This study provides an organized list of core mathematics standards and benchmarks that are recognized by most or all of the states in the central region which includes Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. State standards were reviewed against the reference set of standards and benchmarks to determine what…

This report summarizes the accomplishments of local education grants that have balanced the need for high standards, accountability, parent involvement, and flexibility. The document examines results from two funding opportunities supported by the Goals 2000 Educate America Act: the Consortia Addressing Statewide Systemic Issues (CASSI) and Local…

"The Achiever" is a monthly publication for parents and community leaders. Each issue contains news and information about school improvement in the United States. Highlights of this issue include: (1) President Signs College Cost Reduction Act; (2) Galvanizing the Community: Charter Schools Provides Greater Choice to Colorado Latinos…

With schools being held accountable for helping students achieve state standards, and assessments measuring how well schools and students are meeting standards, the types and uses of data become increasingly important. This brief outlines a study conducted by the Education Commission of the States to understand how exemplary districts use data.…

Research on school effectiveness continues to indicate that those aspects of schooling that are closest to the student, namely teaching, instruction, and curriculum, have the greatest impact on student learning (see Gamoran, Nystrand, Berends, & LePore, (1995). Furthermore, the available evidence suggests that schools that cultivate particular…

This booklet presents three model content standards for physical education in the state of Colorado, noting that there must be developmentally appropriate physical education programs for all students, from the physically gifted to the physically challenged. Physical education provides opportunities for students to participate in activities that…

This document outlines the content standards for science in the state of Colorado. The document is organized into six standards, each of which is subdivided into a set of guiding questions exemplifying the standard and a series of lists defining what is expected of students at each grade level within the standard. The standards are that students…

This guide is part of a series produced by the U.S. Department of Education, and it builds on two previous works: "Successful Charter Schools" (ED493615) and "Charter High Schools Closing the Achievement Gap" (ED494482). It profiles seven K-8 charter schools that are making headway in narrowing gaps in achievement. It examines…

This Colorado state standards guide lists six model content standards for history education in Colorado elementary schools. Standards cited in the guide are: (1) students understand the chronological organization of history and know how to organize events and people into major eras to identify and explain historical relationships; (2) students…

Now that all 50 states and the District of Columbia are building statewide longitudinal data systems, the next step is to ensure that the information in these systems is used to improve student learning. The Data Quality Campaign (DQC) has identified 10 actions that states can take to ensure that the right data are available and accessible and…

The Colorado Model Content Standards for Science specify what all students should know and be able to do in science as a result of their school studies. These standards reflect high expectations and outline the essential level of science knowledge and skills needed by all citizens to participate productively in an increasingly technological…

Theater, the imagined and enacted world of human beings, is one of the primary ways children learn about life--about actions and consequences, about customs and beliefs, about others and themselves. Theater arts benefit the student because they cultivate the whole person, gradually building many kinds of literacy while developing intuition,…

The state of Colorado has set forth six content standards for dance education in its public schools: (1) students will understand and demonstrate dance skills; (2) students will understand and apply the principles of choreography; (3) students will create, communicate, and problem solve through dance; (4) students will understand and relate the…

These Colorado state music content standards are based on the idea that music education benefits students by developing them fully and gradually building music literacy while cultivating intuition, reasoning, imagination, and dexterity into unique forms of expression and communication. The guide suggests that standards provide a substantive…

By adding courses in math, science, English, foreign languages, and geography to their admission standards, colleges and universities in many states are fostering further fragmentation of high school curricula and forcing some schools to add class periods or short-change vocational, music, and art students. Michigan, Oregon, Colorado, and New York…