Researchers found that a Washington State fourth-grade teacher successfully met the demands of standards-based writing instruction without compromising her teaching stance or diverse students' learning. She instituted 15-minute class meetings to address student problems, read aloud from books with relevant characters, and used innovative,…

According to SCORE, actively engaged students are energized by four goals (success, curiosity, originality, and relationship) that satisfy certain human needs. Educators can motivate students to produce high-quality work by clearly articulating success criteria, providing constructive feedback, modeling skills, and portraying success as an…

A widespread perception about falling standards prompted Margaret Thatcher's government to pass 1988 legislation mandating a national curriculum and accompanying testing system. The worst-case scenario feared by many British teachers is coming to pass: a test-driven curriculum without significant attention to teachers' assessments of student…

When they are well-devised and implemented, academic standards, tests, and associated accountability provisions can change the nature of teaching and learning. They can lead to a richer, more challenging curriculum, foster teacher collaboration, create a more productive teacher/parent dialogue, and focus attention on student achievement. (MLH)

Discusses seven important issues that should be considered by educators in developing a minimal competency testing policy. (JG)

A teacher explores the recent educational reform movement and discusses the studies of schools done by Sociologist Christopher Jencks in the 1970s. An important idea that can be extrapolated from Jencks' studies is that schools should function more like families than factories. This would empower teachers and make schooling more equitable,…

The main reasons that students drop out of high school are poor grades, family problems, and financial problems. The school reform movement may compound marginal students' difficulties and cause more students to drop out. (MD)

Academic standards are central to reinventing schools and transforming U.S. education. Higher standards are necessary to replace minimal standards implicit in most textbooks and tests. Standards communicate that all students can achieve at higher levels and that teachers are reclaiming the profession. Standards also inspire systemic reform, create…

Exhibitions are one way to exemplify high standards while serving both individual liberty and civic virtue. Exhibitions begin with determination of what students should know and be able to do and proceed methodically backward to define what and how students must be taught to reach those outcomes. Policy options to ensure accountability through…

Development of "Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics" is story of professional community recognizing need, reaching consensus through review and analysis, and conceiving clear vision and reform strategy. Standards were developed to ensure quality, indicate goals, promote change. Lacking profit motive, educational…

Attempting to capture the complexity of learning on standardized state assessments severely limits student knowledge and expression. Inevitably, schools reduce the curriculum to what is covered on tests. Students control their learning. Constructivist teachers structure lessons around big ideas, value relevance, and strive to challenge students'…

Facing increasing standardization and accountability pressures, schools struggle to retain democratic ideals while seeking alternative visions. The standards movement defines a well-educated citizen as a technologically adept, economically savvy college graduate. Democracy flourishes only when protecting the marketplace of ideas and a diversity of…

In April 2000, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics will release "Principles and Standards in School Mathematics," a revised document stressing conceptual understanding and reasoning. NCTM standards specify that curricula should emphasize five mathematical processes: problem solving, reasoning and proof, communication,…

For years, College Board has been promoting and publicizing necessary pathways to postsecondary education. Even bolder step is EQUITY 2000--demanding program of prealgebra, algebra, and geometry designed to ensure minority students' success in vigorous high school mathematics programs. Pacesetter initiative aims to make high-standards curriculum,…

National testing will not improve teacher's genius, students' prospects in life, or learning opportunities in school's immediate surroundings. Too much emphasis will be placed on comparisons among districts, counties, and states. Money will be pumped into raising scores, not decreasing class size or giving teachers more time to work with children.…