Educational policy in the U.S. currently centers on college and career readiness, with the spotlight is on high schools to meet higher expectations for students' literacy achievement. Ever-rising expectations are consistent with the U.S. standards movement, now in its third iteration. As funding for school improvement becomes increasingly scarce,…

The 2006 Performance Standards Review Commission (PSRC) was appointed by the Board of Education "to assess the effectiveness of the performance standards and to review the implementation of the performance standards by the Board and the schools to determine whether the standards should be modified" (Section 302A-201, Hawaii Revised…

This Policy Brief explores two very different aspects of accountability and curriculum. One traditional view incorporates standards into a system of accountability and school curricula. An alternative and currently popular perspective sees accountability as not a system but a strategy, and attempts to fix significant responsibility for student…

Newspaper headlines from across the United States reflect the turmoil in public education today, with some states protesting federal requirements for testing, some states lowering proficiency requirements, other states raising proficiency requirements, and even kindergarten and preschool children facing higher academic expectations. These…

This report reviews education programs and practices that have improved Native American student achievement in English language arts and mathematics. In Navajo tribal schools, teaching Indigenous language and literacy first, followed by teaching English and promoting bilingualism, helped students perform well on tests of vocabulary, comprehension,…