The author endorses the approach to teaching phonics set out in recent documents (e.g. Progression in Phonics) that extend and supersede the approach set out earlier in the National Literacy Strategy (NLS) Framework for Teaching. Proposed are minor, evidence-driven amendments to this approach. The assumption that failure to achieve continuing…

The paper discusses the development of counseling and psychotherapy in China. These have developed rapidly for more than ten years, with special technique integration, varied methods, and the spread of concepts. But measured by scientific criterion, it still is in the primary stage of development. Although the number of diversified forms of…

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the status of literature in contemporary English K-12 curriculum in a national agenda that values skills, outcomes and benchmarking. This paper is divided into two parts. The first part argues that the role of literature in the primary classroom should not be underestimated, and that educators should…

Western Illinois University's College of Education and Human Services has redesigned its teacher education program for pre-service elementary teachers. The redesigned program provides more classroom observations and onsite field experiences in the schools at earlier stages in student teachers' education and offers methods classes with integrated…

This paper begins with the following quote from Michel Foucault: "People know what they do; they frequently know why they do what they do; but what they don't know is what what they do does." The context of the paper and the policy directions considered encompass the past decade and take the National Curriculum as an intervention in…

This pamphlet offers a collection of items relating to child health in the day care setting. Included is an overview of a collaborative project to develop a comprehensive set of national standards for health, nutrition, safety, and sanitation in child care programs. Contents of the project's resource kit, "Keeping Kids Healthy and Parents at…

This study uses document analysis and comparison to investigate the connotations of National Standards for Visual Arts of the United States and Taiwan. The major difference between these two sets is the content structure. The U.S. standards focus on the differentiation of students' abilities by grade based on six content areas of arts disciplines.…

This paper considers changing practice in literacy teaching from a traditionally individualized approach where great emphasis was placed on adult child interaction to a more teacher-directed program. September 1998 saw the introduction of a National Literacy Strategy in England. For the first time the national government prescribed not only what…

This paper addresses bibliographic services in the 21st century. The paper begins by reviewing achievements of the past 30 years, including Universal Bibliographic Control (UBC), MARC, International Standard Bibliographic Description (ISBD), and the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, 2nd edition (AACR2). The cataloging of electronic resources is…

This paper examines the controversy generated by the 1994 release of the "National Standards for United States History: Exploring the American Experience (5-12)" and "National Standards for World History: Exploring Paths to the Present (5-12)." The standards engendered protests as conservatives and others charged that it was a "politically…

Ohio vocational education teachers' awareness of, attitudes toward, and use of national skill standards were examined through a survey of a proportional (by vocational program area) stratified random sample of 346 of Ohio's 3,499 secondary vocational teachers. Of the teachers surveyed, 205 (59%) returned usable responses. The teachers were…

Standards-driven school reform is the national strategy to raise U.S. schools to a world-class level by the year 2000. Schools and school districts must develop plans, that show how to integrate the sets of national goals, standards, and assessments. This paper describes a school-improvement model (SIM) developed by the Gilbert (Iowa) Community…

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…

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…

For the past three years, we have been investigating the implications of testing on students in elementary mathematics classrooms throughout the state of NJ. Our research, and the work of others, indicates that the impact of testing depends on many factors, not the least of which involves how teachers prepare their students for the test. In this…