Jennifer A. Kurth

Jennifer A. Kurth, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Special Education at the University of Kansas. Her academic interests include methods of implementing inclusive education, including methods of embedding critical instruction within the context and routines of general education while providing appropriate supports and services for individual learners. She also studies how teacher candidates develop their dispositions and skills in inclusive practices. Jennifer’s research interests in inclusive education also include examining outcomes of inclusion in terms of skill development and quality of life indicators for students with disabilities. Prior to coming to the university, Jennifer was an inclusion facilitator for students with mild to severe disabilities at both the elementary and secondary levels.

Erin Furtak

Erin Marie Furtak, had a brief career as a high school science teacher before completing her PhD in curriculum and teacher education at Stanford University in 2006 as an advisee of Richard J. Shavelson. Then, with the support of a Chancellor Fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, she moved to Germany to complete a postdoc at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin and the Leibniz Institute for Science Education in Kiel. She studies professional learning environments that support science teachers in formative assessment design and practice. Her research has been awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (2011). She is now Associate Professor of Curriculum and Instruction: Science Education at the University of Colorado Boulder, where she has worked since January 2008.

Erica Frankenberg

Judy L. Elliott

Martha L. Thurlow

Martha L. Thurlow, Ph.D., is Director of the National Center on Educational Outcomes in the Institute on Community Integration (University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities) at the University of Minnesota. In this position, she addresses the implications of contemporary U.S. policy and practice for students with disabilities and English Language Learners, including national and statewide assessment policies and practices, standards-setting efforts, and graduation requirements. Dr. Thurlow has conducted research for the past 35 years in a variety of areas, including assessment and decision making, learning disabilities, early childhood education, dropout prevention, effective classroom instruction, and integration of students with disabilities in general education settings. She has published extensively on all of these topics, and also recently completed serving as co-Editor with Bob Algozzine of Exceptional Children, the research journal of the Council for Exceptional Children. Dr. Thurlow is a co-author of several books, including Testing Students with Disabilities, Improving Test Performance of Students with Disabilities, Alternate Assessments for Students with Disabilities, and Critical Issues in Special Education. Dr. Thurlow was one of the original developers of the dropout prevention program Check and Connect, which was empirically tested, and replicated in several settings. She is the author of numerous reports, journal articles and chapters on the topic of dropouts and dropout prevention, and also addresses the dropout problem within the current context of federal legislation, high stakes testing, and standards-based education.

Michelle D. Young

Sharon Vaughn

Project-Based Learning+
Enhancing Academic Learning and Essential Life Skills

Second Edition

Jorge Valenzuela - Lifelong Learning Defined, Inc.

July 2025 | Corwin

Project-based learning PLUS essential life skills equals student and educator success

Imagine not only helping kids reach their potential academically, but as citizens in society as well. In this updated edition of Jorge Valenzuela’s book, you will learn how!

Take project-based learning (PBL)—in which students develop educational skills like research, critical thinking, and teamwork—to the next level by enhancing it with personal competencies like self-management, social awareness, and responsible decision-making. Written by an expert in PBL, student well-being, and technology with different levels of educator PBL experience in mind, this guide to harnessing the power of these approaches provides:

The five elements of the PBL+ Framework
Tools and rubrics that help you engage all students and assess their projects
Ways to align PBL with five critical emotional intelligence and career readiness competencies
Tips for putting PBL+ into practice to facilitate your own teaching plans

The framework described in this book, grounded by research and supported by practical steps, is replicable in every classroom and provides educators guidance for strengthening their instructional practice to create an empowering student experience.

Sue Ann Highland - National Education Strategist, School Specialty

October 2025 | Corwin

Your blueprint for student-centered environments that foster well-being and success.

Today's classrooms must do more than accommodate students. They need to inspire creativity, nurture emotional well-being, support neurodiverse students to thrive, and foster a sense of belonging for all. Reimagining Learning Spaces provides actionable strategies for designing inclusive, flexible, and emotionally supportive educational spaces that promote both academic excellence and social-emotional development.

Leveraging her decades of experience as a school and district administrator and an industrial/organizational psychologist, author Dr. Sue Ann Highland offers research-based guidance on how to provide innovative learning spaces designed for collaboration, creativity, and inclusivity. Additional features include

Evidence-based design principles tailored to support student engagement, emotional well-being, and academic success
Practical tools and frameworks, such as self-assessments and worksheets, to guide planning and implementation
Expert insights into creating adaptable environments that grow with the demands of modern education
Examples from real schools that have successfully transformed their learning spaces

Following the strategies presented in this book, school leaders and educators can reimagine their learning environments to better serve their students and staff so that students feel supported, educators feel empowered, and everyone can thrive.

Lori Woodley-Langendorff - Catalyst for Social Responsibility

July 2025 | Corwin

Social emotional literacy is for everyone!

Adults are tasked with teaching social emotional literacy (SEL), including skills like curiosity, respect, and problem-solving, but too often we fail to acknowledge or tend to our own well-being.

In SEL Muscle Mastery, you will discover six SEL Muscles™ that, when strengthened and flexed with skill, support our own emotional balance and are key to building resilient and joyful environments where we can effectively teach and kids can sustainably learn. Inside this transformative guidebook, you'll discover:

A framework for managing student behavior and classroom dynamics, finding personal fulfillment, and supporting the whole child
Reflection prompts for readers to use to consider what is present in the moment and what is possible in the future
Links to videos and an open-access curriculum
Exercises, stories, and examples for teachers, caregivers, and community members

In this beautifully illustrated book, Lori Woodley-Langendorff, a former school counselor and award-winning film producer and educational consultant, presents a powerful new toolkit to enhance your ability to navigate difficult circumstances with greater ease and joy, both in and out of the classroom.

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Corwin