The social organization of teaching and learning, particularly in classrooms, has not yet been recognized as a foundational element of education. However, social constructionist views of human development, cognition, and schooling, as well as the increasing challenges of cultural and linguistic diversity, make it a vital concern for teachers, researchers, and policymakers. This book introduces the concept of educational social organization, assembles the pertinent theory and evidence, and suggests future directions for training and policy. }The four goals of school reform--academic excellence, fairness, inclusion and harmony--can be achieved simultaneously, by transforming the final common pathway of all school reform--instructional activity. Teaching Transformed is a new vision for classrooms, based on consensus research findings and unified practice prescriptions, explained and justified by new developments in sociocultural theory, and clarified by an explicit five-phase developmental guide for achieving that transformation. Teaching Transformed is both visionary and practical, both theoretical and data-driven, and determined to create effective education for all students. Professional educators, parents, and any reader concerned with saving our schools will find this book necessary to understand our current plight, and to envision a realistic means of transformation.

The author gives us a vision of educational reform that transcends standards, curriculum, and instructional strategies. He argues for a paradigm shift-a schoolwide embrace of an "ethic of excellence" and with a passion for quality describes what's possible when teachers, students, and parents commit to nothing less than the best. The author tells exactly how this can be done, from the blackboard to the blacktop to the school boardroom.

This book explains how different levels or qualities of teaching can be identified and achieved. It outlines the criteria for successful educational practice, while suggesting ways of achieving the highest measure of excellence.

High-quality preschool programs are essential to improving children's outcomes in reading achievement and leveling language and literacy disparities among students from diverse backgrounds. Grounded in state-of-the-art research evidence, this practice-oriented book demonstrates how preschool professionals can create, evaluate, and sustain exemplary programs. Chapters from leading authorities cover coaching, assessment, and differentiation, as well as explicit strategies for teaching English language learners and helping at-risk readers. Discussion questions and suggested activities for professional development are included, as are reproducible assessment forms and planning tools for use in the classroom.

The social organization of teaching and learning, particularly in classrooms, has not yet been recognized as a foundational element of education. However, social constructionist views of human development, cognition, and schooling, as well as the increasing challenges of cultural and linguistic diversity, make it a vital concern for teachers, researchers, and policymakers. This book introduces the concept of educational social organization, assembles the pertinent theory and evidence, and suggests future directions for training and policy. }The four goals of school reform--academic excellence, fairness, inclusion and harmony--can be achieved simultaneously, by transforming the final common pathway of all school reform--instructional activity. Teaching Transformed is a new vision for classrooms, based on consensus research findings and unified practice prescriptions, explained and justified by new developments in sociocultural theory, and clarified by an explicit five-phase developmental guide for achieving that transformation. Teaching Transformed is both visionary and practical, both theoretical and data-driven, and determined to create effective education for all students. Professional educators, parents, and any reader concerned with saving our schools will find this book necessary to understand our current plight, and to envision a realistic means of transformation.

Although specific definitions may change over time, few goals are considered more important to education than the pursuit of academic excellence. There are many different viewpoints on this issue today among educational psychologists and other social scientists. One particularly glaring fault line in the debate divides those who emphasize developing individual learning and those who focus on promoting cultural and institutional reform. These two perspectives are rarely addressed in a single volume. In this book, well-known theorists and researchers present a range of perspectives on how to promote excellence in education. This allows those who stress transformation of educational practice and those who emphasize individual abilities to speak to each, and invites readers to jointly consider the arguments for both positions, or for some synthesis of the two. The point is to consider how these two divergent viewpoints can be reconciled, or simply coordinated, in an effort to benefit both students and society at large. The main thesis is that excellence can be fostered without sacrificing equity, both of which are fundamental tenets of a democratic education. The issues addressed in this book have implications and relevance for school reform efforts and across the fields of educational psychology, curriculum and instruction, philosophy of education, and educational leadership. The volume provides a unique source for students and teachers in various disciplines who want to gain a broader and more integrated view of the nature and development of excellence through education.

Offering theoretical insights and practical suggestions, Achieving Excellence in Medical Education explores an essential question facing medical educators and learners: What is our vision of educational excellence and what can be done to enhance performance? Coverage includes: resources for promoting excellence in medical education, promises and pitfalls of new educational technologies, and medical education’s role in preparing future leaders.