States have different reasoning, timelines, and governing agencies that determine why and when academic standards are revised. A state review of academic standards involves many steps--a process that can take months or years. This guide provides a checklist for state education leaders to consider when developing the various components of an…

This study explores the history of Americans' birthright of liberty. The goal of education is to teach our children social studies, above all history and civics, so they can know what liberty is, where America's ideas of liberty originate in the long history of Western civilization, how our ancestors achieved their freedom, how our laws,…

Teaching students to act as citizens significantly enhances preparation for college and career. It is incumbent upon the National Council for the Social Studies to provide guidance to states and local districts to develop social studies standards to achieve this goal. The recommendations presented here focus on the principle that standards…

"Pack It Up!" was a fully interactive history exhibit for all ages, targeting primarily families with elementary-school-aged children. It invited visitors to work collaboratively through open-ended object inquiry and primary source analysis. Collaborative exhibit design between the education and collections departments led to an exhibit…

Every student in Hawai'i's public school system -- regardless of their geographic location, background, economic standing or whether they are in English or Hawaiian language pathways -- must have the opportunity to discover and pursue their passions and see first-hand how their interests can translate into successful and meaningful careers that…

The National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) held a virtual meeting of an Interim Assessment Advisory Panel on February 16 and 17, 2021, to tap into the panel members' collective knowledge about using interim assessments to support valid interpretations of what students with disabilities know and can do. The panel represented…

Since at least the 1980s, the accounting profession has discussed and written about the gap between academics and the practice of accounting. More recently, accounting academics have joined the call for increased faculty engagement with the accounting profession. As a result, the 2018 Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business…

Pierre Bourdieu had modest, peasant roots. He was born in 1930, in a rural family in the Béarn province of south-western France. He was the first one in his family to finish high school. His father, the son of a sharecropper, was a postal worker. Bourdieu, being a "scholarship boy," made his way to the elite École Normale Supérieure.…

Just as July 4th celebrations are set to begin, ACTA's new report, "No U.S. History? How College History Departments Leave the United States out of the Major," reveals that less than 1/3 of the nations leading colleges and universities require students pursuing a degree in history to take a single course in American history. Only 23…

The role of state education agencies (SEAs) has shifted significantly from low-profile, compliance activities like managing federal grants to engaging in more complex and politically charged tasks like setting curriculum standards, developing accountability systems, and creating new teacher evaluation systems. The move from compliance-monitoring…

"Transforming Science Assessment: Systems for Innovation," is a series of resources designed to provide state education leaders with: (1) Information about how states are currently pursuing statewide assessment systems in science; (2) Analyses of what features influence different approaches, with an eye to supporting state leaders as…

The goal of Title I, Part A of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) (20 U.S.C. § 6301 et seq) is to ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and to reach proficiency on state standards and assessments of academic achievement. Title I, Part A is designed to meet the educational needs…

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provides federal funds to improve elementary and secondary education in the nation's schools. ESSA requires states and Local Educational Agencies (i.e., school districts and charter schools) to take a variety of actions to ensure that all children, regardless of race, socioeconomic status, gender, disability…

As more and more cities and states diversify the educational options available to parents and students, creating magnet, open-enrollment, small school, career and technical, charter, and private school opportunities, educational choice markets need to become a part of the regulation conversation. In this report, Mike McShane examines the…

"Transforming Science Assessment: Systems for Innovation," is a series of resources designed to provide state education leaders with: (1) Information about how states are currently pursuing statewide assessment systems in science; (2) Analyses of what features influence different approaches, with an eye to supporting state leaders as…