Home schooling is an important and growing American phenomenon with only our first edition in the field. This new 2nd edition will appeal to the home school world, people interested in American education, and the private school community. Changes in the educational environment in the US over the last ten years have prompted growing numbers of parents to withdraw their children from public education. Currently, four percent of school-age children in the United States are home schooled. An array of educational researchers present various legal, philosophical, and personal perspectives to this new volume. Changes in schooling and home schooling in Great Britain bring an interesting international perspective to this collection of research-based information.

This book explores the constitutionality of religion-based charter schools. The method of analysis uses hypothetical charter schools to answer legal questions. The answers are grounded in law using the latest precedent. The background material before examining charters sets forth both the legal and policy contexts of religious charters schools. The legal context includes a detailed analysis of the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution focusing on the most recent Supreme Court cases on that topic. The policy analysis examines the normative and structural dimensions of charter schools, which are then compared with voucher programs. The historical, political and educational contexts of charter programs are also examined. The book concludes that charter schools present an opportunity for parents and communities to form charter schools that will accommodate their beliefs; however, the constitution does not allow them to form schools that endorse their beliefs.

This, a first full-scale edited book, is a reader that describes, discusses and analyzes homeschooling from an array of different and international perspectives. We portray the energy of this movement in this volume, looking at the history of ""education writ large,"" in a larger social, political and religious context, one for placing homeschooling in perspective. Like most movements in education, this one is both a reaction to the problems and inadequacies of existing schools, and a new direction in schooling that stands on its own. This book grew out of the efforts of Associates for Research on Private Education (ARPE), an international organization of scholars and practitioners affiliated with the American Education Research Association (AERA), which has spurred interest and research on private schools for over 30 years. ARPE publishes quarterly, the Private School Monitor, as a means for highlighting the newest developments in the field of private education. As such, Homeschooling in Full View - A Reader, seeks to portray the richness and diversity of homeschooling - from an educational, religious, social, and political perspective. Some chapters are highly scholarly, based on research: for example, analysis of how well homeschooled kids do on college entrance exams (SATs) and processes of gaining access to the prestigious Ivy League colleges. Other chapters are more philosophical, or more highly personal - a mother who writes about her feelings and concerns.

The contributors to this volume include scholars and financial analysts. Their data, means of analysis and policy insights should be a useful source for future research and educational improvements. Going beyond mere juxtaposition, the editors show how chief ideas represented in the chapters relate to one another and have developed over the last few decades.

To raise awareness of all members of the community - children, parents and school staff about the harm that bullying causes and how children & young people can be protected, including solutions to the problem of rising incidents of bullying and cyber bullying in connection with the use of social networks. This book will improve strategies and responses to incidences of bullying that will address the causes and effects of bullying and help avoid any recurrence. This book will provide assistance for the empowerment of all Administrators, school staff and parents as change agents in reducing bullying and in the education of children and young people in peer led strategies. Further cooperation between schools, local school administration and other outside agencies in the reduction of bullying.

Sound district finance is increasingly challenging in an era of scarce resources and increasing pressure on schools and districts to improve. Therefore, this book provides an in-depth understanding of fundamental practices, processes, and lessons learned will benefit all school administrators, personnel, parents, students, and other stakeholders. This book will focus on key building blocks essential for the provision of an excellent education. The value proposition inherent in this book should work well for all schools, districts, students, and school stakeholders, regardless of location, type, and demographic mix. The components of sound district finance and management, that are increasingly important in an era of scarce financial, material, and human resources, are provided in this book, along with some clear and related recommendations.

Sound district finance is increasingly challenging in an era of scarce resources and increasing pressure on schools and districts to improve. Therefore, this book provides an in-depth understanding of fundamental practices, processes, and lessons learned will benefit all school administrators, personnel, parents, students, and other stakeholders. This book will focus on key building blocks essential for the provision of an excellent education. The value proposition inherent in this book should work well for all schools, districts, students, and school stakeholders, regardless of location, type, and demographic mix. The components of sound district finance and management, that are increasingly important in an era of scarce financial, material, and human resources, are provided in this book, along with some clear and related recommendations.

Making Mentoring Work should help educators to mentor or to be mentored effectively in our schools. We all have had mentors, those key adults from family, work, or schools who have assisted us in learning and becoming good adults, skilled and able professionals, and contributing member of community and society. Although it's not easy, it does occur, is doable, and this book seeks to help everyone - educators, in particular -- both to be mentored and to be a mentor. In fact, the authors believe and show that everyone needs mentoring and many have the capacity, knowledge, and savvy to be a helpful mentor to others in their field, school, and world.

Action Research in the Classroom: Helping Teachers Assess and Improve their Work guides teacher-researchers through the process of using action research in their practice to improve students' learning and teachers' teaching. The book uses actual classroom examples to assist aspiring, new, and veteran teachers and those who support them (administrators, department chairpersons, and mentors) in using a six-step process L.E.A.D.E.R. to successfully accomplish and share research conducted by actual classroom teachers. Each step in the L.E.A.D.E.R. process -- (1) L=Look at the Problem, (2) E=Examine what we know; (3) A=Acquire knowledge of school problem-solving; (4) D=Devise a plan for improvement; (5) E=Execute the plan; and, (6) R=Repeat steps and processes as needed -- can guide teachers, administrators, and even parents - and students - in solving their own problems and improving their learning and teaching.

Gravissimus Educationis: Golden Opportunities in American Catholic Education 50 Years after Vatican II reviews the development of American Catholic schools since the promulgation of Gravissimus Educationis, the only document on education produced by the Ecumenical Council known as Vatican II. This document literally translated as "The Importance of Education," addresses how extremely vital Catholic education, in particular, is in modern life. Cattaro and Russo also reflect on changes that have transpired since the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore of 1884. This council forever changed the shape of nonpublic education in the United States in its decree that all parishes in the United States were to construct Catholic schools for the education of children. This volume is also designed to benefit Catholic Educators in all at levels form primary to higher education. The chapters in this book, prepared by leading experts on various aspects of Catholic education or other forms of non-public education in the United States, provide a history as to the recent development on Catholic schools. Gravissimus Educationis: Golden Opportunities in American Catholic Education 50 Years after Vatican II provides the context of change and the current state of Catholic Schools in the United States and, in some sense, the global perspective. The scope of this book goes beyond the professional educator in Catholic Schools as it also address the stakeholders of Catholic education such as parents who are consumers, pastors, religious educators, and donors.

Mentoring with Meaning, and its forthcoming companion, Making Mentoring Work, will help educators to mentor or to be mentored effectively in our schools. We all have had mentors, those key adults from family, work, and/or schools, who have assisted us in learning. Mentors help us to become good adults, skilled and able professionals, and contributing member of community and society. This book seeks to help everyone, educators in particular, to be mentored and to be a mentor.

Gravissimus Educationis: Golden Opportunities in American Catholic Education 50 Years after Vatican II reviews the development of American Catholic schools since the promulgation of Gravissimus Educationis, the only document on education produced by the Ecumenical Council known as Vatican II. This document literally translated as "The Importance of Education," addresses how extremely vital Catholic education, in particular, is in modern life. Cattaro and Russo also reflect on changes that have transpired since the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore of 1884. This council forever changed the shape of nonpublic education in the United States in its decree that all parishes in the United States were to construct Catholic schools for the education of children. This volume is also designed to benefit Catholic Educators in all at levels form primary to higher education. The chapters in this book, prepared by leading experts on various aspects of Catholic education or other forms of non-public education in the United States, provide a history as to the recent development on Catholic schools. Gravissimus Educationis: Golden Opportunities in American Catholic Education 50 Years after Vatican II provides the context of change and the current state of Catholic Schools in the United States and, in some sense, the global perspective. The scope of this book goes beyond the professional educator in Catholic Schools as it also address the stakeholders of Catholic education such as parents who are consumers, pastors, religious educators, and donors.

Mentoring with Meaning, and its forthcoming companion, Making Mentoring Work, will help educators to mentor or to be mentored effectively in our schools. We all have had mentors, those key adults from family, work, and/or schools, who have assisted us in learning. Mentors help us to become good adults, skilled and able professionals, and contributing member of community and society. This book seeks to help everyone, educators in particular, to be mentored and to be a mentor.

Understanding the Power and Politics of Public Education researches the history and trends of educating the populace in the United States. Demographic changes and socio-economic diversity have altered the needs for traditional approaches. Policy makers are implored to become familiar with proven educational research to implement policies that service the needs of all youth. Public schools now enroll more minority students than ever before. Diverse languages, cultures and experiences call for pedagogy to meet the needs and educational success for new citizens. Teacher training programs in colleges and universities - along with new curricula - are in need of revision to promote educational success of new generations. Understanding the role of experiential background and its influence on educational success, and social mobility is necessary for a healthy society and democracy. This book examines statistical studies showing the impact of environmental issues on cognitive development and illustrates the educational outcome and effects of poverty through documented research in areas of health care, nutrition, pollution, community and family experiences. It also explores the role of family socio-economic status and compares the educational readiness of the more and less affluent.

Understanding the Power and Politics of Public Education researches the history and trends of educating the populace in the United States. Demographic changes and socio-economic diversity have altered the needs for traditional approaches. Policy makers are implored to become familiar with proven educational research to implement policies that service the needs of all youth. Public schools now enroll more minority students than ever before. Diverse languages, cultures and experiences call for pedagogy to meet the needs and educational success for new citizens. Teacher training programs in colleges and universities - along with new curricula - are in need of revision to promote educational success of new generations. Understanding the role of experiential background and its influence on educational success, and social mobility is necessary for a healthy society and democracy. This book examines statistical studies showing the impact of environmental issues on cognitive development and illustrates the educational outcome and effects of poverty through documented research in areas of health care, nutrition, pollution, community and family experiences. It also explores the role of family socio-economic status and compares the educational readiness of the more and less affluent.

Existing research methods textbooks emphasize the mechanics of HOW to conduct research studies. However, many students fail to see WHY it is important to learn about research because they will never conduct research studies. These students do not become engaged in learning and believe that research courses and textbooks are useless. They do not see the need of developing "research literacy" to understand the applications and limitations of research to their daily lives. This book engages students with a nonmathematical presentation that includes real examples of the consequences of research errors in daily life. The organization facilitates learning with objectives, concepts, description of errors, best practices, and examples. This is a research methods textbook for students who fear research textbooks. The diversity of topics in this book permits application to research methods courses in these academic fields: Economics, Education, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology. This should be the first book for all students to introduce research and develop "research literacy".

Reform in education has focused mainly on development of new programs and procedures to increase the achievement of the student in the classroom. Teacher evaluations are now based on how students perform in their classrooms on yearly standardized tests. The advent of integrating students with special needs into the regular classroom has brought both benefits and concerns for average and above average students. Special education in the United States has evolved from institutional and segregated environments to inclusion in the regular education classrooms. We examine how the practice has affected all students and question whether this change has created equal opportunity for those students without special education needs. This book researches and reports on issues of current practice: e.g., teacher preparation, placement of students with special needs, implications for the average and above in the classroom and the financial costs driving placement decisions in the education system. We examine the lowering of standards so all can pass tests, report on loss of engagement of students by middle school, and mourn the squandering of creativity to appease a mandate. Sir Ken Robinson relates that, "Education is meant to take us into a future we cannot even grasp." Yet we continue on a road that lowers our educational ranking internationally. We recommend to provide services for all students, and take the system from its current state to one that provides a "Free and appropriate education for all!"

Existing research methods textbooks emphasize the mechanics of HOW to conduct research studies. However, many students fail to see WHY it is important to learn about research because they will never conduct research studies. These students do not become engaged in learning and believe that research courses and textbooks are useless. They do not see the need of developing "research literacy" to understand the applications and limitations of research to their daily lives. This book engages students with a nonmathematical presentation that includes real examples of the consequences of research errors in daily life. The organization facilitates learning with objectives, concepts, description of errors, best practices, and examples. This is a research methods textbook for students who fear research textbooks. The diversity of topics in this book permits application to research methods courses in these academic fields: Economics, Education, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology. This should be the first book for all students to introduce research and develop "research literacy".

This book presents, in 11 chapters, a comprehensive look at the school superintendent that will be welcomed in the fields of education management and policy. Many different perspectives are represented: studying the school manager (Glass, Kowalski, and Glasman), minorities in the profession (Ortiz and Brunner), and the radical decentralization of the British school system under Thatch and Major (Campell, Powell, and Parker). Legal positions and collective bargaining are also discussed to great effect. Professors, public school educators, and policymakers should all find this book useful due to the critical nature of the superintendency.

With dwindling funds and resources, tougher state and federal standards, and fatigue from more regulations and testing, many school administrators are giving up_or 'crashing' and leaving their posts. This book examines the process of sustaining and retaining quality leaders at the school and district levels. Beginning with a foreword by Michelle D. Young on the importance of administrative leadership in schools, subsequent chapters address: six steps of critical organizational supports for leaders; the need for socializing assistant principals into their roles; administrators' perceptions of their administrative teams; school routines and rituals; the need for administrator mentoring of Latina/Latino leaders; the relationship between superintendent leadership and principal job satisfaction and efficacy. Concluding with thoughts about retaining and sustaining the best leaders in dynamic environments, the various chapters offer contemporary views on retaining and encouraging school administrators throughout the life cycle. The chapters provide needed insight into what should and must be done to grow the best leaders for U.S. schools.

Creating a Successful Leadership Style gives practical applications supported by real experiences. It presents the actual situations a principal or assistant principal faces on a day-to-day basis and provides strategies to address them. These strategies derive from a leadership style that is people oriented and designed to elicit positive outcomes and responses. Charles A. Bonnici presents several principles of educational leadership which, taken together, help the school leader develop a leadership style that is people oriented, humane, and effective. In the course of the regular school day, a school leader is rarely asked what management theory is being implemented in a school. Instead, the principal and assistant principal are faced with a multitude of immediate and long-range problems and issues that need real-life solutions.

Teaching embodies many roles -- in the classroom through teacher-student interactions, and beyond the classroom through teacher-adult interactions. This book explains and demonstrates how collaboration and teamwork can help enhance professionalism and school quality by overcoming teachers' isolation in the classroom, in the school, and in their work. The contributing authors address: historic patterns of isolation; why collaboration is crucial for vibrant and sustained professionalism; principles of successful team collaboration in schools and other sectors; school districts' structure and support for collaborative teams; forces that motivate or restrain teachers' ability to collaborate; how teachers in grade-level teams perceive the quality of their training and support; team members' perceptions of their work in departments; teachers' use of evidence of student learning to improve teacher and organizational learning; and teacher-principal collaboration from the perspectives of exemplary teachers. These chapters provide insight into the complexity of teachers' roles, and indicate the necessity to build collaboration within the school and beyond.

Teaching embodies many roles -- in the classroom through teacher-student interactions, and beyond the classroom through teacher-adult interactions. This book explains and demonstrates how collaboration and teamwork can help enhance professionalism and school quality by overcoming teachers' isolation in the classroom, in the school, and in their work. The contributing authors address: historic patterns of isolation; why collaboration is crucial for vibrant and sustained professionalism; principles of successful team collaboration in schools and other sectors; school districts' structure and support for collaborative teams; forces that motivate or restrain teachers' ability to collaborate; how teachers in grade-level teams perceive the quality of their training and support; team members' perceptions of their work in departments; teachers' use of evidence of student learning to improve teacher and organizational learning; and teacher-principal collaboration from the perspectives of exemplary teachers. These chapters provide insight into the complexity of teachers' roles, and indicate the necessity to build collaboration within the school and beyond.

Reform in education has focused mainly on development of new programs and procedures to increase the achievement of the student in the classroom. Teacher evaluations are now based on how students perform in their classrooms on yearly standardized tests. The advent of integrating students with special needs into the regular classroom has brought both benefits and concerns for average and above average students. Special education in the United States has evolved from institutional and segregated environments to inclusion in the regular education classrooms. We examine how the practice has affected all students and question whether this change has created equal opportunity for those students without special education needs. This book researches and reports on issues of current practice: e.g., teacher preparation, placement of students with special needs, implications for the average and above in the classroom and the financial costs driving placement decisions in the education system. We examine the lowering of standards so all can pass tests, report on loss of engagement of students by middle school, and mourn the squandering of creativity to appease a mandate. Sir Ken Robinson relates that, "Education is meant to take us into a future we cannot even grasp." Yet we continue on a road that lowers our educational ranking internationally. We recommend to provide services for all students, and take the system from its current state to one that provides a "Free and appropriate education for all!"