Embracing New Paradigms in Education collects stories on rapidly changing fields and issues in education. This volume reveals that while teachers, students, and families confront many of the same issues as previous decades, the evolution of American society in the last decade brings new challenges and opportunities. This volume begins with the legacy of the national "No Child Left Behind Act" of 2001 on today's students and teachers. Closely related to this subject is the controversial question of what makes effective teaching and teachers, a subject that touches at the core of education. Another chapter examines the dynamics of private vs. public education, in K-12 and higher education. One of the most talked-about topics in higher education is increasing cost of a college degree. This chapter covers what is behind the debt students and families face. The evolution of computer technologies has finally reached the classroom, as learning and teaching have necessitated as radical a change with the inclusion of Web 2.0 and other technologies in the classroom. This chapter covers the most interesting stories of how technology has changed education. - Publisher.