New publications

This collection of studies examines the scope and quality of research in the study of music teaching and learning. Targeted at music scholars, educators, researchers and graduate students, the book also covers developments in music education. Topics include beginning learners' music practice habits, social aspects of music education, charter schools and their approach to the arts, and the socialisation of doctoral students into music teaching. Adapted from publisher's description.

The needs of literacy learners from pre-kindergarten to Grade 4 are the focus of this text, which outlines how to predict and assess early literacy difficulties and prevent future difficulties, as well as offering guidance on the essential components and organisation of literacy development. Subjects include how children learn to read and write, the components of literacy instruction, and how teachers can organise literacy instruction. Also included are assessment tools, guidelines for implementing chapter topics, and an in-depth 'spotlight' feature that follows a single student over a period of time. Adapted from publisher's description.

Six factors that significantly affect the health and learning opportunities of children, and accordingly limit what can be accomplished by schools, are outlined in this brief. They are: low birth-weight and non-genetic prenatal influences; inadequate health care; food insecurity; environmental pollutants; family relations and stress; and neighborhood characteristics. These factors can induce physical, sociological and psychological problems that detrimentally affect school performance. However, extended learning opportunities such as preschool, after-school and summer school programs can help mitigate some of these factors. View full text online.

This book aims to make grammar accessible by presenting it in situations where problems typically arise. To provide a real-world context for grammatical analysis, a dramatisation is used as a source for examples of language use, and readers are encouraged to relate grammatical issues to their own practice and experiences. Topics covered include academic language, standard English, the correct use of tenses, active and passive voices, sentence construction and punctuation, apostrophe placement, and the use of grammar checkers. Adapted from publisher's description.

Education systems worldwide are compared in this report in order to provide a basis for American schools to gauge their performance against the world's top-performing nations. These international benchmarks provide an important insight into the qualities and characteristics of successful education systems. This publication outlines how America can address its education systems at both a state and national level to increase career and higher education opportunities for its students. Five key points are suggested: adopting a common, national core of benchmarked standards in mathemetics and language arts for K-12 students; ensuring textbooks, curricula and assignments are aligned to these standards; revising policies for recruiting, developing and supporting teachers; holding schools and systems accountable through monitoring and support to ensure high performance; and comparing state-level performance against international standards.