On August 8, McREL will host an interactive live Webcast featuring a presentation by scientist Lucy McFadden, co-investigator of NASA’s Dawn Mission and a member of the National Science Foundation team, who went to Antarctica in 2007 to search for meteorites.

Principals, attend this two-day session to learn how you can turn your classroom observations into "power walkthroughs" by using palm-held devices loaded with McREL software that uses Classroom Instruction that Works as the basis for observing teachers.

A new report from the Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation found that participants in career academies, which offer students work experience alongside their academic coursework, earn significantly higher wages than other students. Surprisingly, however, the report found that the programs had no significant impact on graduation rates.

A new study from the National Council on Teacher Quality finds that teacher-preparation schools are not adequately training teachers to teach elementary mathematics. Elementary mathematics concepts are fundamental to learning more advanced mathematics in later grades.

Researchers from Georgetown University's Public Policy Institute and Center for Research on Children in the United States completed a large-scale study on kindergartners in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where universal pre-kindergarten has been available and state-funded for a decade. Like many similar studies, the findings showed that pre-kindergarten programs can benefit low-income students. But this study also demonstrates that universal pre-kindergarten programs benefit students from all walks of life.

A new report from the Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, finds that early childhood nutrition may have a long-lasting impact on adult intelligence. Children who had more nutritious diets between birth and two years of age performed better on reading comprehension and cognitive function tests, regardless of their level of education and other factors.

Researchers have found that girls and boys perform equally well on mathematics tests between 2nd and 11th grades. Despite the equal performance, however, the perception that boys outperform girls in mathematics may prevent some girls from developing an interest in mathematically challenging careers.

A survey by the American Association of School Administrators found that one in seven public school districts is considering switching to 4-day school weeks to combat rising energy and transportation costs.

Several years ago, business leaders warned Americans that we would need to graduate 400,000 STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) graduates every year by 2015 to maintain our competitive edge. So far, however, we are producing only 225,000 STEM graduates per year.

As leaders consider the new demands for 21st century learners—post-secondary readiness; workforce preparation; and skills such as creativity, critical thinking, and problem solving, — new conversations concerning the role of state assessment and accountability systems are popping up. State leaders, mindful of the ways in which current standards and assessments may not adequately measure mastery of these thinking and learning skills, are looking at new possibilities for assessment. Should this conversation be about improving upon the current approach or completely transforming the approach all together?

What is great teaching? What makes a teacher great? The summer 2008 issue of Changing Schools focuses on the importance of effective teachers and teaching on student achievement and how to ensure the presence of both in the classroom.

A new working paper from WCER uses the U.S. Department of Labor's O*NET occupational information database to compare average salaries of K–12 teachers with other, similar professions. The paper identifies health services, social services, and other teaching occupations as the closest to K–12 teaching and finds that teacher salaries are generally comparable to similar professions.

The fourth and final installment of CPRE's research into school finance synthesizes the findings and implications of school finances. Per-pupil spending has increased by about 3.5 percent annually (after adjusting for inflation), and the percentage of each dollar spent on instruction has remained steady at about 60 percent. However, policymakers and researchers still need to understand more about how resources are used in order to produce higher levels of student achievement.

This year's ChildStats report provides the latest official statistics for a wide range of educational topics, such as demographics, economics, and education for America's children.

This report analyzes data from 11 surveys to describe career and technical education providers, offerings, participants, and other valuable statistics. The report finds that, while high school students are taking more challenging courses, the number of credits earned has remained stable.

This report provides background information and first-hand accounts of the challenges of newly enrolling or rapidly increasing English-language learner students, and shares the experiences of districts that have successfully addressed these challenges.

A new report released by REL Central at McREL found only 11 percent of students eligible for supplemental educational services in the seven-state region served by the laboratory are actually receiving them.

The School Administrators of South Dakota and the South Dakota Department of Education are bringing McREL's Balanced Leadership Academy to Brandon Valley School District superintendents.

Melvin J. Sussman, an educator with more than 35 years experience as a teacher and administrator, has joined McREL as a principal consultant on the leadership team.