Teaching can be difficult on a good day. The demands are great and appear to be getting greater as the needs of students in a changing society become evident in the classroom. Not long ago, a teacher's biggest problem was trying to get students to listen and learn. Behavior issues were primarily those of disrespect and fighting. Today, a teacher's biggest concern is not just students listening and learning, and the behavior concerns are not just disrespect and fighting. Everything is far more complicated. For this reason, teachers need encouragement, specific strategies to use that work, and hope that their efforts are appreciated and effective. This book provides those elements, along with real stories depicting the challenges and humor found only in a classroom. Each chapter concludes with a prayer for teachers to use to ask God for help and guidance in a specific area of teaching. The author speaks with authority from firsthand experience providing practical classroom suggestions to help teachers be effective educators in an ever-changing society.

With all that we know about how students learn, the nature of the world they will face after graduation, and the educational inequities that have existed for centuries, maintaining a traditional, one-size-fits-all approach to teaching and learning is tantamount to instructional malpractice. International security, the success of global economies, and sustainability as a global society all depend on the success of our education system in the years to come. It’s our obligation to prepare our students for their future—not our past. Authors Eric C. Sheninger and Thomas C. Murray outline eight keys—each a piece of a puzzle for transforming the K–12 education system of teaching and learning—to intentionally design tomorrow’s schools so today’s learners are prepared for success . . . and stand ready to create new industries, find new cures, and solve world problems. The traditional model of schooling ultimately prepares students for the industrial model of the past. If we want our students to become successful citizens in a global society, we must dramatically shift to a more personal approach. Failure is not an option. We can no longer wait. Let Learning Transformed show you how you can be a part of the solution. The authors encourage you to use the hashtag #LT8Keys to continue the discussion online.

Demands are great as the needs of students in a changing society become evident in the classroom. Not long ago, a teacher's biggest problem was trying to get students to listen. Today, a teacher's biggest concern is not listening and learning, and the behavior concerns are not just disrespect and fighting. Everything is far more complicated.

Southern Africa, where most of these book chapters originate, has been identified as one of regions of the world most at risk of the consequences of environmental degradation and climate change. At the same time, it is still seeking ways to overcome the century long ravages of colonial and apartheid impositions of structural and epistemic violence. Research deliberations and applied research case studies in environmental education and activism from this region provide an emerging contextualized engagement that is related to a wider internationally articulated quest to achieve social-ecological justice, resilience and sustainability through educational interventions. This book introduces a decade of mainly southern African critical realist environmental education research and thinking that asks the question: "How can we facilitate learning processes that will lead to the flourishing of the Earth’s people and ecosystems in more socially just ways?" The environmental education research topics represented in this book are wide-ranging. However, they all exhibit the common theme of social justice and wanting to create change towards a better future. All the authors have used critical realist or critical realist-influenced research methodologies. Offering contributions from a small but growing community of researchers working with critical realism in the global South, this book will be of interest to students, scholars and practitioners in the areas of environmental education, sustainability, development and the philosophy of critical realism in general.

Evaluating the experiences of racially marginalized and underrepresented groups is vital to creating equality in society. Such actions have the potential to provoke an interest in universities to adopt high-impact pedagogical practices that attempt to eliminate institutional injustices. Culturally Engaging Service-Learning With Diverse Communities is a pivotal reference source for the latest scholarly research on service-learning models that recognize how systemic social injustices continue to pervade society. Featuring extensive coverage on a broad range of topics and perspectives such as cultural humility, oral histories, and social ecology, this book is ideally designed for scholars, practitioners, and students interested in engaging in thoughtful and authentic partnerships with diverse groups.

Drawing upon decades of research and myriad authentic classroom experiences, Kathleen M. Budge and William H. Parrett dispel harmful myths, explain the facts, and urge educators to act against the debilitating effects of poverty on their students. They share the powerful voices of teachers—many of whom grew up in poverty—to amplify the five classroom practices that permeate the culture of successful high-poverty schools: (1) caring relationships and advocacy, (2) high expectations and support, (3) commitment to equity, (4) professional accountability for learning, and (5) the courage and will to act. Readers will explore classroom-tested strategies and practices, plus online templates and exercises that can be used for personal reflection or ongoing collaboration with colleagues. Disrupting Poverty provides teachers, administrators, coaches, and others with the background information and the practical tools needed to help students break free from the cycle of poverty.

Differences in performance between students of poverty and more advantaged students are reflective of an opportunity gap, as opposed to a gap in student ability. This book argues that significant attention must be given to eliminating the barriers that produce educational inequities in student achievement. Walker-Dalhouse and Risko focus on disparities in literacy achievement that might be attributed to color-blind practices, deficit mindsets, low expectations, or context-neutral practices. Situating literacy learning within a comprehensive view of literacy development, they provide a set of instructional practices that will best support students living in poverty. Specifically, vignettes from kindergarten through middle school classrooms are used to demonstrate practices that address critical areas of the reading process; are responsive to students’ racial, ethnic, cultural, gender, and linguistic histories and assets; attend to students’ strengths and needs; and go beyond the impact of short-term testing to support optimal and sustainable learning. Educators and school leaders can use this resource to transform schools into nurturing and vibrant communities that are committed to change, equity, and diversity. Book Features: Provides recommendations and detailed guidance for enacting literacy instruction that will close opportunity gaps for students living in poverty.Includes vignettes from leading literacy educators and researchers that demonstrate high-quality literacy instruction implemented in K–8 classrooms.Presents instruction that is responsive to differences and honors the languages, literacies, and cultural resources that students bring to their learning.Offers specific recommendations and practices that can guide advocacy for change. “The authors correct the deficit misperceptions by showing how students experiencing poverty are the targets, not the causes, of educational disparities. . . . What a different world schools would be if we each embraced these lessons.” —From the Afterword by Paul C. Gorski, founder, Equity Literacy Institute

The SAGE Encyclopedia of World Poverty, Second Edition addresses the persistence of poverty across the globe while updating and expanding the landmark work, Encyclopedia of World Poverty, originally published in 2006 prior to the economic calamities of 2008. For instance, while continued high rates of income inequality might be unsurprising in developing countries such as Mexico, the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reported in May 2013 even countries with historically low levels of income inequality have experienced significant increases over the past decade, including Denmark, Sweden, and Germany. The U.N. and the World Bank also emphasize the persistent nature of the problem. It is not all bad news. In March 2013, the Guardian newspaper reported, "Some of the poorest people in the world are becoming significantly less poor, according to a groundbreaking academic study which has taken a new approach to measuring deprivation. The report, by Oxford University’s poverty and human development initiative, predicts that countries among the most impoverished in the world could see acute poverty eradicated within 20 years if they continue at present rates." On the other hand, the U.N. says environmental threats from climate change could push billions more into extreme poverty in coming decades. All of these points lead to the need for a revised, updated, and expanded edition of the Encyclopedia of World Poverty. Key Features: 775 evaluated and updated and 175 entirely new entries New Reader’s Guide categories Signed articles, with cross-references Further Readings will be accompanied by pedagogical elements Updated Chronology, Resource Guide, Glossary, and thorough new Index The SAGE Encyclopedia of World Poverty, Second Edition is a dependable source for students and researchers who are researching world poverty, making it a must-have reference for all academic libraries.

There has been dramatic social change with respect to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights around the world in the last decade. Yet legal protection and inclusion remain limited for LGBT youth. The context of schooling is especially important-schools remain the primary societal institution to which most youth have access and in which nearly all youth spend some significant portion of their lives. LGBT youth are at risk for some of the greatest difficulties experienced by adolescents, and many of those problems have been traced directly to negative school experiences. Research shows that anti-LGBT school victimization results in poor academic performance and negative school attitudes, mental health, and risk behaviors. New studies have identified characteristics of schools that are associated with inclusion and safety for LGBT students, including practices and policies that are associated with positive school climate and student wellbeing. Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Schooling brings together contributions from a diverse group of researchers, policy analysts, and education advocates from around the world to synthesize the practice and policy implications of research on sexual orientation, gender identity, and schooling. The book is interdisciplinary, as studies of LGBT students and schooling have emerged across disciplines including education, clinical, school, and developmental psychology; sociology; and public health. Included are syntheses of key areas of research; examples of new international models for educational practice; case studies of transformational policy and practice; and specific examples of the nexus of research, practice, and policy. The fundamental goal of this book is to advance social justice related to sexual orientation and gender identity through strengthening the relationship between research, practice, and policy to support LGBT students and schools. It will be of interest to school, developmental, and clinical psychologists, educators and school administrators, and LGBT scholars.