The 2019 "Minnesota Academic Standards in Science (Standards)" set the expectations for achievement in science for grades K-12 students in Minnesota. The standards are grounded in the belief that all students can and should be scientifically literate. Graduates should be prepared for career and college opportunities. The…

The 2019 "Minnesota Academic Standards in Science" (Standards) set the expectations for achievement in science for grades K-12 students in Minnesota. The standards are grounded in the belief that all students can and should be scientifically literate. The "Standards" describe a connected body of science and engineering…

Physical education is critical to addressing childhood obesity, yet many school-based programs do not meet established quality standards and teachers are called upon to change. Little is known about how change is initiated and its associated internal and external factors. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate physical education…

Are there teachable "transferable skills" (TS) that might mitigate the limitations of a rural location--or indeed, the limitations any program might encounter in regard to diversity expectations? Following a study conducted in 2010 of how rural schools, colleges, and departments of education (SCDEs) attempted to meet the National Council…

The purpose of this article is to describe lessons learned from studying the leadership in eight award-winning secondary schools and districts that were recognized for successfully leveraging technology as part of their efforts for school improvement. Data were collected through observations, interviews, and document analysis in schools and…

Schools are being encouraged to include more technology, but planning is an essential step in integrating technology into the curriculum. Provides a description of a successful approach to curriculum development taken in Minnesota. (MD)

Secondary school students in Pine River, Minnesota, need enough common knowledge to compete with graduates of other schools, but educators must keep in mind--as they move toward a more uniform curriculum--that each community is unique. (Author/RW)

Outlines how educational reform could be enhanced by using teachers as private practitioners working in groups to contract their services as professionals to schools. In Minnesota the idea is being explored in a small project, Teachers in Private Practice. (MD)

This report provides a systematic consideration of the use of computers in the schools, including definitions of curriculum, selecting hardware and software, developing materials, and implementing the materials chosen. It is designed for use by school teachers, administrators, and/or school board members who are making decisions about future…

This document defines what students should know and be able to do in order to be environmentally literate. It is a guide for building a curriculum from pre-kindergarten to adult levels that should enable the learner who has mastered it to make informed environmental decisions. Educators in schools, environmental learning centers, higher education…

The Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement at the University of Minnesota has been working with SciMathMN to conduct a multi-year study of the implementation and impact of standards-based mathematics curricula in Minnesota in several district settings. Phase 1 of the study began in fall 2000 and continued through the 2000-2001…

Outcome-based education is rooted in earlier ideas, such as Tyler's objectives, Spady's outcomes, Glaser's criterion-referenced measurement, Bloom's mastery learning, 1970s accountability concerns, and the 1960s competency-based education movement. Minnesota's experience suggests various practical implementation challenges concerned with…

Traces the roots of outcome-based education in mastery learning. Considers such obstacles as lack of reform preconditions, poor understanding of program features, teacher resistance, teacher domestication, staff mobility, and routinization. (SK)

This paper on the curiculum development process describes how primary sources may be used to teach history. Three frameworks related to historical understanding are presented: (1) the thinking skills/information processing framework; (2) the cognitive structure framework; and (3) the response theory framework. A curriculum development model is…

Describes a plan to restructure and reform Minnesota's kindergarten through 12th-grade education system in an effort to ensure that students are adequately prepared for the future. Discusses student performance, the limits of K-12 education, core competencies, problem-solving skills, and students' responsibility for their own education. (CT)