needs in special educational settings as well as links to information that can help beginning teachers plan their lessons, motivate their students, and keep abreast of their rapidly changing field.Professional Edge features describe conceptual materials and cutting edge information that connect theory to practice.

    Marzano provides an in-depth exploration of what he calls one of the most powerful weapons in a teacher's arsenal. An effective standards-based, formative assessment program can help to dramatically enhance student achievement throughout the K-12 system, Marzano says. Drawing from his own and others' extensive research, the author provides comprehensive answers to questions such as these:* What are the characteristics of an effective assessment program?* How can educators use national and state standards documents as a basis for creating a comprehensive, topic-based assessment system?* What types of assessment items and tasks are best suited to measuring student progress in mastering information, mental procedures, and psychomotor procedures?* Why does the traditional point system used for scoring often lead to incorrect conclusions about a student's actual knowledge?* What types of scoring and final grading systems provide the most accurate portrayal of a student's progress along a continuum of learning?In addition to providing teachers with all the tools they need to create a better assessment system, Classroom Assessment and Grading That Work makes a compelling case for the potential of such a system to transform the culture of schools and districts, and to propel K-12 education to new levels of effectiveness and efficiency.

    To get there, they explain, educators need to build a "nest"--a positive learning environment shaped by three new Rs of education: relationship, responsibility, and regulation.Drawing from their extensive experience working with schools, students, and families throughout the country, the authorsExplain how to create a culture of safety in which everyone feels valued, important, and capable of learning. Describe the four areas of need--emotional, relational, physical, and control--that drive student behaviors and show how to meet these needs with interventions framed around the new three Rs. Illustrate trauma-invested practices in action through real scenarios that identify students' unmet needs, examine the situation from five stakeholder perspectives, and suggest interventions to support students and their families. Offer opportunities to challenge your beliefs and develop deeper and different ways of thinking about your role in your students' lives. Educators have a unique opportunity to influence students' learning, attitudes, and futures. This book will invigorate your practice and equip you to empower those you serve--whatever their personal histories.

    Reckless. Impractical. Insecure. Distracted. These are all words commonly used to describe adolescents. But what if we recast these traits in a positive light? Teens possess insight, passion, idealism, sensitivity, and creativity in abundance--all qualities that can make a significant positive contribution to society.In this thought-provoking book, Thomas Armstrong looks at the power and promise of the teenage brain from an empathetic, strength-based perspective--and describes what middle and high school educators can do to make the most of their students' potential.Thoroughly grounded in current neuroscience research, the book explains what we know about how the adolescent brain works and proposes eight essential instructional elements that will help students develop the ability to think, make healthy choices, regulate their emotions, handle social conflict, consolidate their identities, and learn enough about the world to move into adulthood with dignity and grace.Armstrong provides practical strategies and real-life examples from schools that illustrate these eight key practices in action. In addition, you'll find a glossary of brain terms, a selection of brain-friendly lesson plans across the content areas, and a list of resources to support and extend the book's ideas and practices.There is a colossal mismatch between how the adolescent brain has evolved over the millennia and the passive, rote learning experiences that are all too common in today's test-obsessed educational climate. See the amazing difference--in school and beyond--when you use the insights from this book to help students tap into the power of their changing brains.

    Moss and Susan M. Brookhart contend that improving student learning and achievement happens in the immediacy of an individual lesson--what they call today's lesson--or it doesn't happen at all.The key to making today's lesson meaningful? Learning targets. Written from students' point of view, a learning target describes a lesson-sized chunk of information and skills that students will come to know deeply. Each lesson's learning target connects to the next lesson's target, enabling students to master a coherent series of challenges that ultimately lead to important curricular standards.Drawing from the authors' extensive research and professional learning partnerships with classrooms, schools, and school districts, this practical book- Situates learning targets in a theory of action that students, teachers, principals, and central-office administrators can use to unify their efforts to raise student achievement and create a culture of evidence-based, results-oriented practice. - Provides strategies for designing learning targets that promote higher-order thinking and foster student goal setting, self-assessment, and self-regulation. - Explains how to design a strong performance of understanding, an activity that produces evidence of students' progress toward the learning target. - Shows how to use learning targets to guide summative assessment and grading. Learning Targets also includes reproducible planning forms, a classroom walk-through guide, a lesson-planning process guide, and guides to teacher and student self-assessment.What students are actually doing during today's lesson is both the source of and the yardstick for school improvement efforts. By applying the insights in this book to your own work, you can improve your teaching expertise and dramatically empower all students as stakeholders in their own learning.

    He has sung "Happy Birthday" 657 times. A witness to the joys of discovery, Done inspires readers with the everyday adventures and milestones of his 32 third graders in this irresistible collection of bite-sized essays. From the nervous first day of school to the hectic Halloween parade to the disastrous spring musical, Done connects what happens in his classroom to the universal truths that touch us all. He reminds us of the delight of learning something for the first time and of the value of making a difference. 32 Third Graders and One Class Bunny is for anyone who has ever taught children -- or been to third grade. It is a testament to the kids who uplift us -- and the teachers we will never forget. With just the right mix of humor and wisdom, Done reveals the enduring promise of elementary school as a powerful antidote to the cynicism of our times.

    This unique budgetary survival guide will enhance your instructional, technical, and managerial skills not only as the school′s leader but also as the school′s visionary, planning coordinator, and budgeting manager.

    These 6 Things is all about streamlining your practice so that you’re teaching smarter, not harder, and kids are learning, doing, and flourishing in ELA and content-area classrooms. In this essential resource, teachers will receive: Proven, classroom-tested advice delivered in an approachable, teacher-to-teacher style that builds confidence Practical strategies for streamlining instruction in order to focus on key beliefs and literacy-building activities Solutions and suggestions for the most common teacher and student “hang-ups” Numerous recommendations for deeper reading on key topics

    This book has been praised for its unique components: discussion of "four stages" of reading texts and "three phases" of teaching texts. The authors' many years of experience teaching English are obvious throughout the material, but nowhere more so than in their straightforward presentation of organization and planning for instruction and their firm stand on teaching grammar. This book covers the challenging and the controversial in English instruction and explores censorship, national standards, high-stakes testing, multi-lingual students, and multicultural literature. For professionals in the field of teaching.

     Blended learning allows a partnership that gives teachers more time and energy to innovate and personalize learning while providing students the opportunity to be active agents driving their own growth. Balance With Blended Learning provides teachers with strategies to actively engage students in setting goals, monitoring development, reflecting on growth, using feedback, assessing work quality, and communicating their progress with parents. It includes Practical strategies for teachers who are overwhelmed by their workloads Vignettes written by teachers across disciplines Ready-to-use templates to help students track their progress Stories from the author's experience as a teacher and blended learning coach

    This highly practical and accessible resource gives special and general education teachers the tools to implement explicit instruction in any grade level or content area. The authors are leading experts who provide clear guidelines for identifying key concepts, skills, and routines to teach; designing and delivering effective lessons; and giving students opportunities to practice and master new material. Sample lesson plans, lively examples, and reproducible checklists and teacher worksheets enhance the utility of the volume. Purchasers can also download and print the reproducible materials for repeated use. Video clips demonstrating the approach in real classrooms are available at the authors' website: www.explicitinstruction.org. See also related DVDs from Anita Archer: Golden Principles of Explicit Instruction; Active Participation: Getting Them All Engaged, Elementary Level; and Active Participation: Getting Them All Engaged, Secondary Level

    Eye-opening even for experienced faculty and administrators, this book reveals how the traditional college culture can actually pose obstacles to students' success, and suggests strategies for effectively explaining academic expectations.

    They did that—and more. In their early twenties, by sheer force of talent and determination never to take no for an answer, they created a wildly successful fifth-grade experience that would grow into the Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP), which today includes sixty-six schools in nineteen states and the District of Columbia. KIPP schools incorporate what Feinberg and Levin learned from America's best, most charismatic teachers: lessons need to be lively; school days need to be longer (the KIPP day is nine and a half hours); the completion of homework has to be sacrosanct (KIPP teachers are available by telephone day and night). Chants, songs, and slogans such as "Work hard, be nice" energize the program. Illuminating the ups and downs of the KIPP founders and their students, Mathews gives us something quite rare: a hopeful book about education.

    Sounds simple enough, right? Unfortunately, rubrics are commonly misunderstood and misused.The good news is that when rubrics are created and used correctly, they are strong tools that support and enhance classroom instruction and student learning. In this comprehensive guide, author Susan M. Brookhart identifies two essential components of effective rubrics: (1) criteria that relate to the learning (not the tasks) that students are being asked to demonstrate and (2) clear descriptions of performance across a continuum of quality. She outlines the difference between various kinds of rubrics (for example, general versus task-specific, and analytic versus holistic), explains when using each type of rubric is appropriate, and highlights examples from all grade levels and assorted content areas. In addition, Brookhart addresses* Common misconceptions about rubrics;* Important differences between rubrics and other assessment tools such as checklists and rating scales, and when such alternatives can be useful; and* How to use rubrics for formative assessment and grading, including standards-based grading and report card grades.Intended for educators who are already familiar with rubrics as well as those who are not, this book is a complete resource for writing effective rubrics and for choosing wisely from among the many rubrics that are available on the Internet and from other sources. And it makes the case that rubrics, when used appropriately, can improve outcomes by helping teachers teach and helping students learn.