This report is one in a series of reference documents designed especially to assist educators who are directly involved in the revision and improvement of content standards. It presumes a basic understanding of the purposes for standards and the process of standards review and evaluation. This report may be of interest to curriculum directors,…

For too many Ohio Students, high school does not work. The Task Force's vision for solving this problem is clear. The journey to make this vision a reality-- to ensure that every student graduates with the knowledge and skills he or she needs to succeed in college and the workplace and to be a good and productive citizen --will not be easy. But it…

This report is one in a series of reference documents designed especially to assist educators who are directly involved in the revision and improvement of content standards. It presumes a basic understanding of the purposes for standards and the process of standards review and evaluation. This document is intended to be a desktop reference volume…

High school graduation requirements in states throughout the U.S. were reviewed to better understand how well they align with what students need to be successful in college or the workplace. It was found that no state requires its graduates to take the courses that reflect the real-world demands of work and postsecondary education. …

There is a lot written about eligibility requirements, but almost all of it is about NCAA first year eligibility requirements and their impact on high schools. Much less is written about high school eligibility requirements and their impact on student performance. Coaches, parents, and educators offer many reasons for there to be lax or no…

This article highlights the expansion of the International Baccalaureate program in the United States due to the increasing amounts of interest among school districts in the subject of offering a more rigorous curriculum to be available for the students. International Baccalaureate programs, while very different from Advanced Placement programs,…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) House Passes FY 2007 Funding Measure: Education Programs Slated to Receive Additional Funding; (2) President Bush…

Secondary vocational-technical education programs in Mississippi are faced with many challenges resulting from sweeping educational reforms at the national and state levels. Schools and teachers are increasingly being held accountable for providing true learning activities to every student in the classroom. This accountability is measured through…

Secondary vocational-technical education programs in Mississippi are faced with many challenges resulting from sweeping educational reforms at the national and state levels. Schools and teachers are increasingly being held accountable for providing true learning activities to every student in the classroom. This accountability is measured through…

An "environmental scan" is designed to identify key issues of policy and practice in an area of interest so that action can be taken. By definition, an environmental scan focuses upon areas of concern. However, the results of an environmental scan are not designed to be either an indictment or endorsement of the current way of doing…

Each of the articles included in this issue launched the author backward into nostalgia and reconsideration of her own work as they motivated her to ask new questions in current and future studies. The author's goal, therefore, is not to provide a linear road map through the articles but to point to themes and ideas that run through the project…

In 1987, the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) and 13 Southern states formed the SREB-State Career/Technical Education Consortium and established two goals. One goal is to increase the percentages of career-oriented students who complete a planned sequence of career/technical (CT) courses and a challenging academic core in English/language…

This two-semester course emphasizes key events and developments in the past that influenced peoples and places in subsequent eras. Students are expected to practice skills and processes of historical thinking and inquiry that involve chronological thinking, comprehension, analysis and interpretation, research, issues-analysis, and decision-making.…

High school graduation exams are in place in nearly half the states, and more than half the nation's high school students have to pass them to earn a diploma. After a detailed analysis of the mathematics and English language arts exams in Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio and Texas, Achieve reached three conclusions: (1) Tests are…

High school graduation requirements vary from state to state and district to district across the United States. These requirements establish criteria that students must meet in order to obtain diplomas or certificates of completion. An increasingly common graduation requirement is the achievement of a passing score on an exit exam, a practice…