While many would agree that music affects us, details of the effects of music on intellectual, psychological, physiological, social, and physical processes of humans are not common knowledge. Recent studies have shown that the use of music can enhance or detract from the completion of many tasks, including eating, sleeping, exercising, driving,…

This collection of papers introduces the proceedings of the Fourth Annual Conference-Eurasian Higher Education Leaders' Forum held on the 11-12 June, 2015 at Nazarbayev University in Astana, Kazakhstan. Our presenters come from different professional backgrounds including higher education institutions, national business companies as well as…

Science teaching and teacher education in the U.S.A. have been of great national interest recently due to a severe shortage of science (and mathematics) teachers who do not hold strong qualifications in their fields of study. Unfortunately we lack a rigorous research base that helps inform solid practices about various models or elements of…

In the study reported here, the authors examined the LEs (learning expectations) related to Grades 1 to 8 number and quantity in mathematics across several US states and high performing TIMSS (Third International Mathematics and Science Study) Asian countries, including Singapore, Taiwan and Japan. The general strategy used is based on the topic…

This paper describes an action research project that addressed the issue of low oral performance in English among third grade learners at a public girls' school in Bogota, Colombia. The issue was identified via content analysis of ten field logs compiled over the third and fourth quarter of the second semester, 2010. To address the problem of…

Two well-known major frameworks to measure teacher performance and determine what a teacher should know and be able to do are undoubtedly the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and Charlotte Danielson's Framework for teaching. Charlotte Danielson has four major domains and National Board Certification (NBPTS) has five major core…

Engineering institutions across Europe are currently involved in a major process of reform and restructuring as a part of the Bologna Process, which stresses the role of competencies and outcomes in curriculum design. In the field of languages, the Council of Europe has developed the CEFR (Common European Framework of References) for languages,…

The construct of dispositions is defined in national standards, and colleges of education are required to assess candidate dispositions to meet accreditation requirements. Similarly, there is a need to review teacher dispositions in making hiring decisions about teachers, although this need may not yet be realized. Measurement is virtually…

Three mathematics textbooks of different grade levels, compared with Chinese math textbooks of the same grades, were selected that were used in some of the middle schools in Clark County Schools District (CCSD). Systematical review of the three textbooks were made grade by grade in order to figure out "Are Our Math Textbooks a Mile Wide and…

Globalization and increased diversity within student populations generate a growing impetus toward a multicultural approach to music education. Additionally, the National Standards in Music Education require that students experience the music of other cultures. However, not all multicultural music programs are equivalent in content, depth of…

The purpose of this study was to review policies and inquiries on national curriculum reform, initiated during the federal election campaign in 2007, to identify whether a new phase of national curriculum collaboration, characterised as standards-based reform, is likely to be initiated. A set of ten criteria, defining key features of…

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the nature of activities in the change process undertaken by two initiatives to produce national standards in academic disciplines, national assessments and accountability measures. The Common Core State Standards Initiative, a project coordinated by the National Governors Association and the Council of…

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of teacher certification by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) on student achievement. This study considered the research question, are there significant mean differences for measures of student achievement between schools with a higher percentage of national board…

This thesis explored the history of calculator usage in mathematics classrooms in the United States since 1975 with a focus on the attitudes of parents, educators, and national organizations. The influence of historical events, people, organizations, research, and trends was explored in depth. Studying the changes that calculators have brought to…

In an attempt to better support the mathematics and science learning experiences of preservice teacher candidates, a new course of study was created as part of a teacher certification program at a mid-Atlantic liberal art university. Entitled Investigations in Science and Mathematics, the two semester course adopted an integrated inquiry and…