This paper discusses both the extent and manner in which the history of science is included in current secondary school physics textbooks. The study investigates what qualifies as history of science in a physics textbook; the focus, extent, and pervasiveness of the history of science content as it actually appears in a textbook; the focus of…

This paper describes one college faculty member's experiences coordinating departmental preparations for a 5-year, continuing program approval/accreditation visit from the Florida Department of Education (FDOE), the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), and the Florida Board of Regents. It notes that in addition to the…

The 1997 amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) required that states provide alternate assessments for students unable to participate in the statewide assessment systems (e.g., those with severe disabilities). IDEA mandated that alternate assessments access the general curriculum. This study examined the curricular…

Technology education in Taiwan, presently called living technology (LT), is a new area that has evolved from handicraft, industrial arts, and other areas. LT is offered mainly at the secondary school level, although it is required for all students in grades 1-11. In response to calls for curriculum reform, the present elementary and junior high…

An argument is presented for a common core of basics for all students. In addition, national standards are considered within the contexts of a pluralistic society and societal goals. Costs and benefits of adopting national standards are examined in light of the experiences of other countries with centralized educational policies. (IAH)

Today's climate of anxious expectation and critical blame for failing schools have led to numerous calls for change. Nearly every educational organization has developed its own set of standards for teaching and learning. The Interstate New Teachers Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) standards are a prime example of expectations being…

A study was conducted to examine the attitudes of elementary, middle/junior high, and high school counselors toward the development of national standards for school counseling programs. An effort was also made to identify the components counselors thought should be included in the national standards. Input from leaders of the American School…

This paper explains the government of the United Kingdom's (UK) National Literacy Strategy (NLS), established in 1997 by the incoming UK government to raise standards of literacy in English elementary school over a 5- to 10-year period. The paper summarizes how international research influenced the Strategy; reports on the impact of the NLS on the…

This study investigated whether there were differences in the leadership behaviors of 100 Mississippi teachers who had successfully completed the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) certification process and 100 Mississippi teachers who had not completed the NBPTS certification process. All participants were sent a copy of…

This paper reports on the use of teacher-written "cases" as evaluation data sources. Cases are first hand, candid, dramatic, highly readable accounts of events or a series of events in teaching. Eight teaching cases were collected which had been written by new teachers who graduated from the Maryland Collaborative for Teacher Preparation…

The use of formal written standards as a way to improve a product or service is discussed and illustrated by an analysis of the planned development of standards for educational data reporting. The Cooperative Educational Data Collection and Reporting Standards (CEDCARS) project is intended to apply to a wide range of educational data collection…

This paper analyzes research on accreditation, licensure, and certification standards that have impacted teacher education programs, providing a historical perspective of how and why standards came about in teacher education and examining each of the standards bodies in teacher education: the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education…

The Currie Report (1964) pointed out that "So far as any one strand in the "seamless web" of education can be picked out as of more fundamental importance than another it is the training of teachers/probably no other activity of the Administration is quite so important as this." Klassen (1982) has also rated teacher education…

This study qualitatively examines teacher intentions to utilize national standards as a resource for reform in their classrooms, schools, or districts. The topic is explored in light of recently adopted state guidelines called the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) in science. The effect that state guidelines have on teachers'…

Utilizing 1990 and 1996 National Assessment of Educational Progress data regarding mathematics achievement, students' backgrounds, and mathematics teacher practices, this paper examines race and SES (socioeconomic status) related disparities in student performance, beliefs about mathematics, and classroom experiences. Although overall mathematics…