Ability grouping

Ability grouping refers to the organizing of elementary and secondary students into classrooms or courses for instruction according to actual or purported ability.

Adequate yearly progress

Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) is a measure established under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB, 2002) by which schools...

Charter Schools

Charter schools are publicly funded, tuition-free schools of choice that have greater autonomy than traditional public schools.

Cheating

Cheating is usually defined as deliberately engaging in dishonest or fraudulent behavior for one’s own gain.

Compulsory Attendance

Compulsory attendance laws refer to legislative mandates that school-aged children attend public, nonpublic, or homeschools until reaching specified ages.

Corporal Punishment

In the mid-1970s, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the right of educators to use corporal punishment to foster discipline in the public schools.

Teaching of Creationism Evolution and Intelligent Design

Four distinct movements in American educational history have approached the interpretation of what may be taught to children regarding the origins of life.

Denominational Schools in Canada

Because the Dominion of Canada initially included separate areas with English-speaking and Frenchspeaking majorities, constitutional legal protections were provided for denominational schools as a safeguard for minority-religion schools.

Distance Learning

Among the numerous definitions for distance learning, three in particular stand out.

Early Childhood Education

Through most of American history, all early childhood education was provided at home since school systems did not assume any responsibility to educate children prior to first grade.

English as a Second Language

Over the past four decades, numerous federal policy initiatives and judicial decisions have emerged to address the education of students with limited English language skills.

Gifted Education

Few areas of education are as controversial as gifted education. Programs for children who are gifted have been present in varying forms for many years. 

Grading Practices

The issuance of formal grades or other forms of assessment of student performance is a time-honored practice designed to offer formative and summative feedback to students and their parents.

Highly Qualified Teachers

The term highly qualified teacher comes from the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, now known as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) (2002).

Homeschooling

Homeschooling is the broad term used for describing the education of school-aged persons at home rather than in the public or private education systems. 

Right to Attend Kindergarten

Ever since the first kindergartens opened in the United States in the mid-1800s, discussions about the right to kindergarten, principles for kindergarten entry and eligibility, and what should be taught in kindergarten have taken place in most jurisdictions.

Minimum Competency Testing