Efforts to institutionalize Bloom's Mastery Learning Concept at the City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) are described. Information on the City Colleges and the adaptation of mastery learning are presented, and the growth of the project in five phases beginning in 1972 is sketched. The optimal pattern for mastery learning consists of a series of small…

The last three years at Chabot College have been characterized by a rapid and continuing increase in the number of non-traditional students; an increase which may be accounted for by numerous social, political, and educational conditions. In order to determine the extent and nature of the learning problems which many of these non-traditional…

Various topics concerning assessment in higher education are considered in five papers. In "Defining and Measuring the Competencies of a Liberal Arts Education," David G. Winter proposes that liberal arts competencies can be assessed by creative new quantitative strategies and outlines five important criteria, or standards, as well as measures of…

Reports from the popular media indicate that the public is demanding a return to the teaching of basic skills, instead of supporting educational innovations which emphasize affective rather than cognitive objectives. Concerned with declining academic achievement at all levels of education and with the inadequate job skills of high school…

This report of the Undergraduate Committee, Center for Teaching and Learning, University of North Dakota, to the University Curriculum Committee recommends the continued use of a system for reporting student progress according to three categories: CR for credit received, CD for credit deferred, and CW for credit withdrawn. After a discussion of…

The Secretary of Education's most recent report on educational quality argues that American schools have not improved enough. Issues addressed include trends in standardized test scores, strengthening curriculum content, assuring equal intellectual opportunity, establishing an ethos of achievement, recruiting and rewarding good teachers and…

This collection of papers describes the process of creating a standards-based teacher education program through strong collaboration among arts and science, education, and P-12 faculty members and administrators. The Standards-based Teacher Education Project (STEP) was designed to help teacher education programs ensure that their graduates know…

In 2000, the National Education Goals Panel examined the conditions that help ensure school success, conducting a series of four field hearings nationwide to find evidence of success and to understand why schools were succeeding. Participants at the hearings included students, teachers, parents, principals, superintendents, university presidents,…

This book examines the realities of educational change from the perspective of reform-minded teachers, focusing on how the professional work of teachers mediates the translation of the new educational orthodoxy into sustained and enhanced levels of student learning. The book charts the perceptions and experiences of 29 teachers in grades 7 and 8…

State leaders are using complex accountability systems, composed of standards, assessments, public reporting, rewards, and sanctions, to raise student, school, and district achievement. The public strongly supports making academic standards more challenging, despite a lack of consensus on content and outcomes. Some states may revise standards…

A hearing was held to discuss the prior four years of implementation of the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act, and to recommend further improvements. The opening statements of Chairman Howard McKeon and Dale E. Kildee introduce the meeting and discuss the importance of promoting an educated populace that will maintain the United States'…

This document contains the second year of the U.S. Department of Education's 2002-07 Strategic Plan. The plan outlines the strategies and actions the department will undertake to meet its goals, and it defines the measures and targets the department will use to determine success of the plan. Detailed are the six goals, along with their objectives,…

This document presents school principals' points of view on school and student improvement, using the real life experiences and practices of principals within Chicago's schools that have over the past few years shown the most improvement. Principals from 32 schools discussed their leadership style and strategies that contributed to school and…

This paper presents initial findings from a 2-year study to identify the core knowledge and skills necessary to teach in a standards-based system. The study was part of the Standards-Based Teacher Education Project (STEP), which focused on the development of frameworks and materials for preservice and practicing teachers. High school teachers and…

This educational-futures literature review examines essential skills students will need to function in an increasingly sophisticated work environment, noting implications for students with disabilities. Results highlight 12 competencies needed to succeed in the future work world. The competencies relate to general skills rather than rigidly…