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Accreditation serves many constituents and for a variety of reasons. It attempts to attest to the quality of a particular program that in most cases prepares people to enter a specific job or profession. The study examined faculty perceptions of the CAEP process in accrediting their teacher education programs and the impact on resources including human resources and morale. Through a researcher-constructed survey and then focused interviews, educators at this university indicated they believed the process of national accreditation was important for enhanced status and prestige, but questioned whether it helped with needed systemic changes. They also noted that faculty workload was a drawback unless faculty were recognized for their work. Conclusions to the study offered three recommendations: (1) faculty along with other key stakeholders should have a strong voice in the decision to pursue accreditation; (2) personnel need to be appreciated for their intensive work; and (3) institutions need to allocate adequate and realistic resources for the entire process. Additionally, universities need to use the lessons learned and outcomes of the process to strengthen and change programs and policies when necessary for continuous improvement.

From the time of birth, children begin learning about themselves and the world around them. Parental aspirations for their children's P-16 educational attainment does not exist in a social vacuum within the United States. In aggregate terms, parents' P-16 aspirations reflect the families' social class standing in their respective communities. Referred to as cultural capital, the process of consciously socializing children to develop social assets including learning to read, seems to be a critical piece of more elite societies. This study sought to uncover first year, first generation students' perceptions and memories of early reading experiences to further the understanding of the challenges first generation students face in attending college. Findings revealed our students did not often have strong role models for reading, although the majority believed reading well was a necessity for college and future success. The impact of cultural capital theory revealed families still have great influence on first generation student success in college and should be of critical concern to higher education for how to best support this new generation of learners. Additionally, we may need to transmit to our students the tools to develop more cultural capital by being positive role models.

The last two decades have produced theoretical-based methodology models emphasizing student-centered and learner-controlled writing experiences. During the 1990s, writing evolved into a function of learning. As more was learned about the writing process, it became evident that writing led to clarifying thinking and served as a forum for revealing students' thought processes and reasoning (Gordon & MacInnis, 1993). However, not all types of writing fit neatly into the writing process. One way of ensuring children's messages are heard and seen is through the use of dialogue journals (Peyton & Seyoum, 1988; Peyton & Staton, 1993; Staton, 1988; Staton & Peyton, 1986). Such exchange of information between writers in a dialogue fashion supports Vygotsky's social development theory that defines the power of the connection of thought and social interaction, supporting the view that social interaction promotes deeper understanding (Garmon, 2001; Gallimore & Tharp, 1990; Gavelek, 1986; Vygotsky, 1987). An essential question that emerges when thinking about implementing dialogue journal writing in the elementary classroom is: do dialogue journals help students become better at writing and who see themselves as writers? The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a significant difference in the quantity and content of written responses in fourth grade students' journals for students who had routinely dialogued with their teacher and those who had routinely dialogued with a peer. By investigating the difference between teacher-learner and learner-learner communication in dialogue journals, this study intended to offer significant data to aid teachers in determining the intrinsic value of student-to-student dialogue journals. Participants for the study included 52 fourth graders who were enrolled in two intact fourth grade classrooms in a rural Midwestern school in the United States. A quasi-experimental research design was used in which the quantity and content of written response was compared for the group of students participating in student-teacher dialogue journals (n = 26) and the group of students participating in student-student dialogue journals (n = 26). The findings of this study indicated that student-student dialogue journaling may have merit as a vital part of the regular elementary classroom writing program. With no significant difference found in the content, data revealed that these fourth graders discussed various topics and issues with their peers as frequently and openly as they did with their teachers. Further study is warranted in the area of dialogue journaling, but this pilot study may entice educators to look at dialogue journal writing from a different perspective.

In this article, the authors describe the process of "peer debriefing": exposing oneself to a disinterested peer in a manner paralleling an analytic session and for the purpose of exploring aspects of the inquiry that might otherwise remain only implicit within the inquirer's mind. The authors wanted to know if former graduate students engage in peer debriefing or similar activities, and framed their research question for this pilot study: Do graduates of the university's elementary and reading master's programs utilize the practice of peer debriefing? The authors report on a survey by inservice teachers, indicating that overall, respondents seem to use all or parts of the peer debriefing process, such as discussing educational matters with others who are knowledgeable. but not specific stakeholders in the situations. Almost all teachers surveyed reported that they use other teachers as sounding blocks, and that reflecting with colleagues is an important part of their professional growth.

Many educators continue to treat reading and writing as separate subjects. In response to this observation, the authors offer four research-based writing strategies that teachers can use to improve student reading comprehension through writing. The writing strategies--"About/Point", "Cubing", "Four Square Graphic Organizer", and "Read," "Respond", "Revisit", "Discuss"--reinforce reading comprehension by helping students strengthen their skills at summarizing, thinking in-depth from multiple perspectives, activating and organizing numerous thoughts, and creating interest through meaningful social interactions. (Contains 1 table and 6 figures.)

Accreditation serves many constituents and for a variety of reasons. It attempts to attest to the quality of a particular program that in most cases prepares people to enter a specific job or profession. The study examined faculty perceptions of the CAEP process in accrediting their teacher education programs and the impact on resources including human resources and morale. Through a researcher-constructed survey and then focused interviews, educators at this university indicated they believed the process of national accreditation was important for enhanced status and prestige, but questioned whether it helped with needed systemic changes. They also noted that faculty workload was a drawback unless faculty were recognized for their work. Conclusions to the study offered three recommendations: (1) faculty along with other key stakeholders should have a strong voice in the decision to pursue accreditation; (2) personnel need to be appreciated for their intensive work; and (3) institutions need to allocate adequate and realistic resources for the entire process. Additionally, universities need to use the lessons learned and outcomes of the process to strengthen and change programs and policies when necessary for continuous improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From the time of birth, children begin learning about themselves and the world around them. Parental aspirations for their children's P-16 educational attainment does not exist in a social vacuum within the United States. In aggregate terms, parents' P-16 aspirations reflect the families' social class standing in their respective communities. Referred to as cultural capital, the process of consciously socializing children to develop social assets including learning to read, seems to be a critical piece of more elite societies. This study sought to uncover first year, first generation students' perceptions and memories of early reading experiences to further the understanding of the challenges first generation students face in attending college. Findings revealed our students did not often have strong role models for reading, although the majority believed reading well was a necessity for college and future success. The impact of cultural capital theory revealed families still have great influence on first generation student success in college and should be of critical concern to higher education for how to best support this new generation of learners. Additionally, we may need to transmit to our students the tools to develop more cultural capital by being positive role models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to determine undergraduate preservice teachers' perceptions of their practicum experiences and their readiness for teaching literacy. We wanted to know how prepared students felt to teach reading and writing, how familiar they were with various instructional literacy models, how prepared they felt to teach the various models, and how often students observed teachers using the various models. Our findings indicated that we need to be more intentional about monitoring student placements, placing more of an emphasis on the reciprocal nature of reading and writing, and demonstrating how the writing process works across the curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which examines the difference between the content and quantity of written responses in journals of fourth grade students for students who had routinely dialogued with a peer and those who had routinely dialogued with their teacher. An analysis of covariance and Chi-Squared Test of Independence were used. Moreover, the findings suggested that student-student dialogue journaling may be a valuable part of writing program in regular elementary classroom.

The article discusses peer debriefing as a means for educators' self-assessment as well as the impact that peer debriefing process can have on professional development. It notes the benefits of using the practice of peer debriefing which may assist teachers in a more objective critique that will lead to different or clearer comprehension and retention of good teachers. It also presents the results of the survey conducted by the authors to ascertain teachers' use of peer debriefing.

Many educators continue to treat reading and writing as separate subjects. In response to this observation, the authors offer four research-based writing strategies that teachers can use to improve student reading comprehension through writing. The writing strategies--About/Point, Cubing, Four Square Graphic Organizer, and Read, Respond, Revisit, Discuss-reinforce reading comprehension by helping students strengthen their skills at summarizing, thinking in-depth from multiple perspectives, activating and organizing numerous thoughts, and creating interest through meaningful social interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]