This monumental collection presents the first-ever sociological analysis of the No Child Left Behind Act and its effects on children, teachers, parents, and schools. More importantly, these leading sociologists consider whether NLCB can or will accomplish its major goal: to eliminate the achievement gap by 2014. Based on theoretical and empirical research, the essays examine the history of federal educational policy and place NCLB in a larger sociological and historical context. Taking up a number of policy areas affected by the law—including accountability and assessment, curriculum and instruction, teacher quality, parental involvement, school choice and urban education—this book examines the effects of NCLB on different groups of students and schools and the ways in which school... Less

''NCLB at the Crossroads challenges all of us to think differently, and to do so with a sense of urgency, because our children cannot wait.''-- Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of EducationThis important new work from Rebell and Wolff, authors of the groundbreaking volume Moving Every Child Ahead: From NCLB Hype to Meaningful Educational Opportunity, brings together the nation's leading researchers and thinkers in the field of educational equity to provide a range of provocative critiques that go well beyond what has already been said on the subject of No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Unlike most books, this one puts aside political rhetoric and quick-fix solutions to tackle the truly difficult questions about how to ensure meaningful educational opportunities for all children. Accessible to a... Less

While the issues of substance use and abuse have been addressed from a variety of perspectives and approaches, the fundamental social issues have not been covered in any systematic way. This book represents the first academic effort to apply major sociological theories to the field of substance use and abuse in order to provide readers with a solid knowledge base from which they may develop more informed ideas about prevention, intervention, treatment, law enforcement, and social reactions to this ubiquitous social problem. Using a systematic framework, Shaw reviews the existing literature, explains key concepts, addresses fundamental issues, and discusses the policy implications for public health, social control, community, and work. This comprehensive sociological treatment of substance... Less

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is the latest in more than two decades of federal efforts to raise educational standards and an even longer stream of initiatives to improve education for poor children. What lessons can we draw from these earlier efforts to help NCLB achieve its goals? In Standards-Based Reform and the Poverty Gap, leading scholars in sociology, economics, psychology, and education policy take on this critical question.Armed with the latest data and up-to-date research syntheses, the authors show that standards-based reform has had some positive effects, particularly in the area of teacher quality. Moreover, some of the critics' greatest fears have not been realized: for example, retention rates have not shot upward. Yet the overall pace of improvement has been slow,... Less

There has been very little progress in closing the Black/White achievement gap in education. Here, author Mano Singham takes a look at this problem in the context of larger political realities and contends that in order to understand this gap, we must determine what is happening within the educational system as a whole. The Achievement Gap in U.S. Education examines: Why learning is viewed negatively by students, Why good teaching practices are relatively rare in U.S. schools, Why poor teaching practices occur more frequently in minority and poor districts, Why the accountability movement and its emphasis on high-stakes tests will fail to produce improvements. This book identifies: Factors that lead to widespread underachievement, Professional development programs necessary to produce... Less

Addressing the disparity in test scores between black and white children remains one of the greatest social challenges of our time. Between the 1960s and 1980s, tremendous strides were made in closing the achievement gap, but that remarkable progress halted abruptly in the mid 1980s, and stagnated throughout the 1990s. How can we understand these shifting trends and their relation to escalating economic inequality? In Steady Gains and Stalled Progress, interdisciplinary experts present a groundbreaking analysis of the multifaceted reasons behind the test score gap--and the policies that hold the greatest promise for renewed progress in the future. Steady Gains and Stalled Progress shows that while income inequality does not directly lead to racial differences in test scores, it... Less

This book explores the nature of knowledge, language and pedagogy from the perspective of two complementary theories: systemic functional linguistics, and Bernstein- inspired sociology. Bernstein's sociology of knowledge makes a distinction between horizontal and vertical discourses as ways in which knowledge is transmitted in institutional settings, with teachers as agents of symbolic control. Systemic functional linguists have explored educational discourse according to similar hierarchies, and by bringing the two perspectives together this book shows the impact of language on knowledge and pedagogy. The contributors examine the different structures of knowledge and the flow of information within the school context, but also according to language in early childhood, literacy, English,... Less

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Families: A Sociological Perspective is an exciting new text from David Newman that successfully connects to students’ personal lives while showing how sociologists understand and explain families. It is not only informative in terms of current sociological knowledge of families, but meaningful in terms of contemporary family debates and applicable to students’ own family experiences. "What Does it All Mean?", "Going Global", and "See for Yourself" sections appear throughout the text allowing students to think and actively "do" sociology like sociologists to explore theoretical concepts to better understand their own family lives as well as those of others.

While few would quarrel with the goal of the No Child Left Behind legislation, the nation is badly divided over whether the law is having a positive effect on our schools. At the same time, it is also true that most Americans, including many professional educators, have only a limited understanding of the content and scope of the legislation. As we are currently engaged in a national debate about the future role of the federal government in the field of education, it is essential that people become better informed about the history, content, and results of No Child Left Behind.This book is a valuable tool informing the current discussion on the reauthorization of the law. As a result, the reader will be better able to make up his own mind as to the direction we should take as a nation in... Less

Info Line: 818-850-3838 DECT 6.0 GAP compatible- 50 Phone book directory- Multi-lang (td-nwb-31233-4) view larger image Description Why buy from slow risky Asia when you can buy from a fast local business for a little more?New Retail Product 30 Days Warranty Northwestern Bell, Cordless Telephones, DECT 6.0 Cordless Phones UPC: 088064313342 UnitWt: 2.5 lbs.- DECT 6.0 GAP compatible - 50 Phone book directory - Multi-language (English, French, Spanish)- Multi-handset option (up to 5)- LCD display

This book provides effective strategies that can be used to improve academic achievement and well-being of minority students. It examines, collectively, three cultural groups on themes related to diverse families, immigration issues, and teaching and learning. The book conceptualizes opportunities and challenges in working with minority children in the context of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. It is a must-have reference for anyone who works with children.

Globalization is inevitable and inexorable -- but it's also magnifying the chasmbetween rich and poor. At home and abroad, new extremes of wealth anddeprivation are increasingly threatening the stability of the entire global system.The Globalization Gap reveals how globalization is spreading poverty, disease,and the disintegration of traditional cultures. A few "winners" are using theirwealth to buffer themselves against these radical transformations, writes Dr.Robert Isaak. But, in most places, the new wealth generated by globalization isnot trickling down. The result? More misery -- and political upheavals that willendanger us all. It doesn't have to be this way, says Isaak: we can gain thepromised benefits of globalization -- without the withering unfairness. Isaakpresents a realistic... Less

Evidence-Based Educational Methods answers the challenge of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 by promoting evidence-based educational methods designed to improve student learning. Behavioral scientists have been refining these instructional methods for decades before the current call for evidence-based education. Precision Teaching, Direct Instruction, Computerized Teaching, Personalized System of Instruction, and other unique applications of behavior analysis are all informed by the scientific principles of learning, have been tested in the laboratory, and are often shown to have significant success in field applications. This book details each of these approaches to education based on the principles of behavior analysis. Individuals and agencies responsible for instruction that... Less

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12 issues - For educators trying to comply with the No Child Left Behind Act & secure grant money to improve the performance of teachers & students in their schools.

Relying on a series of empirical workplace studies as well as an extensive review of psychological, sociological and educational literature, the authors develop a framework for examining human competence as a process of networked expertise. Networked expertise refers to competencies that arise from social interaction, knowledge sharing, and collective problem solving. These are embedded in communities and organized groups of experts and professionals. Cognition and intelligent activity are not only individual and mental processes but ones which rely on socio-culturally developed cognitive tools. These include physical and conceptual artifacts as well as socially distributed and shared processes of intelligent activity embedded in complex social and cultural environments. Networked... Less

This text is a highly sociological view of religion and as such stresses theoretical perspectives about religion. The text also focuses on the methodology that sociologists have used to study religion. Keith Roberts states that his own preferred approach is open systems theory, which he says focuses equally on structure and dynamics. Other texts may lean toward the religious studies end of the market, but Roberts is a true sociology text.

For the past 15 years, economist Ronald Ferguson has investigated the myriad factors that combine to create racial disparities in academic performance. Beginning with his analysis of the impact of test scores in predicting racial wage gaps, Ferguson has explored how rates of progress in narrowing gaps have varied over the recent decades, the roles played by various school policies and practices, and the importance of lifestyles and informal social processes that play out between children and their parents and peers. He concludes that closing achievement gaps is more urgent today than ever before and that dramatic success is possible.This volume brings together Ferguson s most important papers and most recent thinking on these issues. In language accessible and useful to education... Less

Improving Schools for African American Students is designed to provide educational leaders with a better understanding of how to recognize the diversity of strengths that Black students bring with them to school and how to use these strengths to improve achievement. The articles contained in this book discuss generic education issues such as policy reform, the importance of high quality teaching, and the improvement of schools from the perspective of the academic achievement of African American students. Part I explores institutional racism in the context of AmericaÂ’s public schools and provides suggestions for educational leaders to eliminate harmful policies and practices within educational institutions and settings. Part II discusses the kinds of institutional and instructional... Less

In his hugely successful "Connecting Boys with Books" (2003), Sullivan delved into the problem that reading skills of pre-adolescent boys lag behind those of girls in the same age group. In this companion book, Sullivan digs even deeper, melding his own experiences as an activist with perspectives gleaned from other industry experts to help you: learn about the books that boys love to read; uncover the signs that point to the reading gap; find creative new programming ideas to match boys' interests; and, establish a strategic blueprint for boys and reading. Drawing on more than 20 years of experience, Sullivan shows how to reinvigorate the sense of excitement that boys felt when they first heard a picture book being read aloud.

This book provides conceptual tools and theoretical perspectives that can be used to analyze labor markets in economically advanced countries and the events and developments that take place there. It discusses and evaluates existing contributions in the field and selects among them. Although not an empirical study, the tools and perspectives are applied on concrete phenomena, as the author combines abstract theoretical reasoning with theoretically founded reflections on actual labor market developments.

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The 28 essays reprinted here are arranged in four sections that offer theoretical, historical, educational, and community perspectives on the whole topic of literacy. In addition to their substantial introduction, the editors provide an exhaustive bibliography based on the citations to the essays.Kintgen, Kroll, and Rose see literacy as an extremely complex area of inquiry in which all aspects are interrelated, and they hope to avoid creating or perpetuating false boundaries within the field.The book’s first section contains articles dealing with various psychological and economic consequences of literacy. The second provides an introduction to the development of literacy in different eras of the West, from its inception among the Greeks to the teaching of it in North America during the... Less

While race and culture remain important variables in how young people experience schools, they are often misunderstood by educators and school personnel. Building on the work of three studies that investigated schools successful in closing the achievement gap, Tyrone Howard shows how adopting greater awareness and comprehensive understanding of race and culture can improve educational outcomes. Important reading for anyone who is genuinely committed to promoting educational equity and excellence for all children, this accessible book outlines the changing racial, ethnic, and cultural demographics in U.S. schools and calls for educators to pay serious attention to how race and culture play out in school settings.