We reviewed the scholarship on capacities for educational leadership for the past decade of the pre-reform era (1976-1985), as well as a recent decade of the reform era (2005-2015), and compared scholarship from both decades with the current Professional Standards for Educational Leaders. We found that scholars in the past decade of the pre-reform…

The National Educational Technology Standards Project, partly funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, aims to develop technology performance standards for preK-12 students, establish specific applications of technology throughout the curriculum, provide standards for supporting technology in schools, and address student…

The National Standards for the Arts are part of Goals 2000. The public must be made aware of why national visual arts standards are needed and how they relate to state art education frameworks, district curriculum guides, and lesson/unit plans. The goal of all arts education is to develop basic literacy in visual arts, music, theater, and dance.…

We must determine national standards, an acceptable degree of student achievement, and ways to guarantee equity while encouraging excellence. Any school can increase its graduation rate by decree through social promotion and lowered grading scales. The shift to standards means a shift to measurable outcomes, true learning, and a quality product.…

U.S. foreign language education encompasses many languages, cultures, and perspectives. The ACTFL "Proficiency Guidelines" and National Standards/Assessments provide common measures and goals that enhance students' language progress as they enter higher education. NCATE Teacher certification guidelines and organizational communication…

Valid assessment of student learning in nonperformance music classes is important and possible. Grading practices in large ensembles are often questionable, as music teachers often reward attendance and effort over absolute achievement and overemphasize affective or attitudinal goals. Teachers cannot easily rate aesthetic responses, but any…

After 21 years of national standards and state mandates, assessing teaching by portfolio has reached a stage of wide adoption in preservice programs. However, the use of teacher portfolios to recruit, select, retain, and provide professional development seems less widespread. This pilot study shows how full implementation of teacher portfolios…

Successful standards-based reform requires fundamental reconstruction of educational institutions and systems, so that high standards become the basis of curriculum, textbooks and other instructional materials, assessments, graduation requirements, and teacher education, certification, and training. A great failure of our public education system…

The National Council on Standards and Testing's final report (1991) endorsed the concept of national education standards that reflect high expectations, provide focus, and embody a dynamic approach. Unresolved implementation difficulties include education system impact, improvement sequence, cost effectiveness, assessment purpose, multiple v.…

Literacy is a device that society uses to reproduce itself and adapt to social changes. The literacy of interpretation and understanding emphasized in schools is an effort to align school subjects with new markets, workplace tools, democratic processes, family practices, and personal growth. The standards movement, including English standards,…

Although most teachers are aware of documents identifying standards in their subject areas, few know about "external" standards documents or the standards movement as a whole. Despite impressive lists of content standards, U.S. educators lack direction due to four major problems: multiple documents, too much information, controversial content, and…

Assessing students' achievement of the new national "Information Literacy Standards for Student Learning" is complex and involves the whole school. Assessment should be tied to content learning; measure students' ability to do and know; test real experiences; consider inquiry's overlapping, recursive nature; involve qualitative measures;…

The 1996 National Assessment of Educational Progress showed progress in all three grade levels compared with 1990 and 1992 studies. The national standards developed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and the National Research Council will continue to provide guidance for modifying math and science education. Educators must fully…

In response to the critical need for geographical knowledge, educators and concerned stakeholders have built a national consensus regarding content standards in "Geography for Life: National Geography Standards 1994." The 18 standards for grades K-4, 5-8, and 9-12 specify the essential knowledge, skills, and perspectives that students…

In a time of unprecedented information growth and rapid social change, the school library program should shift from collecting resources to developing a community of learners. The Information Literacy Standards for Student Learning should help students become lifelong learners, think critically and ethically, and develop social responsibility. (10…