College-for-all has become the new American dream. Most high school students today express a desire to attend college, and 90% of on-time high school graduates enroll in higher education in the eight years following high school. Yet, degree completion rates remain low for non-traditional students—students who are older, low-income, or have poor academic achievement—even at community colleges that endeavor to serve them. What can colleges do to reduce dropouts? In Bridging the Gaps...

The Cultural Matrix seeks to unravel a uniquely American paradox: the socioeconomic crisis, segregation, and social isolation of disadvantaged black youth, on the one hand, and their extraordinary integration and prominence in popular culture on the other. Despite school dropout rates over 40 percent, a third spending time in prison, chronic unemployment, and endemic violence, black youth are among the most vibrant creators of popular culture in the world. They also espouse severa...

On a Halloween night, eight boys are led on an incredible journey into the past by the mysterious “spirit” Moundshroud. Riding a dark autumn wind from ancient Egypt to the land of the Celtic druids, from Mexico to a cathedral in Paris, they will witness the haunting beginnings of the holiday called Halloween.Featuring the evocative prose and imagery of Ray Bradbury, the fine acting of the Colonial Radio Theatre players, and atmospheric music and sound effects, this story will send ...

This is an exceptional, contemporary, heart-breaking novel.Toby's life was perfectly normal . . . until it was unravelled by something as simple as a blood test.Taken from his family, Toby now lives in the Death House; an out-of-time existence far from the modern world, where he, and the others who live there, are studied by Matron and her team of nurses. They're looking for any sign of sickness. Any sign of their wards changing. Any sign that it's time to take the...

‘Grabbed me and refused to let go’ George R.R. MartinSOMETIMES A GIRL IS TOUCHED BY MOTHER WARThorn lives to fight. But she has been named murderer by the very man who trained her to kill.SOMETIMES A GIRL BECOMES A WARRIORFate traps her in the schemes of Father Yarvi, sending her across half the world to seek allies against the ruthless High King.SOMETIMES A WARRIOR BECOMES A WEAPONBeside her is Brand, a young warrior who hates to kill. A failur...

He’s been trapped in his home since he died. If he can’t outwit the demon holding him captive, he’ll never be free.Tim Lane is running out of time. Since dying on Halloween 1981, he’s tried everything to hold back the hellish force that killed him. But with the demon clawing his way into his elderly father’s mind, the desperate teenage ghost finally takes the gloves off.As Tim races to save his father, he pieces together the truth about what really happened...

Poor Mr Swimble is having a bad day.Rabbits are bouncing out of his hat, pigeons are flying out of his jacket and every time he points his finger, something magically appears – cheese sandwiches, socks . . . even a small yellow elephant on wheels!It’s becoming a real nuisance – and he’s allergic to rabbits.His friends at the Magic Rectangle can’t help, but the mysterious vacuum cleaner he saw that morning may have something to do with it . . .Fourteen fantas...

Brought to you by Penguin.From international bestseller, Karen McManus, comes the explosive third and final thrilling instalment in the acclaimed One of Us... series.Ever since Simon died in detention, life hasn't been easy for the Bayview Crew. First the Bayview Four had to prove they weren't killers. Then a new generation had to outwit a vengeful copycat. Now, it's beginning again.At first the mysterious billboard seems l...

The acclaimed social psychologist offers an insider’s look at his research and groundbreaking findings on stereotypes and identity.Claude M. Steele, who has been called “one of the few great social psychologists,” offers a vivid first-person account of the research that supports his groundbreaking conclusions on stereotypes and identity. He sheds new light on American social phenomena from racial and gender gaps in test scores to the belief in the superior athletic prowess of black...

Multiple-award-winner Geneva Gay has updated her foundational text for culturally responsive teaching to keep it relevant for today’s diverse students. This perennial favorite is the go-to resource for teacher professional learning and education courses.Geneva Gay is renowned for her contributions to multicultural education, particularly as it relates to curriculum design, professional learning, and classroom instruction. ...

For the first time, this volume provides a definitive collection of Gloria Ladson-Billings’ groundbreaking concept of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP). After repeatedly confronting deficit perspectives that asked, “What’s wrong with ‘those’ kids?”, Ladson-Billings decided to ask a different question, one that fundamentally shifted the way we think about teaching and learning. Noting that “those kids” usually meant Black students, she posed a new question: “What is right with Black studen...

Empower black boys to dream, believe, achieveSchools that routinely fail Black boys are not extraordinary. In fact, they are all-too ordinary. If we are to succeed in positively shifting outcomes for Black boys and young men, we must first change the way school is "done." That’s where the eight in ten teachers who are White women fit in . . . and this urgently needed resource is written specifically for them as a way to help them understand, respect and co...