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Violence has plagued the Jamaican society over the last two decades. In recent times school violence has been an unfortunate phenomenon that detract from the teaching and learning process. During this EduExchange, we will examine the state of violence in schools, the causes, share experiences and identify possible solutions.

The single grade classroom has become the dominant structure of many education systems, but multi-grade classrooms persist in several developing countries and rural areas of the developed world. Teaching more than one grade level at a time in one classroom requires highly specialize training that is often not available. During this EduExchange, we'll share experiences and recommendations for raising student achievement and learning outcomes in multi-grade classrooms.

In almost every debate on improving the quality of education in Jamaica, a concern is expressed about the low level of parental involvement in education. Many believe- a position which is supported by ample research- that when parents are active in their children’s education, both children and schools do better. If parents are so important, then why has the constant urging of many parents not gained traction and why haven’t we seen an overwhelming response to the calls for more parental involvement? This suggests that we may well have to re-think some of the strategies which have been used to engage parents in the education of their children.

When parents become involved real changes can take place. Let us bring our focused attention and examine seriously how we can bring parents completely on board the education transformation thrust. We look forward to your participation in this important EduExchange and encourage all members to follow the dialogue and contribute to the discussion!