Editor’s note: The following article first appeared in the 2016 Winter issue of the Journal Whole Child (http://publications.catstonepress.com/i/763890-winter-2016/15?). It is re-printed with kind permission of the IL ASCD. To educate is, in short, to set out to create and sustain informed, hopeful and respectful environments where learning can flourish. It is concerned not just with […]

This research targeted two suburban LCMS Lutheran schools and examined their sustainability through the lens of Stevens’ lifecycle theory during the maturity stage and regeneration (Stevens, 2006), and Fullan’s sustainability theory for schools (2005). The objective was to explore, understand, and describe the perspectives of school stakeholders (i.e., pastors, teachers, parents, and other church workers) […]

Teaching reading is a primary focus for elementary educators and administrators. A foundational skill for school-based learning, reading is critical to future academic and vocational opportunities. Yet, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NEAP) report, sixty-six percent of fourth graders in the United States are reading below a proficient level. Educational efforts have been made to address this issue as research has indicated that students reading below grade level in third grade continue to struggle throughout their academic activities and are more likely to be unemployed or earn incomes below the poverty level than students reading at or above grade level. Recognizing the need to increase reading levels and to reduce the achievement gap by end of third grade, the United States Department of Education adopted the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) revised in 2015 as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) to guide educators. An additional critical component of these laws for educators is the Enhancing Education Through Technology Act of 2001 (EETT), designed to assist every student in becoming technology literate by the end of eighth grade.

Change is here! With the inauguration of the new online format for the Lutheran Education Journal comes a wealth of new opportunities for exposure to, and interaction with, the rest of the world. During the past 143 years, readers have benefitted from articles, reviews, news, and editorials that have kept Lutheran education in front of its professionals and the general public.