The Past Is Prologue The behavioral approach to teaching was relatively new in 1967 and considerably more helpful to teachers than the psychodynamic ideas of just accepting behavior and trying to understand unconscious motivations (Berkowitz & Rothman, 1960). We were really excited by the ‘‘new’’ science of applied behavior analysis, and the early work of Ivar Lovaas at University of California, Los Angeles, with autistic children and the launching in 1968 of the Journal of Ap

Creating a positive and engaging classroom atmosphere is one of the most powerful tools teachers can use to encourage children’s learning and prevent problem behaviors from occurring. Although a number of factors are related to a positive classroom atmosphere, such as classroom management techniques and instructional pacing, one important factor is how teachers attend or respond to children’s behaviors. Teachers’ responses to children’s appropriate and problem behavior can help set t

Dear Directors and Educators, Andrew: When Andrew was old enough to register for Kindergarten, we didn’t actually plan to put him into a “regular school” environment. We were told by his preschool teachers that he wasn’t anywhere near ready for public school and, frankly, we agreed with them. Andrew was born with Down Syndrome. He also has autism and is non-verbal. As a child he didn’t answer to his name, he wasn’t potty-trained, and he didn’t really know how to sit. He w

At YouthTruth, a national survey project that solicits feedback from students about their high school experience, we've heard from more than 70,000 teens (including many students from low-income communities with under-funded schools), about key strengths and weaknesses of their classrooms. We've shared these findings and the comparative data we've gathered with schools, districts, education networks, and students themselves. Through this work we've started to notice some consistent themes

This week marks back-to-school for most Utah students. And for many Utah teachers, it also signals the end of summer jobs. Special-ed teacher LuAnn Hill ushers ticket holders at the USANA Amphitheatre in West Valley City to earn money for her daughter’s soccer camps. Junior high teacher Paul Davies plants mosquito-eating fish in backyard ponds for the Salt Lake City Mosquito Abatement District. And third-grade teacher Alyson Jensen works weekends year-round at the Orem Kmart to pay her bi

A Utah lawmaker wants to make school districts and charter schools that fail to prepare students for college pay — literally. Rep. John Dougall, R-Highland, is working on a bill for the next legislative session that would allow colleges to bill school districts and charter schools for the cost of remediating their students when they get to college. Dougall said it’s about making sure a high school diploma means something. “Perhaps the high school or district that issues the diploma

Zero Tolerance is Not Elementary Public policy towards children has moved towards treating them more like adults and ways that increasingly mimic the adult criminal justice system. The most recent version of this movement is so-called "zero tolerance" in schools, where theories of punishment that were once directed to adult criminals are now applied to first graders (Martin, 2001). When we think of zero tolerance in an elementary school, there are most likely many things that come to m

Ever since the second day her son went to kindergarten, Penny Williams has worried about him. That's the day Williams, a real estate broker in Asheville, N.C., got her first call from her child's teacher. Luke wasn't ready for school, the teacher told Williams. He couldn't sit still and didn't want to participate. The insinuation, Williams said, was that she had failed as a parent. Luke, now 8, would later be diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a neurological dis

A new report from the National Center for Learning Disabilities says too few students with learning disabilities graduate from high school, and some racial and ethnic groups are still disproportionately represented in LD programs, but early intervention strategies appear to be reducing the overall number of students who are identified as having a learning disability. While graduation rates for students with learning disabilities have increased in the last decade, rising from 52 percent in

With flippy red hair, Emily Anderson looks like post-millennial Yvonne Craig (a/k/a Batgirl) -- with a mic headset instead of a mask, and posing as an English teacher at the virtual Open High School of Utah. Talking to me via Skype, her face is poised, but kinetic. She is probably tapping her toes and simultaneously managing twelve student chat rooms. Anderson's students communicate with her from libraries and homes all over Utah, with some scattered as far away as Guatemala. She admits t