Maintains that current efforts to reform education and social studies are cycles of media hyperbole and political hope. Contends that issues underlying various programs are really about power and control. Argues that social studies has a role in making schools and students models of democratic thought and action. (CFR)

A review of the research and a case study of current practice in one large urban school district evaluate the decision-making process of including students with disabilities in systems of educational accountability and the identification and provision of suitable accommodations for such students. Issues in the inclusion of students with…

Recent changes to the student profile in higher education and calls for improved graduation rates and better quality graduates have caused consternation among academics. Greater access to higher education by non-traditional groups is supported both ideologically and pragmatically. However, the disparate needs of such a student population has led…

The origins, history, and final demise of discriminatory admissions policies at Harvard, Princeton and Yale are examined. It is reported that by the early 1920's the Big Three racial and religious quotas were fully operative in response to the influx of Jews, Catholics, and other new groups that threatened the hegemony of the old-stock Americans…

This publication, one in a series, is intended to bridge the information gap between what the research says and what actually transpires when various programs and reform initiatives are implemented in schools. This particular publication presents 30 questions to 5 participants of the Distinguished Principal Fellows program. The questions are…

The premises of this 2-year study are: first, what teachers know and can do is the most important influence on what students learn; second, recruiting, preparing, and retaining good teachers is the central strategy for improving our schools; and third, school reform cannot succeed unless it focuses on creating conditions in which teachers can…

This issue paper summarizes key program elements in the Goals 2000: Educate America Act (P.L. 103-227), signed into law on March 31, 1994. The legislation, designed to codify the eight National Education Goals, authorizes funds for K-12 school improvement and establishes a framework to encourage state and local educational agencies to develop…

This study investigated what is known about content area instruction for linguistically and culturally diverse learners (LCDLs) in mainstream social studies, mathematics, science, and language arts classes. A review of recent literature looked at three major areas: (1) the theory and practice of standards for this group; (2) theory and practice of…

These guidelines are derived from the five basic National Commission on Teaching and America's Future recommendations presented in "What Matters Most: Teaching and America's Future," a research-based proclamation that improving the quality of classroom instruction is the most important, direct, and cost-effective route to improving…

A proposed strategy for colleges and universities to increase the academic persistence of minority group students begins with faculty renewal efforts that encourage faculty to question their cultural beliefs, examine how diversity affects teaching and learning, foster more collaborative classroom interactions, maintain high academic expectations,…

This report examines issues in the low achievement of American students in mathematics, with emphasis on the low representation of minority students in this field. American myths about mathematics which emphasize the importance of innate ability rather than hard work are seen as reinforcing racial and gender stereotypes about who can do…

In this review of college admission practices, four areas are analyzed: (1) changing patterns of admission standards and practices and factors that have influenced those changes during the past 25 years; (2) importance assigned to high school achievement, test scores, and other criteria in arriving at admission decisions; (3) influence of college…

The quality of off-campus degree programs is considered in relation to quality control models and efforts that have been used to achieve quality control, the parties responsible for quality control, the effectiveness of programs to improve the educational quality of nontraditional education, and future prospects. It is suggested that quality…

Endorsing the principle that there is no one model American, the 10 essays in this monograph demonstrate cultural pluralism and illustrate the need for multicultural education in American schools. A general statement, adopted by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, emphasizes that multicultural education affirms that schools…

Concerns and objections regarding minimum competency testing (MCT) are raised. The tests are criticized for their tendencies to: (1) deny variability in growth, development, and intelligence; (2) expose rather than constructively examine underachievers; (3) divert scarce personnel and financial resources to test administration; (4) ignore…