In the ongoing effort to improve instructional standards in our nation's urban public schools, the Council of the Great City Schools has released resources to help districts determine the quality and alignment of instructional materials at each grade level; to ensure that materials for English language learners are rigorous and aligned to district…

Biotechnology is an innovative field that is consistently growing in popularity. It is important that students are taught about this technology at an early age, so they are motivated to join the field, or at least motivated to become informed citizens and consumers (Gonzalez, et al, 2013). An increase in biotechnology knowledge can result in an…

Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education piques students' innate curiosity and opens their eyes to hundreds of career possibilities. This column presents ideas and techniques to enhance your science teaching. This month's issue shares information about a STEM enrichment project for second graders that incorporates nutrition and…

This column presents ideas and techniques to enhance science teaching. In today's classrooms, teachers face numerous challenges. They are preparing students for jobs and careers that are not even conceived of yet. Assessments are being used to address students' college and career readiness and to promote critical thinking and problem solving.…

Marx, Garcia, Butterfield, Kappen, and Baldwin (2015) lament the current state of affairs where there is sparse and inconsistent teaching preparation across business doctoral programs. The authors refute the idea that teaching is solely an art to be acquired rather than a skill to be learned. They explore the legacy rewards system--incentives…

Since September 2015 the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) has introduced major changes to its inspection procedures and expectations. These are embodied in its handbook for school inspection. Ofsted claims more than it can deliver; in particular it makes impossible demands on its inspectors--in terms of applying both evaluation criteria…

In the first years of his career as a high school math teacher, Matt Townsley was bothered by the fact that his grades penalized students for not learning content quickly. A student could master every standard, but low quiz grades and homework assignments they didn't complete because they didn't understand would lower their final grade,…

Social studies education suffers from a distorted rendering of purpose and mission. Rather than pragmatically employ the social sciences to furnish the material for inquiry into normative and moral issues, social studies classrooms too often focus on declarative, disconnected, atomized, and meaningless content. The National Council for the Social…

The importance of high-quality evaluation is underscored in Learning Forward's Standards for Professional Learning: Evaluation provides information that supports advocates, professional learning planners, and anyone who wants to know "about the contribution of professional learning to student achievement" (Learning Forward, 2011). Most…

Iowa's Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program for Four-Year-Old Children (SWVPP) is an important part of the state's comprehensive early childhood effort, providing more opportunities for young children to access quality preschool and enter school ready to learn. The preschool programs are expected to serve four-year-old children with a range of…

Traditional and digital storytelling is a powerful literacy tool which engage students in making connections between pedagogy and academic content. Definitions of traditional and digital storytelling, pedagogical methods aligned with curriculum standards, and examples of literacy centers associated with storytelling in early childhood classrooms…

A small but growing number of schools and districts across the country are experimenting with personalized learning, an innovation that customizes students' experiences to their individual needs and strengths. Through new kinds of environments, technologies, and ways to demonstrate their knowledge, personalized learning aims to meet students where…

Polymer education relies on generally agreed terminology and nomenclature rules. The Polymer Division of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) generates and recommends such rules for naming processes and materials in polymer science. It is the goal of IUPAC that these recommendations be applied in polymer science curricula…

Henry Fortier began his new role as Superintendent for the Diocese of Orlando Florida in the same school year (2011-2012) as the publication of the National Standards and Benchmarks for Effective Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools (NSBECS). Fortier gave himself a six-month window to immerse himself in the diocese and learn the culture of…

Is the Common Core really "dead"? Though no longer called the Common Core in our three study states, the "new" college-and-career readiness standards still guide much of education policy in Texas, Ohio, and Kentucky. In our new feature article in "Educational Researcher," lead author Dr. Laura Desimone, along with…