In the 1990s, United States needs to build a movement for excellence that reaches into every African-American community and every African-American home to work toward the development of African-American children. Four criteria are set forth to ensure that African-American children, and all U.S. children, develop into outstanding citizens. (SLD)

Analyzes declining Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores since the 1950s. Distinguishes between the population of those who take the SAT and the population of all high school seniors. The culprit is the downward trend of educational skills of U.S. academically most promising students toward those of the average student. (JB)

Schools desiring to set, enforce, and realize high academic standards must join with allies who set high expectations for preventing and addressing health impediments to learning. Health and learning outcomes (and inequities) are driven by powerful, remediable social environments, not by individual "lifestyle" choices. "Access"…

South-East Asia is a region of vast development diversity but also many commonalities. And the development of higher education in the region, stemmed from its different historical background is changing rapidly towards their respective socio-economic needs. The publication is a joint research study by UNESCO Bangkok and Southeast Asian Ministers…

The purpose of this article is two-fold. First, it reports on a study of the distribution of reform-oriented instructional practices among Black, White and Hispanic students, and the relationship between those practices and student achievement. The study identified many similarities in instruction across student groups, but there were some…

This packet includes reprints of journal articles and other resources concerning the assessment of science and math in small, rural elementary schools. Articles include: (1) "Standards, Assessment, and Educational Quality" (Lauren B. Resnick); (2) "A True Test: Toward More Authentic and Equitable Assessment" (Grant Wiggins);…

This paper describes the rationale, direction, and progress of the Integrated System for Workforce Education Curricula (ISWEC), a project sponsored by a 25-state consortium that is designed to accomplish two primary objectives: (1) integration of academic and vocational education in a curriculum framework for grades 9-14 and (2) development of a…

The revised standards used by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) embody several departures from past standards. One difference is that they oblige units to focus on the knowledge bases pertinent to professional preparation for education. The concept of knowledge bases is explored, and implications for the construct…

This document summarizes the following eight-component framework of the Commission on Chapter 1 for restructuring the Chapter 1 program: (1) have states set clear, high standards for all students; (2) devise new systems for schools to assess progress toward standards; (3) inform parents about how well their children are progressing toward…

The movement to develop national standards in education stems from the nation's continuing effort to identify the outcomes sought in schooling. The sources of the impetus for standards are disappointment with U.S. performance in international assessments, the participation of public leaders and educators in school reform, and the example created…

Following a description of how the political climate in the 1960s through the 1980s influenced education, this document discusses the effects of districtwide curriculum standardization on Burr Oaks Elementary School in the midwestern village of Burr Oaks. The school's community setting, use of curriculum guides, and initial use of curriculum…

This document examines approaches to educational reform currently under consideration in the Pacific Northwest and discusses policy issues involved with these reform efforts. The introduction discusses broad-scale policy issues, including the setting of priorities amid the diversity of reforms, the clarifying of beliefs and selection of changes…

Since the 1983 publication of "A Nation at Risk," most states have responded to public demand for educational improvement by enacting legislation increasing the number of units in academic subjects required for high school graduation. Required courses now consume three-quarters of the high school years, countering the former trend to large…

Evidence of decline in academic performance and academic standards in schools and colleges, and examples of reform are considered, based on work of a Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) task force. Declining scores on college entrance examinations and other standardized tests imply that students have been learning less in high school.…

Drawn from papers presented at the sixtieth Annual Meeting of the American Council on Education, this volume represents the collective knowledge and experiences of 26 higher education leaders. Nine areas of concern to higher education are treated in depth: higher education in the future, the cost of a college education, students as consumers,…