Hope is a complex concept-one academics use to accept the unknown while also expressing optimism. However, it can also be an action-oriented framework with measurable outcomes. In Education Transformation in Muslim Societies, scholars from around the world offer a wealth of perspectives for incorporating hope in the education of students from kindergarten through university to stimulate change, dialogue, and transformation in their communities. For instance, though progress has been made in Muslim societies on early education and girls' enrollment, it is not well documented. By examining effective educational initiatives and analyzing how they work, educators, policymakers, and government officials can create a catalyst for positive educational reform and transformation. Adopting strength-based educational discourse, contributors to Education Transformation in Muslim Societies reveal how critical the whole-person approach is for enriching the brain and the spirit and instilling hope back into the teaching and learning spaces of many Muslim societies and communities. Education Transformation in Muslim Societies is a copub with the International Institute of Islamic Thought.

This book is an in-depth examination of education and media under occupation. The contributors to this volume engage dialogue to explore these domains and their roles and functioning under occupation while keeping an eye toward resolution, using the on-going conflict between Palestine and Israel as the focus. The uniqueness of this collection is not limited to the willingness of its authors to investigate topics that have often been left out of the mainstream, but that they actually enter into dialogue with one another. Education and media are exemplified as domains that can either maintain the status quo of oppression when used by policymakers and governments to do so or can be utilized as mechanisms for change and peacemaking. These contradictory roles are highlighted throughout this book by multiple voices.

Over the last 20 years, many districts and schools have begun to explore year-round education or a modified calendar in response to student under-achievement in low performing schools. Here, the authors detail their two-year study of Title I, year-round, or modified calendar schools that switched from a traditional to a modified schedule in order to meet the academic needs of students. Year-Round Education will: * Highlight the benefits of the modified calendar for teachers * Explain the transition process through three real-life case studies * Identify the principals' leadership styles as a transformational facilitator, transformational leader, transactional leader, and authoritarian administrator. Features include: * An action plan for schools/districts preparing for the transition * Ideas for setting up an intersession program * A comparison of teacher motivation and leadership styles from each case study * A discussion on university partnerships and community support * A review of professional work and literature on teacher motivation and year-round education * An actual intersession brochure with classes listed Written in layman's terms this book will be of interest to parents, community members, and educational professionals interested in student achievement and teacher motivation.

A highly effective recommended practice in early childhood education, intentional teaching enhances all children's learning through planned instructional strategies, conversations, and activities that build on each child's needs and interests. Now there's an evidence-based professional development framework-the LEARN IT approach-that helps educators put intentional teaching into action in their classrooms. Developed by the authors, LEARN IT strengthens teaching in five steps: Learning new knowledge and skills, Enacting knowledge and skills in the classroom, Assessing the effectiveness of instructional interactions, Reflecting on and revising practices based on the assessment, and Networking with colleagues and mentors. Through unique professional development activities that build skills through group meetings and individual mentoring sessions, teachers will master essential elements of intentional teaching and apply their new knowledge in the classroom. Practical, flexible, and supportive, this proven plan for professional development will help schools make lasting gains in teacher effectiveness and boost learning outcomes for all young children. Benefits of LEARN IT: * Demystifies key elements of intentional teaching. Educators will discover how to facilitate play, include each child, engage in culturally responsive practice, assess diverse children, and link assessment with curriculum and instruction. * Engages teachers with effective activities. Facilitated professional development activities build teachers' skills through group meetings, one-to-one sessions between educators and mentors, and follow-up small-group meetings. * Ensures lasting improvements. Going far beyond one-time teacher trainings, the authors' ongoing LEARN IT approach ensures that educators retain new skills and strategies and apply them in their everyday work. * Evidence-based and field-tested. LEARN IT was developed and tested for effectiveness during a multiyear research project with Head Start teachers. * Fits a variety of professional development needs. LEARN IT can be used with larger or smaller groups of teachers, and activities are flexible and adaptable.