Turning around low-performing schools has been a constant theme in education policy for decades. Even before the latest studies, analysts and education leaders have recognized the implementation challenges schools and districts face. So, what solutions are available for education leaders and state policyholders? The article offered these…

In 2010, more than 40 states adopted the Common Core State Standards. Initially, the standards were quickly and easily embraced, but over the past year the standards have become enmeshed in various controversies, raising many questions about how the standards were written and what they include. This article attempts to provide authoritative…

In this essay, the authors explore trends in intergovernmental relations (IGR) by analyzing recent education policies--No Child Left Behind Act, Common Core State Standards, and local empowerment policies. Identifying a resurgent role for local actors in education policy, the authors argue that recent federal efforts to exert more control have in…

The executive director of the Council of Chief State School Officers, who also is a former superintendent of education in Kentucky and Arkansas argues that successful implementation of the Common Core depends on adhering to two concepts: having an effect at scale and understanding that the effort ahead is a systems issue. This work depends on…

The purpose of this report is to provide insight into how state departments are implementing legislative requirements for educator evaluation, particularly the specific circumstances states encounter around arts education. Spotlights on Delaware, a first-round recipient of Race to the Top funding, and Colorado and Arizona, third-round recipients,…

In this study, federal court opinions and writings of legal scholars, spanning 63 years of establishment clause jurisprudence in the US federal courts were analysed in an effort to determine dominant trends in judicial philosophy that are of significance to science educators. The study's findings suggest that the dominant legal theory underpinning…

As schools across the country prepare for new standards under the Common Core, states are moving toward creating more aligned systems of assessment and accountability. This paper recommends an accountability approach that focuses on meaningful learning, enabled by professionally skilled and committed educators, and supported by adequate and…

For the United States to compete in a global knowledge economy, high schools need to improve dramatically. Young people leave high school without the advanced reading and writing skills required for career and college success. Beginning in the 1980s, reports such as "A Nation at Risk" documented the links between education, reading and…

A national survey of school districts last fall by the Center on Education Policy found that fewer than half of the districts had planned professional development aligned to the Common Core State Standards this school year. The challenge of getting the nation's 3.2 million K-12 public school teachers ready to teach to the standards is enormous.…

Since the 1970s, American governors have become increasingly active in education politics. Where they once told state education chiefs to "make me the best education governor ever," they now demand control of state boards of education, push for state control of school funding, and urge statewide standards for teacher evaluation. This…

The history of American early education is one of changing roles and goals. As federal engagement in early childhood has shifted in response to social, political, and economic needs, few policy efforts have focused on long-term planning or coordination. The authors identify the appropriate roles of federal, state, and local governments and make 13…

Despite its flaws, the USCO created the conditions for an unprecedented national statement on school safety. This study asks: How do states conceptualize school safety? While critics have denounced the dizzying assortment of states' persistently dangerous criteria, we argue that these differences have been grossly exaggerated. We contend that…

Four options for state standards are advising curriculum and instruction, measuring accountability, prescribing curriculum and instruction, and assessing construction of artifacts. The fourth option may be the best way to accommodate state influence while allowing teacher creativity and autonomy. (SK)

Although the regulation of the counseling profession has been sought and accomplished in most states, it is questionable whether the public is best protected by state regulation. Offers an alternative to governmental regulation of specialties. (JPS)

In less than 25 years, licensure laws on counseling have been passed in 41 states and Washington, D.C. Although much progress has been made regarding certification and licensure, many problems remain. Provides a reaction to certification and licensure issues. (JPS)