BOOK REVIEW

The number of positive youth development (PYD) programs focusing on providing opportunities for optimal development has grown tremendously in recent years (Catalano, Berglund, Ryan, Lonczak, &; Hawkins, 2004 Catalano, R. F., Berglund, M. L., Ryan, J. A., Lonczak, H. S. and Hawkins, J. D. 2004. Positive youth development in the United States: Research findings on evaluation of positive youth development programs. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 591: 98–124. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). Larson and Walker (2010) Larson, R. W. and Walker, K. C. 2010. Dilemmas of practice: Challenges to program quality encountered by youth program leaders. American Journal of Community Psychology, 45: 338–349. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] assert that it is important to understand challenges program leaders face when implementing programs and strategies they use to overcome such challenges. However, little research or discussion in the literature has focused on the everyday challenges of implementing youth programs. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to present four case studies of programs implemented in four different countries designed to enhance the psychosocial development of underserved youth using the Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility Model and/or life skills framework. Each case study is presented with a forthright discussion of the challenges faced and the strategies implemented to overcome these challenges. In addition, we offer potential strategies for furthering collaboration with nongovernmental organizations, enhancing program implementation, and transferring program ownership.     

Literacy Teachers Engage in Service-Learning via Community Organization Involvement

Service-learning provides community service as well as authentic, curriculum-driven learning experiences (Furco &; Root, 2010 Furco, A. and Root, S. 2010. Research demonstrates the value of service-learning. Kappan, 91(5): 16–23. [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) and has been an effective component of teacher education courses (García, Arias, Murri, &; Surna, 2010 García, E., Arias, M. B., Murri, N. J. H. and Serna, C. 2010. Developing responsive teachers: A challenge for a demographic reality. Journal of Teacher Education, 61: 132–142. doi:10.1177/002248710934787[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Mitton-Kukner, Nelson, &; Descrochers, 2010 Mitton-Kukner, J., Nelson, C. and Desrochers, C. 2010. Narrative inquiry in service-learning contexts: Possibilities for learning about diversity in teacher education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26: 1162–1169. doi:10.1016/j.tate.2010.01.001[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Spencer, Cox-Petersen, &; Crawford, 2005 Spencer, B. H., Cox-Petersen, A. M. and Crawford, T. 2005. Assessing the impact of service-learning on preservice teachers in an after-school program. Teacher Education Quarterly, 32(4): 119–135.  [Google Scholar]). With these authentic experiences, teachers construct conceptions of literacy learning as broader than classroom teaching and learning. This study investigates how 54 preservice elementary teachers (hereafter called teachers) learned about literacy development and cultural responsivity by engaging in a service-learning experience.     

Patterns of Early Reading and Social Skills Associated With Academic Success in Elementary School

Research Findings: Researchers and policymakers emphasize that early childhood is a critical developmental stage with the potential to impact academic and social-emotional outcomes (G. Conti &; J. J. Heckman, 2012 Conti , G. , &; Heckman , J. J. ( 2012 ). The economics of child well-being (No. w18466) . Washington , DC : National Bureau of Economic Research .[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]; J. J. Heckman, 2012 Heckman , J. J. ( 2012 ). The case for investing in young children . In B. Falk (Ed.), Defending childhood: Keeping the promise of early education (pp. 235 – 242 ). New York , NY : Teachers College Press . [Google Scholar]; R. Murnane, I. Sawhill, &; C. Snow, 2012 Murnane , R. , Sawhill , I. , &; Snow , C. ( 2012 ). Literacy challenges for the twenty-first century: Introducing the issue . The Future of Children , 22 ( 2 ), 3 – 15 .[Crossref], [PubMed] , [Google Scholar]). Although there is substantial evidence that children's early prereading skills predict later academic achievement (K. M. La Paro &; R. C. Pianta, 2000 La Paro , K. M. , &; Pianta , R. C. ( 2000 ). Predicting children's competence in the early school years: A meta-analytic review . Review of Educational Research , 70 , 443 – 484 .[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]), there have been mixed findings regarding the contribution of early social skills to later achievement (e.g., G. J. Duncan et al., 2007 Duncan , G. J. , Dowsett , C. J. , Claessens , A. , Magnuson , K. , Huston , A. C. , Klebanov , P. , … Brooks-Gunn , J. ( 2007 ). School readiness and later achievement . Developmental Psychology , 43 , 1428 – 1446 .[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). Using data from the national Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Kindergarten Cohort, we found that subgroups of children with a combination of low/average reading skills and higher levels of social skills (86% of the sample) in kindergarten performed better on later academic assessments than children with similar reading skills but lower levels of social skills during kindergarten. In contrast, children who were very strong early readers (14% of the sample), regardless of their level of social skills, performed similarly on the 5th-grade academic outcomes. Practice or Policy: Implications for early education and policy are discussed.     

Associations Between Low-Income Children's Fine Motor Skills in Preschool and Academic Performance in Second Grade

Research Findings: Given the growing literature pertaining to the importance of fine motor skills for later academic achievement (D. W. Grissmer, K. J. Grimm, S. M. Aiyer, W. M. Murrah, &; J. S. Steele, 2010 Grissmer , D. W. , Grimm , K. J. , Aiyer , S. M. , Murrah , W. M. , &; Steele , J. S. ( 2010 ). Fine motor skills and early comprehension of the world: Two new school readiness indicators . Developmental Psychology , 46 , 1008 – 1017 .[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]), the current study examines whether the fine motor skills of economically disadvantaged preschool students predict later academic performance in 2nd grade. More specifically, we expand on the current literature and evaluate whether 2 types of fine motor skills—fine motor object manipulation and fine motor writing—predict academic achievement above and beyond the effects of demographic characteristics and early language and cognition skills. Results indicate that performance on both fine motor writing and object manipulation tasks had significant effects on 2nd-grade reading and math achievement, as measured by grades and standardized test scores. Stronger effects were yielded for writing tasks compared to object manipulation tasks. Practice or Policy: Implications for researchers and early childhood practitioners are discussed.     

Emotion-Related Parenting Styles (ERPS): A Short Form for Measuring Parental Meta-Emotion Philosophy

Research Findings: Parents’ meta-emotion philosophy guides their approach to teaching their children about emotions (J. M. Gottman, L. F. Katz, &; C. Hooven, 1997 Gottman , J. ( 1997 ). The heart of parenting: Raising an emotionally intelligent child . New York , NY : Simon &; Schuster . [Google Scholar]) and is measured with the Emotion-Related Parenting Styles Self-Test–Likert (Gottman et al., 1997 Gottman , J. M. , Katz , L. F. , &; Hooven , C. ( 1997 ). Meta-emotion: How families communicate emotionally . Mahwah , NJ : Erlbaum . [Google Scholar], modified by J. Hakim-Larson, A. Parker, C. Lee, J. Goodwin, &; S. Voelker, 2006 Hakim-Larson , J. , Parker , A. , Lee , C. , Goodwin , J. , &; Voelker , S. ( 2006 ). Measuring parental meta-emotion: Psychometric properties of the Emotion-Related Parenting Styles Self-Test . Early Education and Development , 17 , 229 – 251 . doi: 10.1207/s15566935eed1702_2 [Taylor &; Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]). The purpose of this study was to explore the underlying structure of this measure, develop a short form, and assess its psychometric properties. In a sample of 107 parents of typically developing children, principal factor extraction with a direct oblimin rotation (delta = 0) identified 3 factors: emotion coaching, parental acceptance of negative emotion, and parental rejection of negative emotion. In a sample of 107 parents of children with developmental disabilities, a 4th factor was identified: feelings of uncertainty/ineffectiveness in emotion socialization. The 4-factor, 20-item short form showed good validity and reliability, with Cronbach's alphas ranging from .70 to .80. Practice or Policy: This short form is a practical means of assessment and may be used to identify parents of typically developing children who perceive similar challenges with their children's emotions as do parents who have children with developmental disabilities. The discussion centers on potential emotion-related parenting practices and the identification of children at risk for emotion regulation difficulties.     

The Why of Learning

Alexander, Schallert, and Reynolds's (2009 Alexander, P. A., Schallert, D. L. and Reynolds, R. E. 2009. What is learning anyway? A topological perspective considered. Educational Psychologist, 44: 176–192. this issue[Taylor &; Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]/this issue) what, where, who, and when framework situates different perspectives on learning in different places in this multidimensional space and by doing so helps us to better understand seemingly disparate approaches to learning. The framework is in need of a fifth, why dimension. The why dimension helps to place learning within an evolutionary and cultural perspective and to better understand students' motivation to learn and their preferences for what, where, and how to learn.     

Do We Fear Ageing? A Multidimensional Approach to Ageing Anxiety

Ageing anxiety is the expression of peoples' fear of ageing (Lynch, 2000 Lynch, S. M. (2000). Measurement and prediction of aging anxiety. Research on Aging, 22(5), 533.[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). Despite greater longevity in the population, there is a lack of research into this aspect of life (Lasher &; Faulkender, 1993 Lasher, K. P., &; Faulkender, P. J. (1993). Measurement of aging anxiety: Development of the Anxiety about Aging Scale. The International Journal of Aging &; Human Development, 37(4), 247–259.[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). This research explored fears of ageing across four dimensions: Fear of Old People, Physical Appearance, Psychological Concerns, and Fear of Losses. Three hundred and forty eight participants aged 18–88 participated in an online survey. Findings were: (a) men and women have different fears of ageing; (b) greater quality contact is related to less ageing anxiety; (c) poor health is related to greater ageing anxiety, (d) ageism, defined by Nelson (2005 Nelson, T. D. (2005). Ageism: Prejudice against our feared future self. Journal of Social Issues, 61(2), 207–221.[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) as prejudice toward ageing is positively correlated with ageing anxiety. The implications of these findings are that better quality contact and more positive attitudes toward ageing are associated with less ageing anxiety. As such, possible key target areas in developing appropriate interventions are provided, with hope to prepare adults of all ages for the inevitable—life is a terminal illness, so enjoy while you can.     

A Simple Technique for Determining Whether Children Know the Meaning of Spelling Words

ABSTRACT

Empirical research has provided evidence supporting the validation and prediction of 4 major sources of self-efficacy: enactive performance accomplishments, vicarious experiences, verbal persuasion, and emotional states. Other research studies have also attested to the importance and potency of self-efficacy in academic learning and achievement. Despite this emphasis, very few, if any, research has explored the impact of the 4 sources of information on self-efficacy from a developmental perspective. The author used latent growth modeling to explore the impact of the 4 sources of information on self-efficacy over 4 occasions. This methodological approach, similar to recent studies (Caprara et al., 2008 Caprara, G. V., Fida, R., Vecchione, M., Del Bove, G., Vecchio, G. M., Barbaranelli, C. and Bandura, A. 2008. Longitudinal analysis of the role of perceived self-efficacy for self-regulated learning in academic continuance and achievement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 100: 525–534. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]), is significant, as it allowed the author to trace the developmental trajectories of elementary school children's self-efficacy beliefs in English and mathematics over time. Three hundred and thirty-nine 3rd- and 4th-grade students (147 girls, 192 boys) took part in this study. Two Likert-type inventories were administered and the data collected were analyzed with the statistical software SPSS AMOS 18. Causal modeling analyses indicated that children's self-efficacy for English and mathematics learning increased over time. Furthermore, of the 4 informational sources, enactive performance accomplishments associated closely with the growth of change of English and mathematics self-efficacy beliefs. Children's emotional states also associated negatively with the growth of change of mathematics self-efficacy. Enactive performance accomplishments and verbal persuasion associated positively with the initial levels of English and mathematics self-efficacy. Finally, the results provide methodological support for the psychometric properties of the inventories used.     

Getting Inside the Black Box: Examining How the Operation of Charter Schools Affects Performance

In recent years, a series of articles have examined the performance of charter schools with mixed results. Some of this research has shown that charter school performance varies by charter type or the age of the school (Bifulco &; Ladd, 2006 Bifulco, R. and Ladd, H. 2006. The impact of charter schools on student achievement: Evidence from North Carolina. Education Finance and Policy, 1: 50–90. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Buddin &; Zimmer, 2005 Buddin, R. and Zimmer, R. 2005. A closer look at charter school student achievement. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 24: 351–372. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Hanushek, Kain, &; Rivkin, 2002 Hanushek, E. A., Kain, J. F., &; Rivkin, S. G. (2002). The impact of charter schools on academic achievement. Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research. Retrieved May 19, 2006, from http://http://www.nber.org/～confer/2002/hiedf02/KAIN.pdf  [Google Scholar]; Sass, 2006 Sass, T. R. 2006. Charter schools and student achievement in Florida. Education Finance and Policy, 1: 91–122. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). However, this research has not examined the school attributes that lead to high- or low-achieving charter schools. In this article, we examine how student achievement varies with school operational features using student-level achievement and survey data for charter and a matched-set of traditional public schools from California. We did not find operational characteristics that were consistently related with student achievement, but we did identify some features that are more important at different grade levels or in charter schools versus in traditional public schools. We also examined the relationship between greater autonomy within schools, which is a major tenet of the charter movement, and student achievement and found very little evidence that greater autonomy leads to improved student achievement.     

Reliability of the Emotion-Related Parenting Styles Scale Across Gender and Parent Status Groups

Research Findings: Emotional and social competence are critical to a child’s current and future well-being. A. D. Paterson et al. (2012 Paterson, A. D., Babb, K. A., Camodeca, A., Goodwin, J., Hakim-Larson, J., Voelker, S., &; Gragg, M. (2012). Emotion-Related Parenting Styles (ERPS): A short form for measuring parental meta-emotion philosophy. Early Education &; Development, 23, 583–602. doi:10.1080/10409289.2011.569316[Taylor &; Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) studied a sample of mothers and proposed that an adult’s approach to the socialization of a child’s emotions can be summarized in his or her parenting style as measured by the Emotion-Related Parenting Styles (ERPS) scale. These styles are emotion approving, emotion disapproving, active socialization, and uncertain/ineffective socialization of negative emotions. This study aimed to determine whether the ERPS scale is a reliable measure of the emotion socialization styles of parents and non-parents of both genders. Participants were 521 undergraduate students—males (n = 76), females (n = 445), parents (n = 290), non-parents (n = 231)—with a mean age of 32.26 years (SD = 9.92, range = 18–61 years). There were no significant differences between the ERPS subscale scores of parents and non-parents, but males and younger adults showed higher disapproving and uncertain responses. The factor structure of the ERPS was confirmed for females. One factor was found to be unreliable for males. Practice or Policy: The ERPS is a reliable measure of the emotion socialization styles of females. Further research is required to establish the scale’s reliability with males.     

Learning,Theories of Learning,and Units of Analysis in Research

Over the past decades research on learning has become more diverse and complex. The concern expressed by Alexander, Schallert, and Reynolds (2009 Alexander, P. A., Schallert, D. L. and Reynolds, R. E. 2009. What is learning anyway? A topographical perspective considered. Educational Psychologist, 44: 176–192. this issue[Taylor &; Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]/this issue) is that this diversity of theoretical perspectives has resulted in a fragmentation that is destructive to the field. Although it is important to engage in explicit discussions of how learning is construed in different traditions, Alexander et al. do not give sufficient recognition to the significant epistemological and theoretical differences between traditions; differences that make them incompatible in important respects, for instance, with respect to their units of analysis. An acceptance of incompatibilities in perspectives is not necessarily a problem. In fact, such a situation may, if the debates are grounded in a mutual acceptance of the diverse manners in which knowing and learning may be theorized, give us a richer frame of reference from which to analyze learning in its various manifestations in complex societies.     

The Influence of Music Distraction upon Reading Efficiency

ABSTRACT

The author examined the effectiveness of 2 fluency-oriented reading programs on improving reading fluency for an ethnically diverse sample of second-grade students. The first approach is Fluency-Oriented Reading Instruction (S. A. Stahl &; K. Heubach, 2005 Stahl, S. A. and Heubach, K. 2005. Fluency-oriented reading instruction. Journal of Literacy Research, 37: 25–60. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]), which incorporates the repeated reading of a grade-level text over the course of an academic week. This approach to reading is scaffolded by expert readers. The other approach is Wide-Reading Instruction (M. R. Kuhn, 2005 Kuhn, M. R. 2005. A comparative study of small group fluency instruction. Reading Psychology, 26: 127–146. [Taylor &; Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]), which also utilizes scaffolding by expert readers, but 3 different grade-level texts are read repeatedly each academic week. The results indicate that both Fluency-Oriented Reading Instruction and Wide-Reading Instruction are useful schemes for reading instruction with ethnically diverse second-grade students.     

Assessing Pre-Service Teacher Attitudes and Skills With the Technology Integration Confidence Scale

As technology integration continues to gain importance, preservice teachers must develop higher levels of confidence and proficiency in using technology in their classrooms (Kay, 2006 Kay, R. H. 2006. Evaluating strategies used to incorporate technology into preservice education: A review of the literature. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 38: 383–408. [Taylor &; Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]). The acceptance of the National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) by National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) has compelled teacher education programs to reexamine their curricula. However, most of these efforts lack the theory-based measures (Netemeyer, Bearden, &; Sharma, 2003 Netemeyer, R. G., Bearden, W. O. and Sharma, S. 2003. “Scaling procedures: Issues and applications”. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]) of NETS-T dispositions and proficiency. In an effort to address this need, the Technology Integration Confidence Scale (TICS) was developed at Brigham Young University's McKay School of Education. This article describes the development of the TICS, which consists of 28 self-efficacy items based on tasks described in the NETS-T. It was pilot tested on preservice teachers during the spring 2006 term (N = 52), and the results were analyzed for item functioning and reliability. Evidence was also gathered to support the result's validity.     

Freeing the Mind of the Oppressed

This article examines the evidence that supports and rebuts the claims of school resegregation. By examining both types of evidence and considering them complementary (James 1986 James, F. 1986. A new generalized “exposure-based” segregation index: Demonstration in Denver and Houston. Sociological Methods and Research, 14(3): 301–16. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Kelly and Miller 1989 Kelly, P. and Miller, W. 1989. Assessing desegregation efforts: No “best measure.”. Public Administration Review, 49(5): 431–37. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]), the author gives the reader a deeper understanding of the current trends in school segregation. First, the literature on the topic of school segregation is discussed. Then follows a discussion of the methods used in the study and the findings. The conclusion includes implications of the findings.     

Portfolio Assessment and Quality Teaching

Our article focuses on using portfolio assessment to craft quality teaching. Extant research literature on portfolio assessment suggests that the primary purpose of assessment is to serve learning, and portfolio assessments facilitate the process of making linkages among assessment, curriculum, and student learning (Asp, 2000 Asp, E. (2000). Assessment in education: Where have we been? Where are we headed? In R. S. Brandt (Ed.), Education in a new era (pp. 123–157), Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. [Google Scholar]; Bergeron, Wermuth, & Hammar, 1997 Bergeron, B. S., Wermuth, S., & Hammar, R. C. (1997). Initiating portfolios through share learning: Three perspectives. Reading Teacher, 50, 552–562.[Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Cohen & Wiener, 2003 Cohen, J. H., & Wiener, R. B. (2003). Literacy portfolios: Improving assessments, teaching, and learning (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education. [Google Scholar]; Neill & Mitchell, 1995 Neill, M., & Mitchell, R. (July, 1995). National forum on assessment: Principles and indicators for student assessment systems (Final draft). National Forum on Assessment. [Google Scholar]; O'Malley & Pierce, 1996 O'Malley, J. M., & Pierce, L. V. (1996). Authentic assessment for English language learners: Practical approaches for teachers. Reading, MA: Addison Wesley. [Google Scholar]; Smith & Ylvisaker, 1993 Smith, M. A., & Ylvisaker, M. (1993). Teachers' voices: Portfolios in the classroom. Berkeley, CA: National Writing Project. [Google Scholar]; Yancey, 1996 Yancey, K. B. (1996). Dialogue, interplay, and discovery: Mapping the role and the rhetoric of reflection in portfolio assessment. In R. C. Calfee & P. Perfumo (Eds.), Writing portfolios in the classroom (pp. 83–101). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. [Google Scholar]). Because a learning portfolio is a collection of student work samples over time, it provides teachers with opportunities to understand the process of student learning. This is especially important in the current educational context where teachers are expected to teach all students, including English language learners, to develop high-level thinking and content knowledge aligned with Common Core State Standards. To support teachers to provide quality teaching that meets Common Core State Standards for diverse English language learners, we begin our article with 3 important reasons for using portfolio assessment. We then describe procedures for implementing portfolio assessment in individual classrooms.     

A Note from the New Editors

This article develops a multimodal model for how claims and evidence work across linguistic, numeric, and visual modes in the professional writing of environmental scientists. I coded and analyzed two reports (Bacey &; Barry, 2008 Bacey , J. , &; Barry , T. ( 2008 ). A comparison study of the proper use of Hester-Dendy® samplers to achieve maximum diversity and population size of benthic macroinvertebrates Sacramento Valley, California (Report No. EH08-2) . Sarcramento , CA : California Environmental Protection Agency . [Google Scholar]; Levine et al., 2005 Levine , J. , Kim , D. , Goh , K. S. , Ganapathy , C. , Hsu , J. , Feng , H. , &; Lee , P. ( 2005 ). Surface and ground water monitoring of pesticides used in the Red Imported Fire Ant Control Program (Report EH05-02) . Sacramento , CA : California Environmental Protection Agency . [Google Scholar]) written by research scientists working for California's Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) by applying concepts from studies of argument, genre, and visual representations in science. The claim-evidence patterns show initial and summative claims as well as warrants being presented in linguistic forms; however, supporting evidence (i.e., data and backing) is found in numeric, visual, and linguistic forms. These findings highlight the need to extend Toulmin's understanding of claim-evidence relationships into a more robust multimodal model.     

Reading Achievement in the Middle School Years: A Study Investigating Growth Patterns by High Incidence Disability

Numerous research studies (e.g., Anderson, Kutash, &; Duchnowski, 2001; Lane, Carter, Pierson, &; Glaeser, 2006 Lane, K. L., Carter, E. W., Pierson, M. R., &; Glaeser, B. C. (2006). Academic, social and behavioral characteristics of high school students with emotional disturbances or learning disabilities. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 14, 108–117. doi:10.1177/10634266060140020101[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Volpe, Dupaul, Jitendra, &; Tresco, 2009 Volpe, R. J., Dupaul, G. J., Jitendra, A. K., &; Tresco, K. E. (2009). Consultation-based academic interventions for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: Effects on reading and mathematics outcomes at 1-year follow-up. School Psychology Review, 38, 5–13.[Taylor &; Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Wei, Blackorby, &; Schiller, 2011 Wei, X., Blackorby, J., &; Schiller, E. (2011). Growth in reading achievement of students with disabilities, age 7 to 17. Exceptional Children, 78, 89–106.[Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) have shown that students with disabilities generally exhibit lower reading scores than their peers without disabilities. However, questions remain about the possibility of longitudinal differences among high-incidence disability classifications (e.g., speech/language impairments, SLI; emotional disturbances, ED; learning disabilities, LD; and attention deficit disorders, ADD). This study investigated growth patterns in reading achievement among middle school students from 5th to 8th grade with different high incidence disability classifications on one state's high-stakes assessment. After a repeated measures analysis of variance and post hoc testing, results reveal that students identified as LD and SLI evidenced more growth in reading than those classified as either ADD or ED. In light of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 legislation, findings about the various growth patterns are discussed with respect to policy, measurement, and practical implications.     

Evaluating Instructor Technology Integration in Community and Technical Colleges: A Performance Evaluation Matrix

The press for implementing technology based instructional delivery systems in community and technical colleges is well documented. Yet faculty face numerous challenges in integrating technology into instruction (AL-Bataineh & Brooks, 2003 AL-Bataineh , A. & Brooks , L. ( 2003 ). Challenges, advantages, and disadvantages of instructional technology in the community college classroom . Community College Journal of Research and Practice , 27 , 473 – 484 .[Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]; Groves & Zemel, 2000 Groves , M. & Zemel , P. ( 2000 ). Instructional technology adoption in higher education: An action research case study . International Journal of Instructional Media , 27 ( 1 ), 57 – 66 . [Google Scholar]; Khoury, 1997 Khoury , R. M. ( 1997 ). The unkept promise . Community College Week , 10 ( 1 ), 4 – 6 . [Google Scholar]). Stimulating faculty ownership in technology, diffusion of technology use throughout institutions, and linking technology use to the faculty reward system are key concerns addressed in this proposed tool for evaluating faculty technology integration performance. The tool is based on research on faculty development (Howery, 1997 Howery , C. B. ( 1997 ). Recognizing and rewarding the professional and scholarly work of sociologists . Unpublished report to the Council of the American Sociological Association . [Google Scholar]) and the technology adoption process (Hall, Loucks, Rutherford, & Newlove, 1975 Hall , G. E. , Loucks , S. F. , Rutherford , W. L. , & Newlove , B. W. ( 1975 ). Levels of use of the innovation: A framework for analyzing innovation adoption . The Journal of Teacher Education , 26 ( 1 ), 52 – 56 .[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). Stimulating development of faculty expertise linked to technology goals is the goal of applying the tool.     

Teaching for Wisdom in an Intergenerational High-School-English Class

Although the psychological benefits of intergenerational learning environments have been well documented, no study has yet investigated wisdom as an outcome of intergenerational classroom engagement. In this study, Elders between the age 60–89 were recruited to participate in a high-school English classroom. We hypothesized that participating in an intergenerational high-school classroom would benefit both Elders and Students by fostering the conditions for both groups to develop greater psychological wisdom. Our findings indicate that both Elders and Students actively engaged the five dimensions of wisdom identified by Webster (2003 Webster, J. D. (2003). An exploratory analysis of a self-assessed wisdom scale. Journal of Adult Development, 10(1), 13–22.[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar], 2007 Webster, J. D. (2007). Measuring the character strength of wisdom. The International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 65(2), 163–183.[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) during their time in the intergenerational class. Further, we find that while Students and Elders both demonstrated aspects of wisdom, they understood the concept of wisdom in strikingly different ways.     

Trying to Make a Lever Work at Ages 1 to 4: The Development of "Functions" (Logico-mathematical Thinking)

To find out if children could make functions before age 4, 73 children aged 1 to 4 were encouraged to imitate the use of a lever to make a beanbag fly up. Functions are mental relationships that preoperational children can make between 2 things at a time in a unidirectional way (Piaget, Grize, Szeminska, &; Bang, 1968 Piaget, J., Grize, J.-B., Szeminska, A. and Bang, V. B. 1977. Epistemology and psychology of functions, Boston: Dreidel. (Original work published 1968)[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]/1977). The child's construction of the following 3 functions was hypothesized and confirmed: (a) As a function of being pushed down, the up end of the board (the lever) goes down; (b) as a function of this descent, the down end of the board goes up; and (c) as a function of this ascent of the board, the beanbag flies up. Three developmental levels were found, and educational implications are discussed.