Recommends setting national standards for high-quality early childhood education and care; cites research which proves the value of quality early childhood experiences; considers teacher-child ratios and other issues relevant to teachers; and discusses differences in regulations across states and the licensing caseload burden of state regulators.…

Three issues in the debate over reading are (1) choice of instructional materials; (2) methods of teaching and testing; and (3) national standards for reading. Advocates a rational approach that recognizes limitations of tests to assess reading attainment and uses social dimensions and links with other language modes. (SK)

Discusses the difficulties of establishing national educational standards in a content area such as social studies. Describes how national standards are being studied and might be instituted. (HB)

Comments on development of literacy "benchmarks" by the Commonwealth Government. Suggests that the benchmarks (1) will prove a highly productive discursive (and thus financial) context for some researchers, assessment organizations, and professional development teams; and (2) are a product of the melodrama of crisis, having no foundation…

Suggests that the big issues surrounding a project like STELLA (Standards for Teachers of English Language and Literacy in Australia) can be viewed in three dimensions: the doubt that literacy teaching can be reduced to a checklist; whether teaching is synonymous with "curriculum delivery"; and the best way to articulate the values of…

Summarizes the development of English language arts standards and discusses the role standards might play in achieving educational reform, both in the classroom and within larger educational units. (SR)

Examines the interaction of large-scale mathematics assessments and standards efforts in the United States. Considers standards developed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), and the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). (Author/MM)

In this article, the author discusses how from time to time, directors choose to program certain works for their ensembles because they fit a unit of study or a specific curriculum need. Unfortunately, published editions that are appropriate for the specific band, choir, or orchestra are not always available for a given work. A novel and…

The educational enterprise is awash in standards, but little attention is paid to what the term really means. Without carefully crafted, widely accepted definitions of standards, standards projects are rife with problems and frequently fail. The absence of careful definitions typically leads to confusion, rejection of standards, and can actually…

In this brief article, the author discusses the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and the certification process of becoming a National Board Certified Teacher. The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), which was created in 1987 in order to establish high standards for what accomplished teachers should know…

This article briefly reviews the central ideas associated with the notion of systemic reform and indicates how these ideas are manifested in the draft of the National Science Education Standards. The draft is critiqued and what the critique suggests about the viability and utility of the notion of systemic reform is considered. The discussion…

The Scottish Executive Council is working closely with education authorities, schools, and parents to ensure that all Scotland's children have the opportunities and encouragement to attain high standards in literacy and numeracy. The framework for education that has been put in place through the "Standards in Scotland's Schools etc. Act…

England's Department for Education and Skills (DfES) plans to require schools to set targets for students at their school to attain level 5+ in each of English and mathematics in the tests in 2003 and beyond. These targets will be in addition to those already set for achievement at level 4+. There are new national targets for Key Stage 2 in…

This paper provides instructions for linking conceptual understandings using the Connections Matrix. The Connections Matrix and the process of connecting the curriculum works equally well with state-level learning objectives or outcomes. The intent of this process is to help educators see the overlap and connections between what teachers say they…

Provides a history of the National Council of Teachers of English's guidelines which are put forth every 10 years. States that before 1986 the guidelines served mainly the function of informing graduate and undergraduate programs of principles to build or modify programs in English education. Questions who shall control teacher education in the…