This paper focuses on the "content" standards in history, geography, civics, and social studies and how social studies specialists in six Mid-western states saw the standards being used in their states as of spring 1998. The data gathered came from the use of a Q-sort deck of 21 cards with statements regarding the standards and…

Teaching is at the heart of education, and the single most important action the nation can take to improve schools is to strengthen teaching. A national certification system that reliably identifies teachers who meet high and rigorous standards can galvanize the entire system. In this volume, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards…

Reading and writing across content areas is emphasized in the standards and on high-stakes tests at the state and national level. As educators seek to incorporate content-area literacy into their teaching, they confront a maze of theories, instructional strategies, and acronyms like REAP and RAFT. Teachers who do work their way through the myriad…

There is an acute need to improve the quality of classroom teachers through improved standards for preservice programs and licensure and certification, especially in the middle grades. Several Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) states are working to improve middle grades teacher quality. Some are raising standards on teacher licensure tests.…

The objective of this paper is to show how science, writing and technology can be successfully integrated to maximize learning for all students. A recent research study infusing the writing process into hands on science lessons will be discussed, along with recommendations on the use of technology to support instruction in the areas of science and…

This brief discusses how service learning can help teacher candidates meet National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education standards. It examines how the Division of Teacher Education at the University of Idaho is refocusing its teacher certification program to reflect national standards and place P-12 students at the center of…

The "National Visual Arts Standards" form the basis for providing depth of knowledge and achievement in art for all students throughout their education and for developing effective art programs in all schools throughout the U.S. These standards offer one road map for competence and educational effectiveness, but without casting a mold into which…

This paper outlines the argument that there is a convergence of curricular goals across early childhood services in all European countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and a move to define more clearly the developmental goals and outcomes that services should achieve; the trend is positive for both children…

This report describes the past 15 years of work by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) to raise the standards for teacher quality. The NBPTS identified five core propositions that describe the knowledge, skills, and dispositions characterizing accomplished teaching. It created professional standards for K-12 teachers,…

This report argues that a English national strategy for creative and cultural education is essential. Three principle objectives are laid out to address this strategy. First, there are important relationships between creative and cultural education for the whole curriculum. Second, teachers must be trained in the most current methods to stimulate…

National standards are unnecessary for the top quarter of college-bound students. However, a national basic examination covering marketable skills in language and mathematics is crucial to improving the educational system for all other students. Establishing a National Basic Skills Certificate program would appease both liberals and conservatives.…

Describes the Web site, EcEdWeb, that provides support for economics education and includes four sections: (1) data and info (annotated links to economics data); (2) K-12 teaching (online material for teaching economics); (3) college teaching; and (4) web teaching (ideas for using the World Wide Web to teach economics). (CMK)

Asserts that social educators promote the civic competence of young people by conveying the knowledge, skills, and dispositions for taking productive social action. Maintains that quality trade books introduce children to people of diverse backgrounds who model difficult aspects of civic competence. (CFR)

Discusses two national arts education projects (invaluable tools for including the arts in daily curricula): a standards document being created by the Consortium of National Arts Education Associations, and a parallel assessment framework by the Arts Education Consensus Project to serve as a blueprint for the National Assessment of Education…

National Staff Development Council (NSDC) standards guide the development of new staff-development programs in Maryland, and they have provided the framework that guides Maryland's teacher-training efforts. This article offers details on the NSDC standards and discusses how Maryland is making use of them. (SM)