Project 2061 has been constructing goals for science, mathematics, and technology education since 1985, beginning with high school graduation standards (in "Science for All Americans 1989") and working toward reasonable standards for students at earlier grade levels. Projected "Benchmarks for Science Literacy" will include…

Five useful tools developed by Connecticut consultants can help teachers make sense of standards, design classroom activities, and differentiate achievement levels. These include the sentence diagram, a roll of the die, the mannequin (wardrobe metaphor), Twenty Questions, and the four-rung ladder exercise. (MLH)

A non-cushioned adequate yearly progress (AYP) sledgehammer will start pounding many schools from the beginning of 2005. The AYP-failed schools that receive Title 1 No Child Behind Policy (NCLB) funds will be placed on a sanction-laden improvement track than can improve a school all the way into nonexistence.

An urban community has forced the issue to get the school that it wants and that its children rightly deserve. The indispensable feature of successful schools in a functioning democracy include creating an authentic community capable of identifying obstacles and opportunities, setting standards and expectations, and deciding how best to provide…

Argues that student who invested 12 years working hard, studying, and obeying teachers deserves diploma even though diploma's value may be suspect. In some states, like Alabama, value of 12-year investment can be reduced to zero by single multiple-choice test score. Schools must treat all students fairly by considering multiple intelligences and…

To educate themselves, a group of 16 Massachusetts school leaders has devoted an afternoon monthly during the past year to examining, describing, and wondering about student work. The Collaborative Assessment Conference protocol has revealed that educators hold different, often contradictory, assumptions about teaching and learning. (MLH)

Describes how state standards caused one teacher to improve her teaching style. (PKP)

Since 1998, Florida's harsh A+ Program has graded each public school. School leaders have responded by setting urgent goals, engaging school personnel, using school achievement data, strengthening professional development, aligning curricula, increasing time for academics, choosing supportive instructional materials, building interdisciplinary…

At one Illinois elementary school, student portfolios have been a powerful vehicle for understanding what students know and understand about standards. Before developing a portfolio, educators should listen to children as they evaluate others' accomplishments and encourage conversations and reflections that affirm students' sense of competence.…

An era of high-stakes testing and accountability may be producing classroom conditions that undermine student learning. When teachers must focus their energies on preparing students for the test, they have less time to get to know students personally or make them feel valued, respected, and supported. The author reviews research showing that…

Public opinion surveys conducted by Public Agenda confirm that parents, students, and educators from diverse ethnic groups share the same fundamental aspirations for education and agree on the basic reforms needed in schools. The author, a senior advisor for Public Agenda, describes survey findings that suggest that all groups see education as the…

To teach tweens effectively, teachers need to be willing to do whatever it takes to advance student learning at every turn, including providing individualized instruction for students when the regular instruction doesn't meet their needs. The author, an experienced middle school educator, describes how teachers can promote tweens' learning by…

In the last two years colleges and universities in 27 states have upgraded freshman admission criteria because of the inability of many high school graduates to do college work. However, the declining number of college-age students may contribute to the lowering of standards in the 1980s. (MLF)

Since the state board adopted the Standards of Learning, Virginia high-school teachers maintain tighter schedules and more often use direct instruction instead of group activities to cover the new curriculum. A two-edged sword, the SOL has engendered an increased interest in professional collaboration. (MLH)

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act foresees to change the curriculum of mathematics in United States to make it rigorous and accessible to all students. A standard curriculum is suggested for all students in one state.