In this chapter, the author contemplates the future of accreditation in the changing landscape of higher education in the United States. He presents a set of proposals for how accreditation can regain the confidence of college leaders and public policymakers. He begins with the assumption that changes in accreditation--some significant in their…

The state of Oklahoma and the federal government have spent hundreds of millions of dollars over the past decade in pursuit of expanding the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) as a means of ensuring highly qualified teachers for every student. This study aimed to discover whether or not there was any relationship between…

Current quantitative research on the effectiveness of the National Board certification has resulted in contradictory findings. Consequently, this meta-analysis synthesized the results of 12 studies on National Board Certification and student achievement. Of those, 9 studies were used to calculate effect sizes for reading, and all 12 were used to…

School counseling in Turkey and the United States has progressed on different historical paths. The two countries also have distinct cultures. This article reviews the historical development of the profession in both countries and specifically examines efforts to develop and implement broad national models based on a comprehensive developmental…

The word gospel means "good news," and gospel music is the good news of the message of Jesus of Nazareth in song. African American gospel is a style that is growing in popularity. The number of twenty-four-hour gospel radio stations in the United States is increasing, and sales of gospel music recordings are on the rise. Gospel music…

States jockey for position as the U.S. Education Department readies billions of dollars in "Race to the Top" awards--the stimulus program's grand prize. Even before they've finished spending their first block of federal stimulus aid, states are getting a head start in a national "race to the top" for better public education,…

In response to concerns over the need for a scientifically literate workforce, increasing the STEM pipeline, and aging science standards documents, the scientific and science education communities are embarking on the development of a new conceptual framework for science, led by the National Research Council (NRC), and aligned next generation…

This report from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) presents results from the Trial Urban District Assessment in science. Science results are based on representative samples of fourth- and eighth-grade public school students from the 17 urban districts that volunteered to participate in the 2009 assessment. Between 900 and…

There is much variability in coach preparation across the United States. No one model of coach development seems to fit the needs of all levels of sport competition or the wide variety of consumers. Moreover, there are many entities involved in prescribing requirements such as national governing bodies, state legislatures and boards of education,…

This is a critical time for the science education community as we embark on the creation and implementation of new national science standards. The purpose of this essay is to offer insight into how the language of curriculum standards, including that found in state science standards in the United States over the past 15 years, has posed barriers…

"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) "The High Cost of High School Dropouts": New Alliance Brief Says Dropouts from the Class of 2009 Represent…

Although the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme is offered by many high schools in the United States and considered to be challenging and rich in content, the curriculum has not been analyzed to determine its alignment with college readiness standards or state educational standards in the U.S. The research methodology employed by…

The purpose of this study was to determine quality indicators for SAE and FFA according to 36 experts across the United States. This is a part of a larger study looking at all components of the traditional three-circle model. The study utilized the Delphi technique to garner expert opinion about quality indicators in Agricultural Education. For…

"Quality Counts 2012," the 16th edition of "Education Week"'s annual examination of issues and challenges facing America's public schools, takes aim at topics high on the policy agenda, from the White House and Congress down to the level of local school boards and chambers of commerce: the nation's international standing in…

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the nature of activities in the change process undertaken by two initiatives to produce national standards in academic disciplines, national assessments and accountability measures. The Common Core State Standards Initiative, a project coordinated by the National Governors Association and the Council of…