Issues in Education: White Papers

Literacy Development & Students with Developmental Disabilities

Chris Kliewer, professor, special education; Amy Staples, associate professor, special education; Amy Petersen, assistant professor, special education; Evette Edmister, assistant professor, communication sciences & disorders; and Jennifer Garrett, assistant professor, communication sciences & disorders

Recent Federal policy including the Individuals with Disabilities Act and the No Child Left Behind Act require that all school aged students, including those with the most complex developmental disabilities, have access to evidence-based literacy programs. Despite laws and research-based evidence, data gathered and reported on by the U.S. Department of Education show that the majority of students with significant developmental and sensory disabilities continue to face unnecessary educational segregation and nonsensical exclusion from critical early written language opportunities.

School Consolidation

Timothy Gilson, assistant professor, UNI Department of Educational Leadership, Counseling & Postsecondary Education

The debate about school district consolidation rages on in Iowa. To anyone involved in the educational systems in Iowa, that should come as no surprise. Anytime there are districts that range in size from 28 to over 31,000 students, people are going to raise questions regarding their viability and effectiveness.

Iowa Core Curriculum

Nadene Davidson, interim head, UNI Department of Teaching and assistant professor

Iowa has taken a comprehensive approach to address the challenge of preparing students to live in this complex global environment. In response to the demands of life in the 21st century, the Iowa Department of Education developed the vision and framework of the Iowa Core Curriculum (ICC).

Iowa Math and Science Education Partnership (IMSEP)

Jeffrey Weld, Ph.D., Collaborative Initiative leader

A recent report of the National Academy of Science warned of negative economic and societal consequences for our nation if downward trends in science and math education continue. According to the report, Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future, 15 of the 20 fastest growing occupations in the 21st century will require substantial math and science preparation. Our national economy grows increasingly reliant on quality Science, Technology, Engineering and Education (STEM) programs at the very time when the performance of US students in math and science slips to all-time lows in comparison to youth of other developed nations.

Early Childhood Education

Betty Zan, Director Regents' Center for Early Developmental Education

Extensive research on the impact of high quality preschool programs shows that preschool increases the school readiness skills of children and sets them on a trajectory of long term economic and social success.

High School Reform

Bridgette Wagoner, instructor, Malcolm Price Lab School

American high schools are in the spotlight. The way most schools are structured hasn’t changed much since the early 20th century. This archaic structure is inadequate to prepare today’s highly diverse graduates for a global economy and ever-changing workforce. Currently, an effort to reform America’s high schools is underway, centering on rigor, relevance, and relationships.

National Program for Playground Safety (NPPS)

Donna Thompson, Executive Director, National Program for Playground Safety

NPPS was established in 1995 at the University of Northern Iowa with funding by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  This funding lasted for ten years. Since that time, the program has become self-sustaining through revenue generation based on grants, sales of educational materials, and training services. 

Childhood Obesity

Larry D. Hensley, Director of Youth Fitness & Obesity Institute

Obesity has been declared an epidemic in the United States, with nearly two-thirds of adults being classified as overweight or obese. The number of children in the United States that are overweight or at risk for being overweight has more than tripled in the last 20 years. According to the Report to the President, Promoting Better Health for Young People Through Physical Activity and Sports (2000), our nation's young people are, in large measure, inactive, unfit, and increasingly overweight. It is currently estimated that over nine million young people are overweight. Studies indicate that overweight children are likely to become overweight adults, placing an even greater burden on the U.S. health care system.

Closing the Achievement Gap

A series of white papers by DeWitt Jones, associate professor, educational leadership, counseling & postsecondary education at UNI.

1. What is the Achievement Gap?

The literature on the student achievement gap in the U.S. is extensive with many opinions; but there is consensus that there isn't a specific cause for the gap within our public schools. This first in a series of white papers will focus on many issues associated with the achievement gap as well as networks of schools that are successfully dealing with closing the achievement gap.

2. Parental Involvement

Studies in closing the achievement gap in our public schools usually find that where great strides are taking place, there isn’t one component for this success, but a menu of applications working in harmony to achieve success.