Parent involvement in early childhood special education: Opportunities for school psychologists

Increased opportunities for assessment and intervention, consultation, and program evaluation in early childhood education are suggested as roles that the school psychologist should develop to facilitate effective parent involvement in a child's education. A review of the literature on parent involvement in early childhood special education is provided. The current federal guidelines, rationale, definitions of parent involvement, and strategies for evaluating parent involvement are reviewed.     

The University Council for Educational Administration

International Review of Education -     

Research report

We examined ninth-grade students' explanations of chemical reactions using two forms of an open-ended essay question during a learning cycle. One form provided students with key terms to be used as 'anchors' upon which to base their essay, whereas the second form did not. The essays were administered at three points: pre-learning cycle, post-concept application, and after additional concept application activities. Students' explanations were qualitatively examined and grouped according to common patterns representing their understandings or misunderstandings. Findings indicated that more misunderstandings were elicited by the use of key terms as compared to the non-use of key terms in the pre-test. Misunderstandings in the key term essay responses generally involved the misuse of these terms and their association with the concept. Findings also indicated significant positive shifts in students' understanding over the learning cycle. No perceptible increase in understanding occurred after additional application activities. Differences in gender were observed, with females showing equal or greater understanding compared to males, contradicting reports that males typically outperform females in the physical sciences and supporting the need to reconstruct assessment techniques to better reveal the conceptual understandings of all students.     

Grade Inflation Marches On: Grade Increases from the 1990s to 2000s

Grade inflation threatens the integrity of college grades as indicators of academic achievement. In this study, we contribute to the literature on grade inflation by providing the first estimate of the size of grade increases at the student level between the mid‐1990s and mid‐2000s. By controlling for student characteristics and course‐taking patterns, we are able to eliminate alternative explanations for grade increases. Our results suggest that grade inflation has occurred across decades, at a small yet non‐negligible rate. Suggestions for future research are discussed.     

Racial Microaggressions: a Primer with Implications for Counseling Practice

Given their societal toll and ubiquitous nature, counselors and other mental health professionals inevitably will encounter clients who have experienced racial microaggressions in their practice. In this primer, we examine key issues relative to racial microaggressions and their impact on the lives of members of racial and ethnic minority groups. Drawing on burgeoning research, we also address likely coping strategies. Finally, we offer implications for mental health training and counseling practice. Throughout, we highlight the evident resilience of racial and ethnic minority individuals in the context of racial microaggressions.