Cognition, mind, counseling psychology, lesson plans, learning styles, and Vygotsky are just a few of the many subjects discussed in this exciting work. Educators, students, counselors, parents, and others will find new understanding as they read and browse. How does the immigrant experience affect student outcomes? What are the effects of poverty on standardized testing? How can a teacher or parent develop study skills in the special needs learner? What is the effect of the school environment on students? What are the larger issues at work in educating students of diverse race, culture, and class? This work, a rethinking of the field of school psychology, will be an essential resource for anyone interested in teaching and learning. It combines effective, traditional knowledge with contemporary insights into the nature of today's schools and students. Currently, there is an information gap between scholars and practitioners in the field of educational psychology concerning recent and on going developments. At this time there is no one source that provides a broad and comprehensive presentation of these changes. This work bridges the gap by providing a much needed explication of how educational psychology can meet the needs of diverse students, families, and schools.

The only handbook of its kind to bring together materials from a wide range of authoritative works, providing the reader with a comprehensive overview of reform in American education. Crafted in ten skillfully written chapters, Educational Reform covers the history, politics, and processes of educational reform and addresses reforms in curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Starting with a definition of educational reform and where its far-reaching results can lead, the work goes on to assess the role of the public in educational reform, the educational reform industry, and resistance to reform. Of interest to school boards and administrators and useful in graduate and undergraduate courses in education, it is written in a conversational tone that brings the subject out of the realm of dry analysis. Readers will benefit not only from the numerous case studies that intersperse the themes discussed, but also from the extensive bibliography of print and nonprint resources (including websites) listed for further study. There is little doubt that the classroom must change to meet the needs of the 21st century—read Educational Reform to learn just how.