The author compared NCLB-prompted standards-based reforms with earlier reforms and found that earlier manifestations of standards-based reforms may have been more productive and constructive. NCLB, with its emphasis on accountability through high-stakes testing, has produced many perverse results alongside documented achievement gains, the author…

Engaging students requires giving them a say in what they learn and how they will learn it. However, in strictly disciplined, rule-bound schools with test-driven curricula, this cannot happen. Edison Schools, Inc., a for-profit Education Management Organization (EMO), and Confluence Academy, an Edison-run school located in one of the most…

Discusses generally positive findings of research studies of the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994 related to academic achievement, career preparation, youth development, teachers' views, and employers' views. (Contains 52 references.) (PKP)

In this article, the author, who is an educational author, speaker, and consultant, briefly discusses how the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act has played large role in her past three jobs over the past four years. Four years ago she was the president of Foxfire, three years ago she taught elementary school methods courses in a university teacher…

This article presents a teacher's story regarding the necessity of a laws such as Indian Education for All (IEFA). According to the law, all school personnel are expected to "gain an understanding of and appreciation for the American Indian people." It is deeply rooted in democracy and reflects so much of what the teachers believe about…

Argues for statewide collective bargaining on teacher salaries as a way of promoting equity among teachers. The factors opposing such a program are discussed. (IRT)