Examines the experiences of New York State school districts that increased student participation between 1992 and 1996 in a statewide testing program. Increased participation rates were associated with modest declines in the percentage of passing students, unchanged dropout rates, similar spending patterns, and increased staffing levels. (MLH)

Background: Implicitly, innovative schools have historically contained some (but not usually all) of the properties of learning organizations and professional learning communities but have a weak record of sustaining success over time. Can innovative schools that self-consciously establish themselves as learning organizations and professional…

The Japanese are setting new achievement standards for their competitive American peers; meanwhile, Japanese students in American schools are learning to be more creative and assertive. Teachers adjust their instruction to make the classroom more comfortable for Japanese students raised on rote learning. A sidebar describes five elementary school…

To create an education pipeline capable of moving all students through to an advanced level of skills and credentials and connecting young adults to the well-paying jobs being created in Massachusetts, two challenges deserve the special and immediate attention of state leaders: (1) Substantially increasing the percentage of the state's low-income,…

"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…

This guide is designed to provide guidance to New York state school districts and teachers to help students achieve the music standards. Teachers throughout New York state met to compile these field-tested lesson plans, teaching strategies, assessments, and resources for teachers of students in pre-kindergarten through grade 12, in all areas of…

Notes that within the past five years, the national standards movement has prompted many states to turn to the use of test scores to hold students and teachers accountable to higher standards in academic achievement. Discusses the unintended consequences: pervasive emotional pressure, reductionist views of literacy, conflicted views of teaching…

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…

The core curriculum for economics, the enterprise system, and finance supports the New York State Education Department's efforts to raise standards in social studies by focusing on Standard 4: Economics, in the "Learning Standards for Social Studies." This core curriculum reinforces the key ideas and performance indicators for this…

The National Research Council (NRC) initiated the first reform movement in 1994 in order to increase student achievement, provide curriculum reform, and involve teacher enhancement programs. This document reports on a study with qualitative and quantitative components that evaluated the results of the impacts of teacher enhancement and curriculum…

Examines the impact of the NASPE content standards on New York state's physical education programs and the work of people involved with them, highlighting four key areas of impact: program content, administrators and teachers, teacher education, and professional organizations. The standards have succeeded in providing an impetus for action at all…

This article features the ?Special Act" public school districts located throughout New York State. These districts were created by special acts of the New York State Legislature to serve children in child-caring institutions and one children's hospital in the state. The purpose of these special districts is to allow public schools to be…

These New York State performance standards focus on: (1) personal health and fitness (students will have the necessary knowledge and skills to establish and maintain physical fitness, participate in physical activity, and maintain personal health); (2) a safe and healthy environment (students will acquire the knowledge and ability necessary to…

The Empire State Partnership connects a school district and museum in implementing a constructivist, interdisciplinary curriculum that addresses state standards through the arts. Formal and informal assessments document students' intellectual growth as well as achievement on the New York State Regents' examinations. (SK)

Nationwide, public school spending in the United States has more than doubled in the past 30 years, while there has been no appreciable improvement in academic outcomes. The United States spends more of its gross national product on education than any industrialized country, yet languishes near the bottom of lists comparing those countries'…