Federal legislation to improve education passed in 1994 is reviewed and two major bills are discussed in greater detail. Emphasis is on the legislation's provisions for improvement of educational standards and access to improved education for all students, especially the disadvantaged. An introductory section highlights the provisions of three…

This book considers critically the many issues surrounding competency-based education and training (CBE/T) and provides practical advice on its appropriateness and application to educational and training programs. Part A places the whole issue of CBE/T in its appropriate contexts. Chapters 1-3 examine the concept of competence and its articulation…

A description and analysis of the America 2000 educational strategy emphasizes the questions of what children and youths deserve and need in terms of education, and what the process of taking children and youth seriously involves in practice for teachers, administrators, parents, and others. After stressing that America 2000 is a national, rather…

Implications of the six National Education Goals for African Americans and other minority groups are discussed in a paper that summarizes the status of student competencies. The question posed is why the school reform movement thus far has had such a minimal impact on overall student achievement. The focus of the reform movement of the 1980s is…

An evaluation was conducted of the implementation by public universities and community colleges in Illinois of state policies on student scholarship and achievement in undergraduate education. The policies were proposed in 1986 and revised in 1990 by the Illinois State Board of Higher Education in the context of state and national education…

This paper examines: (1) what those who directly employ and educate America's students after they leave high school think of the quality of the U.S. elementary and secondary schools; (2) what recent students and their parents think of the quality of the education they or their children received; and (3) what a cross section of Americans think…

The second volume of the third annual National Education Goals Report contains profiles of the achievements of each state, the District of Columbia, and five territories toward the National Education Goals of 1990, which derived from the National Education Summit of 1989. In brief, the goals for achievement by the year 2000: (1) all children in…

An overview of the nature, benefits, and steps involved in Colorado's Guaranteed Graduate Program, a process that assures that high school graduates have the knowledge and skills considered essential for entry into employment and postsecondary education, begins this document. A discussion of the portfolio process follows, along with descriptions…

High school educators and students appear to have struck an implicit "bargain" that results in a deemphassis on academic learning. This book analyzes current proposals to enhance educational standards in light of the influence of this bargaining in classrooms. In so doing, it explores recent scholarship bearing on personal relations and…

This yearbook's focus is the connection between state responsibility and local control. Its purpose is to analyze the evolving balance between state responsibility for funding K-12 education and local autonomy in operating these schools. The goals of this analysis are twofold; the book seeks to characterize how this relationship has changed, both…

Over the past two decades, America has embarked on a campaign to improve public schools for all our nation's children. Educators have turned their focus to the outcomes of schooling. The Committee for Economic Development (CED) has urged such reforms, and this report concentrates on the need to link the way schools are funded and managed to the…

The Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) covered five different grade levels, with more than 40 countries collecting data in more than 30 different languages. More than a million students were tested. The present report contains the TIMSS results for students in the final year of secondary school. Mathematics and science…

The National Science Board (NSB), charged with advising the President and Congress on national science policy, urges a nationwide consensus on a core of knowledge and competency in mathematics and science. The Board believes it is both possible and imperative to develop national strategies that serve the national interest while respecting local…

This report discusses current secondary school restructuring efforts of nine school districts that are implementing the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and New York State initiatives to provide students with disabilities access to general education curriculum and settings. It demonstrates how Skrtic's (1995) mutually reinforcing…

Discusses Hong Kong's growth as an international center and the role of education in achieving its status. Examines challenges faced after return to Chinese sovereignty from the perspective of higher education, particularly in light of a recent expansion initiative. Issues discussed include maintenance of quality and language standards, efficient…