The focus of this book extends the discourse on student engagement beyond prescriptive definitions and includes substantive ethical and political issues relating to this concept. As such, this collection includes voices of educational theorists, practitioners, and students. It provides a counter discourse to the current dialogue on student engagement in educational theory and practice which equate it primarily with behavioral and attitudinal characteristics including student compliance and qualities of teaching or teachers. In this collection, engagement is not viewed simply as a matter of techniques, strategies or behaviours. Rather, the understandings of student engagement presented, while distinct from each other, are imbued with a common vision of education for democratic transformation or reconstruction as operational for and in democratic communities. Contributors to this volume examine issues of the purpose of student engagement, and the question of the criteria, standards, and norms which are used to determine the quality and degree of engagement, and ultimately whether or not all forms of student engagement are equally worthwhile. This collection is intended for use in teacher and administrator preparation programs as well as school and district professional development initiatives.

Discover the teaching practices that make the biggest difference in student performance! This practical, research-based book gives principals, teachers, and school administrators a direct, inside look at instructional practices from top award-winning urban schools. The authors provide detailed examples and analyses of these practices, and successfully demystify the achievement of these schools. They offer practical guides to help educators apply these successful practices in their own schools. Teaching Practices from America's Best Urban Schools will be a valuable tool for any educator in both urban and non-urban schools-schools that serve diverse student populations, including English language learners and children from low-income families.

Although STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) has been diversely defined by various researchers (e.g. Buck Institute, 2003; Capraro & Slough, 2009; Scott, 2009; Wolf, 2008), during the last decade, STEM education has gained an increasing presence on the national agenda through initiatives from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Institute for Educational Sciences (IES). The rate of technological innovation and change has been tremendous over the past ten years, and this rapid increase will only continue. STEM literacy is the power to “identify, apply, and integrate concepts from science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to understand complex problems and to innovate to solve them” (Washington State STEM, 2011, Internet). In order for U.S. students to be on the forefront of this revolution, ALL of our schools need to be part of the STEM vision and guide students in acquiring STEM literacy. Understanding and addressing the challenge of achieving STEM literacy for ALL students begins with an understanding of its element and the connections between them. In order to remain competitive, the Committee on Prospering in the Global Economy has recommended that the US optimize “its knowledge-based resources, particularly in science and technology” (National Academies, 2007, p. 4). Optimizing knowledge-based resources needs to be the goal but is also a challenge for ALL educators (Scheurich & Huggins, 2009). Regardless, there is little disagreement that contemporary society is increasingly dependent on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and thus comprehensive understandings are essential for those pursuing STEM careers. It is also generally agreed that PK-12 students do not do well in STEM areas, both in terms of national standards and in terms of international comparisons (Kuenzi, Matthews, & Mangan, 2006; Capraro, Capraro, Yetkiner, Corlu, Ozel, Ye, & Kim, 2011). The question then becomes what might PK-12 schools do to improve teachers’ and students’ STEM knowledge and skills? This book will look at equity and access issues in STEM education from PK-12, university, and administrative and policy lenses.

Handbook of Student Engagement Interventions: Working with Disengaged Students provides an understanding of the factors that contribute to student disengagement, methods for identifying students at risk, and intervention strategies to increase student engagement. With a focus on translating research into best practice, the book pulls together the current research on engagement in schools and empowers readers to craft and implement interventions. Users will find reviews on evidence-based academic, behavioral, social, mental health, and community-based interventions that will help increase all types of engagement. The book looks at ways of reducing suspensions through alternative disciplinary practices, the role resiliency can play in student engagement, strategies for community and school collaborations in addressing barriers to engagement, and what can be learned from students who struggled in school, but succeeded later in life. It is a hands-on resource for educators, school psychologists, researchers, and students looking to gain insight into the research on this topic and the strategies that can be deployed to promote student engagement. - Presents practical strategies for engagement intervention and assessment - Covers early warning signs of disengagement and how to use these signs to promote engagement - Reviews contextual factors (families, peers, teachers) related to engagement - Focuses on increasing engagement and school completion for all students - Emphasizes multidimensional approaches to disengagement

Engage students as true partners in learning Instead of disruptions, avoidance, and withdrawal, your learners could be participating, investing, and driving their learning experience. It’s time to reimagine student engagement! Focused around three essential goals, Reimagining Student Engagement develops a new vocabulary for real classrooms, proposes an engagement model positioning students as active partners in the learning process, and embeds the concept of engagement into the teaching and learning process. Inside you’ll find: Reflection prompts that connect ideas to experiences Vignettes illustrating common conceptions of engagement as well as challenges Case studies showcasing real teachers using engagement strategies with learners Practical classroom strategies and tips for application When you reimagine student engagement, you’ll see your students as true agents of their own learning and provide them with the motivational resources that fuel collaboration and school success.

A seven-step plan for really engaging our urban students! One of the most immediate challenges in K–12 schools lies in implementing powerful pedagogy which emotionally, intellectually, and behaviorally engages students. This book supplies the missing threads through a framework for student engagement. You will explore a seven step process for emotionally, intellectually, and behaviorally engaging students with a wealth of strategies, techniques, and tools which create an engaging educational experience. Drawing on his more than twenty years in struggling classrooms, Jabari provides: Seven cohesive steps for planning, delivering, and reflecting on engaging learning experiences Techniques for forging deeper connections with students Strategies to transform students’ perceived “deficits” into instructional assets

Based on a three-year study of the National Science Foundation's Urban Systemic Initiative, Meaningful Urban Education Reform is an overview of recent attempts to change teaching in mathematics and science in urban environments. The book evaluates the impact of educational reform on urban schools, determines how schools with the highest levels of poverty in the United States can make successful changes, and investigates how communities and policy makers contribute to student achievement. Contributors provide compelling portraits of classrooms, teachers, and students in elementary, middle, and high schools through case studies and examples from intensive research in four locations: Chicago, El Paso, Memphis, and Miami. They interviewed, observed, and gathered information from district administrators, school principals, teachers, students and their parents, and community members. The book provides valuable insight into how systemic reform works, offers suggestions regarding assessment of successful learning environments, and addresses the need for intensive, long-term professional development for the purpose of engaging teachers with their colleagues in communities of practice supported by a strong school culture.

Leadership in America’s Best Urban Schools describes and demystifies the qualities that successful leaders rely on to make a difference at all levels of urban school leadership. Grounded in research, this volume reveals the multiple challenges that real urban elementary, middle, and high schools face as well as the catalysts for improvement. This insightful resource explores the critical leadership characteristics found in high-performing urban schools and gives leaders the tools to move their schools to higher levels of achievement for all students—but especially for those who are low-income, English-language learners, and from various racial and ethnic backgrounds. In shining a light on the essential qualities for exceptional leadership at all levels of urban schools, this book is a valuable guide for all educators and administrators to nurture, influence, support, and sustain excellence and equity at their schools.

The second edition of the handbook reflects the expanding growth and sophistication in research on student engagement. Editorial scope and coverage are significantly expanded in the new edition, including numerous new chapters that address such topics as child and adolescent well-being, resilience, and social-emotional learning as well as extending student engagement into the realm of college attendance and persistence. In addition to its enhanced focus on student engagement as a means for promoting positive youth development, all original chapters have been extensively revised and updated, including those focusing on such foundational topics related to student engagement as motivation, measurement, high school dropout, school reform, and families. Key areas of coverage include: Demography and structural barriers to student engagement. Developmental and social contexts of student engagement. Student engagement and resilience. Engaging students through effective academic instruction and classroom management. Social-emotional learning and student mental health and physical well-being. Student engagement across the globe, languages, and cultures. The second edition of the Handbook of Research on Student Engagement is the definitive resource for researchers, scientist-practitioners and clinicians as well as graduate students in such varied fields as clinical child and school psychology, social work, public health, educational psychology, teaching and teacher education, educational policy, and all interrelated disciplines.

The Bloomsbury Handbook of Hip Hop Pedagogy is the first reference work to cover the theory, history, research methodologies, and practice of Hip Hop pedagogy. Including 20 chapters from activist-oriented and community engaged scholars, the handbook provides perspectives and studies from across the world, including Brazil, the Caribbean, Scandinavia, and the USA. Organized into four topical sections focusing on the history and cultural roots of Hip Hop; theories and research methods in Hip Hop pedagogy; and Hip Hop pedagogy in practice, the handbook offers theoretical, analytical, and pedagogical insights emerging across sociology, literacy, school counselling and youth organizing. The chapters reflect the impact of critical Hip Hop pedagogies and Hip Hop-based research for educators and scholars interested in radical, transformative approaches to education. Ultimately, the many voices included in the handbook show that Hip Hop pedagogy is a humanizing and emancipatory approach which is redefining the purposes and practices of education.