This book explores future directions in Singaporean education as it moves beyond its historically formative goals of survival, efficiency and performance, and its emphasis on grades and formal credentialing. It examines the future of education via the 4Life framework, a four-form model for purposeful learning centered around social-emotional regulation and the well-being of the individual learner: Life-long learning, the learning that occurs over a learner's lifespan; Life-deep learning, a deep understanding of learned content and adaptive expertise; Life-wide learning, learning in multiple contexts besides the school environment; and Life-wise learning, learning which focuses on the learner's values, morals, character and historical empathy. This book also illustrates how purposeful learning serves to equip learners with the knowledge, skills, dispositions and competencies they need to thrive as adaptive workers in the economy of the future.

This handbook examines what education would look like if it prepared gifted students to transform the world—to make it a better place for all, not just for those who receive extra resources from schools in return for being labeled as “gifted.” The editors explore how transformationally gifted people can seek to make the world a better and more just place: they try to make a positive, meaningful, and possibly enduring contribution to changing things in the world that are not working. They do not view “giftedness” merely as a transaction whereby, in exchange for being labeled as “gifted,” they accrue benefits to themselves: such as a more prestigious education, more income, or residence in a more exclusive community. The overarching aim of this book is to present conceptions of what identification and instruction of the gifted would look like if the focus of gifted education was transformational rather than transactional. What if gifted education did not focus so much on acceleration vs. enrichment, or pull-out versus in-class integration, but rather on how to be gifted in giving back—in using one’s gifts to create a better world?

The quality of school leadership has a big impact on improvement and inspection outcomes. Good school leaders ensure that their teachers have the resources they need to be successful. They also create a positive culture where teachers feel supported and appreciated. This leads to better morale and higher retention rates. Additionally, good school leaders can effectively communicate the school's vision to all stakeholders. This ensures that everyone is on the same page and working towards the same goals. Restructuring Leadership for School Improvement and Reform investigates cooperation, staff development, resource supply, vision transparency, workplace stress management, and professional development for school leaders as methods for creating a healthy school culture. This premier reference source is ideal for administrators, instructional designers, researchers, academicians, scholars, practitioners, instructors, and students.

Intervention Research in Learning Disabilities is based on proceedings of the Symposium on Intervention Research sponsored by the Division for Learning Disabilities (DLD) of the Council for Exceptional Children and held at Purdue University, November 14-16, 1988. It presents a wide range of critical issues and insights, both theoretical and practical, related to research with learning disabled individuals. The book is divided into four broad sections: issues in intervention research, academic interventions, social and behavioral interventions, and postsecondary interventions. It considers both present and future directions of such research. Topics explored include variance and verities in learning disability interventions, instruction derived from the strategy deficit model, enhancement of academic performance with mnemonic instruction, the content enhancement model for promoting content acquisition, interactive teaching and learning, social skills training (and an alternative approach to social skills training), the use of schema in research on the problem solving of learning disabled adolescents, and intervention effectiveness at the postsecondary level.

Implement standards-based grading practices that help students succeed! Classroom assessment methods should help students develop to their full potential, but meshing traditional grading practices with students’ achievement on standards has been difficult. Making lasting changes to grading practices requires both knowledge and willpower. Discover eight guidelines for good grading, recommendations for practical applications, and suggestions for implementing new grading practices as well as: ? The why’s and the how-to’s of implementing standards-based grading practices ? Tips from 48 nationally and internationally known authors and consultants ? Additional information on utilizing level scores rather than percentages ? Reflective exercises ? Techniques for managing grading more efficiently

Because fluency practice is not a worksheet. Fluency in mathematics is more than adeptly using basic facts or implementing algorithms. Real fluency involves reasoning and creativity, and it varies by the situation at hand. Figuring Out Fluency in Mathematics Teaching and Learning offers educators the inspiration to develop a deeper understanding of procedural fluency, along with a plethora of pragmatic tools for shifting classrooms toward a fluency approach. In a friendly and accessible style, this hands-on guide empowers educators to support students in acquiring the repertoire of reasoning strategies necessary to becoming versatile and nimble mathematical thinkers. It includes: "Seven Significant Strategies" to teach to students as they work toward procedural fluency. Activities, fluency routines, and games that encourage learning the efficiency, flexibility, and accuracy essential to real fluency. Reflection questions, connections to mathematical standards, and techniques for assessing all components of fluency. Suggestions for engaging families in understanding and supporting fluency. Fluency is more than a toolbox of strategies to choose from; it’s also a matter of equity and access for all learners. Give your students the knowledge and power to become confident mathematical thinkers.

Let evidence and integrity guide your grading practice If you want to ask a polarizing question in education, ask someone their thoughts on grading. Few topics have elicited more interest or opinions, even though grading practices have remained relatively unchanged for years. But opinions are not evidence. The time has come to get it right with a fresh approach grounded in research and the principles of integrity. Grading With Integrity introduces a measured approach to grading reform based on honesty, transparency, accuracy, and equity with recommendations backed by clear and trustworthy evidence. Addressing the many "whys’’ involved, this thoughtfully organized book addresses central questions related to grading and reporting student learning, covering: An historical overview of grading and reporting practices A discussion of standards-based and competency-based grading Recommendations for reporting non academic learning goals separately from academic achievement, to accurately reflect students′ performance Suggestions for reporting growth and improvement, using specific assessments and other reporting tools An infallible argument for grading with integrity This book is a must-read for K-12 classroom teachers and administrators who are looking to implement better and more defensible grading and reporting policies and practices. Let evidence and integrity be your guide to enhancing students’ best interests and learning success.

This book explores how educators can realize the potential of critical place-based pedagogy. The authors’ model leverages the power of technology through strategies such as mobile mapping so that students can read the world and share spatial narratives. The same complexity that makes spaces outside the classroom ideal for authentic, purposeful learning creates challenges for educators who must minimize students taking wrong turns or reaching dead ends. Instructional design process is key and the authors offer exemplars of this from multiple disciplines. Whether students are exploring a local community or a natural environment, place-based inquires must include recognition of privilege and the social dynamics that reinforce inequalities. Concluding with a discussion of the changing social context, the authors highlight how contemporary events add a sense of urgency to the call for a critical place-based pedagogy—one that is more inclusive for all students.

With high teacher attrition rates, low pay, and constantly shifting standards, the education system desperately requires a fresh approach. Yet, dedicated teachers continue to enter the classroom with a genuine desire to make a lasting impact on their students' lives. Impactful Classroom Experiences in Elementary Schools: Practices and Policies delves into the challenges and opportunities of American elementary education. It offers teachers research-grounded ideas to develop and deliver engaging learning experiences that enhance students' conceptual understanding. The book focuses on positive strategies for creating meaningful classroom experiences, such as building safe and supportive environments, nurturing curiosity, and encouraging calculated risk-taking. It explores topics like play, communication with families, and nature, highlighting how failure can be a learning opportunity and empowering student expression. Additionally, the book provides practical tips and step-by-step directions for teachers to recreate successful experiences in engaging science, math, and social studies lessons. Impactful Classroom Experiences in Elementary Schools offers educators a roadmap to transform their classrooms into vibrant hubs of learning and personal growth. By incorporating research-backed methods and fostering a love of learning in a supportive atmosphere, teachers can create meaningful connections between students' emotions and their conceptual understanding. This invaluable resource equips teachers with the tools they need to make a lasting impact on their students' educational journey, enabling them to deliver joyful and transformative learning experiences in the elementary school setting.

A visionary blueprint for educational reform that envisions school systems as opportunity engines, preparing young citizens for future workplace success, civic engagement, and fulfilling lives. Educating for Purposeful Life documents positive change within the Anaheim Union High School District, whose overarching mission is to prepare high school graduates who possess a clear sense of purpose and the capacity to achieve their goals. Superintendent Michael Matsuda and education consultant David Brazer lay out the district's innovative approaches to organizing, leading, teaching, and learning. They demonstrate how education policy, organization theory, and external partnerships work together within this grades 7–12 district to scaffold student success, resulting in greater high school graduation rates and four-year college matriculation and persistence rates. A rousing account of effective school reform, this work illuminates the district's Career Preparedness Systems Framework, which integrates affective and cognitive development opportunities, trade and professional development programs, and community engagement efforts. Matsuda and Brazer show how this framework, combined with a strengths-based approach that recognizes and affirms students' individual life experiences, helps meet the educational needs of all students, including those from traditionally underserved populations. Presenting secondary education as a means to support democracy, address employability gaps, and elevate student voice and purpose, this thought-provoking work provides ample ideas for how other districts might engage in educating for purposeful life.