In support of the National Education Goals of 1990, the Goals Panel convened a Technical Planning Group to offer background guidance for the National Council on Education and Standards in its task of establishing world-class academic standards for the United States. Recommendations of the Planning Group consider two types of content standards:…

Neoliberalism claims that privatization, marketization, uniform standards, and accountability--some important dynamics surrounding globalization in education--increase choices and quality in education. However, numerous studies show that the market has consistently devalued alternatives; increased the power of dominant models; and exacerbated…

In 2003 the first nationally-comparable science assessment was designed, developed and carried out under the auspices of the national council of education ministers, the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA). In 2006 a second science assessment was conducted and, for the first time nationally, the…

Under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001, the administration of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) became mandatory for all states in mathematics and reading for grades four and eight. Under NCLB the stated role and purpose of collecting achievement data from states varies from being a "discussion tool" to a…

Close investigation of trends in high school student course taking indicates that curriculum differentiation has had a negative effect on the education of many young people, particularly working-class and black students. It is argued that national goals and standards, wisely developed and applied, can benefit American education. (SLD)

Explores the complexity of developing and identifying national curriculum content standards. This article introduces other articles on developing standards for studies in mathematics, social studies, English, the sciences, and advanced placement studies. The challenges for national standards are examined with awareness of the importance of these…

Explores and contrasts early efforts to set standards in mathematics and social studies, juxtaposing California's revisions of its history and social science curricula and the standard-setting approach of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Both programs achieved success in part because of their development strategies. (SLD)

"Elementary Science: Where are We Now?" is a review of Elementary Science Education from the 1960s to 1999. Curriculum moved from uniform programs in the 1960s based on two assumptions to a wide diversity of goals, philosophies, and types of materials in the 1970s. The two assumptions behind the elementary science curriculum programs of…

To facilitate the discussion of national education standards, this workbook extracts examples of education standards from eight documents that describe what students should be taught, or what they should know or be able to do in various subjects. These examples illustrate and document some existing standards, and should help policy makers sharpen…

The United States is moving toward a more national, performance-based view of curriculum policy. The federal government will play a modest role in nationalizing curriculum policy issues, largely by pressuring states and localities through national standards. The chief agents of nationalization will continue to be state and locally based…

In order to achieve the EFA (Education For All) goal agreed by participating nations at the Dakar World Education Forum 2000, The Lao government has undertaken various studies for its "National Plan of Action for Education for All." Lao is an inland mountainous nation with 49 ethnic groups. Such diversity makes the provision of social…

Explores British and American policy analysts' disparate perceptions about utility of major educational reforms (school-based management, school choice, and national standards). The Tories got carried away with their ideological agenda and have alienated teachers and the public. American educators are debating centralization/decentralization, but…

Reviews efforts to develop national content standards for teaching English. Today's standards movements are distinguished from earlier efforts in that the learner is recognized as active, the meaning is socially and historically contingent, and the purpose is the development of language for political power and the creation and appreciation of…

Reviews experiences from the science curricula developed by the National Science Foundation in the 1950s and 1960s for their relevance to national standard-setting efforts today. Experiences include choosing standards of success that fit available expertise, emphasizing professional development, and defining the target audience clearly. (SLD)

Research indicates that there is a correlation between exposure of violence in the media and in entertainment and student behavior. Many students have been victims themselves of violent, verbal, and physical assaults. Classroom teachers and educators continue to address this issue locally in classrooms and in their schools. Amid the various…