Bridging Cultures Between Home and School


Book Description

Introduces prospective/in-service teachers to an anthropological framework & to research & practice base that will help them be more successful in teaching students from various immigrant cultures. Focuses on home-school communication & parent involvemen




Bridging Cultures


Book Description

Bridging Cultures: Teacher Education Module is a professional development resource for teacher educators and staff developers to help preservice and in-service teachers become knowledgeable about cultural differences and understand ways of bridging the expectations of school settings with those of the home. In a nonthreatening, cognitively meaningful way, the Module is based on teacher-constructed and tested strategies to improve home-school communication and parent involvement. These innovations were developed as part of the Bridging Cultures Project, which explores the cultural value differences between the individualistic orientation of mainstream U.S. schools and the collectivistic orientation of many immigrant families. The goal of the Bridging Cultures Project is to support and help teachers in their work with students and families from immigrant cultures. The centerpiece of the Module is training resources, including an outline, an agenda, and a well-tested three-hour script designed as a lecture-discussion with structured opportunities for guided dialogue and small-group discussion. Throughout the script, "Facilitators Notes" annotate presentation suggestions and oversized margins encourage integration of the facilitator's personal experiences in presenting and adapting the Module. Ideas for using the Readings for Bridging Cultures are provided. A section of overhead transparencies and handout masters is included. The Module also provides a discussion of the role of culture in education and the constructs of individualism and collectivism, an overview of the effects of the Bridging Cultures Project, and evaluation results of the author's use of the Module in two sections of a preservice teacher education course. Bridging Cultures: Teacher Education Module brings the successful processes and practices of the Bridging Cultures Project to a larger audience in college courses and in professional development arenas. Designed for use in one or two class sessions, the Module can be incorporated in courses on educational psychology, child development, counseling psychology, and any others that deal with culture in education.




Bridging School & Home through Family Nights


Book Description

Improve student achievement through academically focused family nights! Research confirms the link between family involvement and academic success. Yet, as student populations become increasingly diverse, educators face a daunting challenge in establishing close connections with families. Bridging School and Home Through Family Nights: Ready-to-Use Plans for Grades K-8 offers all the information, materials, and resources for planning and implementing events that build effective relationships. Drawing on their own experiences and extensive research, the authors include information on adapting events for special populations, issues around providing food and incentives, cost-saving ideas, and additional resources. Each of the book’s thirteen family night chapters is a self-contained unit that provides event procedures, needed materials, connections with national standards, and numerous reproducibles, including: • Invitations • Agendas • Sign-in sheets • Evaluation forms • Activity worksheets • Handouts • Overheads Productive family night experiences offer an enjoyable and meaningful way for schools to reach out to families and get them involved. This book is appropriate for K-8 teachers and principals or anyone in the school or district responsible for family events.




Bridging Family-Teacher Relationships for ELL and Immigrant Students


Book Description

"This book focuses on research based pedagogical practices for teaching young English language learners and immigrants implementing strategies across the curriculum from social emotional development, parent involvement, assessment to language development and more"--




Data-Driven School Improvement


Book Description

The first comprehensive examination of the field, this book brings together stakeholders representing a variety of perspectives to explore how educators actually use data and technology tools to achieve lasting improvement in student performance. Contributors: David V. Abbott, Carrie Amon, Jonathan Bertfield, Cornelia Brunner, Fred Carrigg, Jere Confrey, Katherine Conoly, Valerie M. Crawford, Chris Dede, John Gasko, Greg Gunn, Juliette Heinze, Naomi Hupert, Sherry P. King, Mary Jane Kurabinski, Daniel Light, Lisa Long, Michael Merrill, Liane Moody, William R. Penuel, Luz M. Rivas, Mark S. Schlager, John Stewart, Sam Stringfield, Ronald Thorpe, Yukie Toyama, Jeffrey C. Wayman, and Viki M. Young. “If you want to understand usable knowledge, read Data-Driven School Improvement.” —Ellen Condliffe Lagemann, Harvard University “It is reassuring to know that at least some of the data being generated in our data-driven age are being used to make wiser decisions. We can all learn from these illustrative accounts.” —David C. Berliner, Mary Lou Fulton College of Education, Arizona State University “Replete with examples from real schools and districts, this volume provides a multi-layered portrait of what it takes to establish a culture of data use. Readers will come away with an appreciation of the systemic changes needed to reap the full potential of data-driven decision making.” —Barbara Means, Center for Technology in Learning, SRI International




School, Family, and Community Partnerships


Book Description

Strengthen programs of family and community engagement to promote equity and increase student success! When schools, families, and communities collaborate and share responsibility for students′ education, more students succeed in school. Based on 30 years of research and fieldwork, the fourth edition of the bestseller School, Family, and Community Partnerships: Your Handbook for Action, presents tools and guidelines to help develop more effective and more equitable programs of family and community engagement. Written by a team of well-known experts, it provides a theory and framework of six types of involvement for action; up-to-date research on school, family, and community collaboration; and new materials for professional development and on-going technical assistance. Readers also will find: Examples of best practices on the six types of involvement from preschools, and elementary, middle, and high schools Checklists, templates, and evaluations to plan goal-linked partnership programs and assess progress CD-ROM with slides and notes for two presentations: A new awareness session to orient colleagues on the major components of a research-based partnership program, and a full One-Day Team Training Workshop to prepare school teams to develop their partnership programs. As a foundational text, this handbook demonstrates a proven approach to implement and sustain inclusive, goal-linked programs of partnership. It shows how a good partnership program is an essential component of good school organization and school improvement for student success. This book will help every district and all schools strengthen and continually improve their programs of family and community engagement.




The School-Home Connection


Book Description

Research has consistently shown that student success is directly related to the strength of the relationships between parents and schools. This book provides teachers and administrators with tools to build a foundation for student success based on positive relationships with students and their families. Drawing on original research and their professional experiences, the authors identify the common sources of both negative and positive school-home relationships. The book presents a comprehensive approach to building closer connections and includes: - Tools to help educators develop a deeper understanding of the communities they serve - Strategies for improving interpersonal skills and communication skills - A chapter on the importance of documenting and celebrating school events - Guidelines for creating three distinct levels of parental participation in schools With suggestions for cultivating a community network of support services and a summary of lessons for forging constructive relationships, The School-Home Connection is an essential tool for educators looking to strengthen the learning community and increase student achievement.




Bridging Learning


Book Description

"This book seamlessly blends theory with practical, real-life applications and activities that can be completed quickly and easily in both school and home/community settings. This encourages a partnership between all stakeholders to help students succeed." —Betty Brandenburg Yundt, Sixth-Grade Teacher, Curriculum Coordinator Walker Intermediate School, Fort Knox, KY "Using real-world examples and applications, this book makes cognitive psychology and cognitive education accessible to all who work with children and other learners. I immediately felt more confident in applying my new thinking and understanding to my practice." —Wendy Holley, School Psychologist Bend-La Pine School District, OR Develop lifelong learners by promoting effective thinking skills in school and beyond! Based on Instrumental Enrichment (IE), a cognitive education approach pioneered by internationally renowned psychologist and child development expert Reuven Feuerstein, this updated volume provides practitioners with much-needed techniques to develop students′ thinking skills and "bridge" these skills to the home and community. This user-friendly book outlines fourteen core thinking skills that increase students′ cognitive capacity, including organization, comparison, categorization, and problem solving. The authors demonstrate how teachers can mediate learning in the classroom and help parents, social workers, counselors, and other adults who work with youth to extend learning beyond the classroom. Each chapter features: An introduction to and description of a specific skill Examples and applications for formal and informal learning contexts An outline of how the skill aligns with Feuerstein′s theories of Mediated Learning and Cognitive Modifiability Expanded to include an overview of many IE-related research studies and quotes to stimulate reflection on each skill, this second edition of Bridging Learning is a dynamic resource for creative educators dedicated to enhancing thinking skills in all learners.




Schooling for Tomorrow Learning to Bridge the Digital Divide


Book Description

This book presents analysis of the "learning digital divide" in different countries - developed and developing - and the policies and specific innovations designed to bridge it.




Bridging the Transition from Primary to Secondary School


Book Description

Bridging the Transition from Primary to Secondary School offers an insight into children's development, building a framework for the creation of appropriate and relevant educational experiences of children between the ages of 10-12.