Advocating and Empowering Diverse Families of Students With Disabilities Through Meaningful Engagement


Book Description

Family engagement varies in education literature and often includes collaboration, involvement, and partnership. The term “family in schools” has changed to include extended family members such as grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, cousins, and others who interact with the child, such as step-parents, caregivers, and neighbors. Family engagement is a practice, an interactive process, and a goal-oriented relationship involving professionals and families, allowing families to share their perspectives about their children, their learning, and their customs to improve their children's education. Advocating and Empowering Diverse Families of Students With Disabilities Through Meaningful Engagement provides the knowledge, skills, and dispositions for effective engagements of all families with children in special education. With recent changes in student population diversity among those enrolling in special education, the diversity of family compositions in the school system is also evolving. Covering topics such as laws and legal infrastructure, special education, and family engagement, this book is ideal for classroom teachers, administrators, researchers, and students in education programs.




Becoming and Supporting Online Adjunct Faculty in a Gig Economy


Book Description

A gig economy is a system where employers hire independent and qualified workers for short-term contracts. While this might seem like a system worlds away from higher education, this is very much a common system embraced by colleges and universities. Being an adjunct faculty member has resulted in many highly educated people becoming part of the gig economy. Becoming and Supporting Online Adjunct Faculty in a Gig Economy provides information on the many challenges and potential solutions that can be leveraged as an online adjunct faculty member. Covering topics such as collaboration with full-time colleagues, curating resources for online courses, and maintaining working relationships, this book is ideal for adjunct faculty, administrators, students, researchers, and academicians.




Youth Cultures, Responsive Education, and Learning


Book Description

Today's youth find themselves navigating an uncertain terrain marked by shifting societal foundations. History, tradition, and geopolitics, were once steadfast guides, but now seem elusive or ineffective. The pandemic, identity crises, and environmental upheavals have blurred the lines of reality, leaving younger generations in pursuit of sustainable futures. The social bonds that once held us together are weakening, and established socio-political and religious frameworks no longer offer clear direction. We are at a crossroads, faced with a pivotal question: can we provide the necessary guidance for future generations to navigate this tumultuous era and forge a brighter future? Youth Cultures, Responsive Education, and Learning, emerges as a timely and thought-provoking compass for understanding and addressing the challenges confronting today’s youth. Rather than prescribing a singular "correct" path forward, it offers a diverse and comprehensive exploration of the past, present, and future of youth culture. This book is indispensable for academic scholars and researchers seeking a thorough examination of the dynamic landscape of youth cultures, responsive education, and learning. It serves as a valuable resource for those dedicated to understanding and addressing the intricate challenges that confront our youth in an ever-evolving world.




Academic Framework for 21st-Century Schooling: Promoting Global Peace and Harmony


Book Description

In an era, fraught with existential threats, Academic Framework for 21st-Century Schooling: Promoting Global Peace and Harmony answers the urgent call for a new path forward. The UN Secretary-General's recent address, echoing decades of warnings from UNESCO, has underscored the dire state of our world. Global warming, pollution, terrorism, unchecked population growth, discrimination, refugee migration, consumerism, and the ominous specter of weapons of mass destruction loom large in an age marked by nationalism and imperialism. The very fabric of human existence is unraveling, and even the UN's well-intentioned MDG and SDG initiatives are in jeopardy. This book, authored by esteemed scholars, proposes a transformation of global education as the antidote to this crisis. It champions the cultivation of a fresh generation with essential attributes like critical thinking, empathy, respect for diversity, and a profound sense of global responsibility. Schools are envisioned as the crucible for shaping these future citizens. At its core, this book offers a well-founded academic framework for global peace and harmony education, addressing the intricacies of 21st-century schooling, curriculum transformation, global best practices, and the vision of 'happy schooling.' It is a clarion call to scholars and educators to lead the way toward a world where peace and harmony are not just ideals, but the very foundation upon which humanity thrives. Our world and future generations depend on this transformative journey, one we must embark upon without delay.




Implementing Transformative Education With Participatory Action Research


Book Description

Academic scholars face a critical problem in today's educational landscape: the pressing need for transformative approaches that can address the complex challenges of our time. Traditional education systems often struggle to adapt and meet the evolving needs of learners and society as a whole, leaving scholars searching for innovative solutions to enhance the quality and relevance of education. Fortunately, the answer lies within the pages of Implementing Transformative Education With Participatory Action Research, a groundbreaking book edited by distinguished scholars Bal Chandra Luitel, Bhimsen Devkota, Sheri Bastien, and Bishal Kumar Sitaula. This transformative resource offers a comprehensive and practical solution for scholars eager to drive meaningful change. With research-based insights and practical guidance, the book delves into the incorporation of participatory action research to create contextualized, sustainable, and student-centered learning environments. Covering diverse topics such as participatory curricula, teacher training, inclusive practices, and policy development, the book brings together diverse perspectives from experts actively engaged in innovative approaches to school transformation. By embracing participatory action research, scholars can reimagine education, empower learners, and tackle the complex challenges faced by educators, administrators, and policymakers. Implementing Transformative Education With Participatory Action Research empowers academic scholars to make a tangible impact in the field of education. By equipping them with valuable knowledge, insights, and actionable strategies, the book enables scholars to navigate the complexities of transformative education and implement effective change. Through the embrace of participatory action research, scholars have the opportunity to contribute to shaping a more inclusive, relevant, and future-ready education system that prepares students to thrive in a rapidly changing world.




Meaningful and Active Family Engagement: IEP, Transition and Technology Integration in Special Education


Book Description

In the domain of education, the crucial connection between families and professionals faces obstacles that create a gap undermining student success. The conventional family engagement model falls short as the concept of "family" broadens to encompass various individuals influencing a child's learning path. Despite recognized significance backed by research and federal mandates, systemic barriers persist, disproportionately impacting culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse families. Furthermore, the absence of a unified resource that integrates disability, diversity, and technology exacerbates these issues, leaving educators unprepared to establish fair educational settings. Offering a groundbreaking solution, Millicent Musyoka's research book, titled Meaningful and Active Family Engagement: IEP, Transition, and Technology Integration in Special Education, disrupts the existing norm and redefines family engagement. Through this pioneering work, both scholars and educators gain a comprehensive manual for navigating the intricate terrain of inclusive education. Musyoka's expertise, spanning multilingualism, multicultural education, and special education, equips readers with strategies to bridge the divide between professionals and families. By highlighting legislative foundations and validated theories, the book offers a roadmap to transform engagement into purposeful collaboration. Meaningful and Active Family Engagement: IEP, Transition, and Technology Integration in Special Education covers diverse topics, including involving diverse families and those with disabilities, and integrating technology for effective communication. Through case studies, conflict resolution insights, and appreciation of diversity's benefits, Musyoka empowers readers to foster inclusive educational environments. The book's innovation lies in its comprehensive approach, addressing disability, diversity, and technology as interlinked components. Academics, educators, and service providers will discover this resource as transformative—a pivotal stride toward achieving equity, social justice, and enhanced student outcomes.




Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves


Book Description

Anti-bias education begins with you! Become a skilled anti-bias teacher with this practical guidance to confronting and eliminating barriers.




Handbook on Family and Community Engagement


Book Description

Thirty-six of the best thinkers on family and community engagement were assembled to produce this Handbook, and they come to the task with varied backgrounds and lines of endeavor. Each could write volumes on the topics they address in the Handbook, and quite a few have. The authors tell us what they know in plain language, succinctly presented in short chapters with practical suggestions for states, districts, and schools. The vignettes in the Handbook give us vivid pictures of the real life of parents, teachers, and kids. In all, their portrayal is one of optimism and celebration of the goodness that encompasses the diversity of families, schools, and communities across our nation.




Beyond the Bake Sale


Book Description

Countless studies demonstrate that students with parents actively involved in their education at home and school are more likely to earn higher grades and test scores, enroll in higher-level programs, graduate from high school, and go on to post-secondary education. Beyond the Bake Sale shows how to form these essential partnerships and how to make them work. Packed with tips from principals and teachers, checklists, and an invaluable resource section, Beyond the Bake Sale reveals how to build strong collaborative relationships and offers practical advice for improving interactions between parents and teachers, from insuring that PTA groups are constructive and inclusive to navigating the complex issues surrounding diversity in the classroom. Written with candor, clarity, and humor, Beyond the Bake Sale is essential reading for teachers, parents on the front lines in public schools, and administrators and policy makers at all levels.




Health, Parenting, and Community Perspectives on Black Fatherhood


Book Description

From slavery to present day, the narratives of Black fatherhood have been fraught with biases and stereotypes, failing to accurately capture the voices and lived experiences of Black fathers. Contrary to these narratives, Black fathers play an important role in the lives of their children and families. Health, Parenting, and Community Perspectives on Black Fatherhood: Defying Stereotypes and Amplifying Strengths, edited by Tasha L. Alston, Brianna P. Lemmons, and Latrice S. Rollins, celebrates Black fatherhood and highlights the ways Black men defy stereotypes and embrace their role as fathers with unwavering resilience. Drawing on the expertise of well-regarded experts in the field and using a strengths-based perspective, this comprehensive book provides insight into the experiences of Black fathers in three key areas: health, parenting, and community. The contributors explore the salience of the co-parenting relationship for Black fathers, community-based participatory research with Black fathers, the Black father-daughter relationship, the male in-law relationship in Black families, support systems for Black fathers parenting autistic children, and more. This volume is an essential resource for scholars in social work, psychology, sociology, child development, allied health, and similar disciplines and professions.