This pamphlet for parents in English presents the components of the "No Child Left Behind" policy of the George W. Bush administration. Prefaced with remarks by President Bush and Secretary of Education Rod Paige, the pamphlet discusses the importance of high academic standards and provides guidance for parents in interpreting test…

This pamphlet for parents Spanish presents the components of the "No Child Left Behind" policy of the George W. Bush administration. Prefaced with remarks by President Bush and Secretary of Education Rod Paige, the pamphlet discusses the importance of high academic standards and provides guidance for parents in interpreting test scores.…

This annual report describes the work of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), noting that in 2001, it launched five new certificate fields and introduced the Next Generation of National Board Certification assessments. It also worked with local, state, and federal policy makers who provide incentives for candidates and…

This report describes Partners in Accomplished Teaching, a project of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) designed to help increase the number of teachers achieving National Board Certification. It focuses on efforts in St. Paul, Minnesota; Mississippi; North Carolina; and San Antonio, Texas. The St. Paul program is a…

North Carolina high school physical education teachers and teacher educators have collaborated to implement the Physical Education Partnership for Sport Education (PEPSE), which recreates the learning environment with a focus on curricular revision and assessment. This article describes current conditions, the PEPSE project's solution, how the…

Curriculum standards can help educators achieve important student outcomes. However, only through collaboration, empowerment, and leadership will meaningful school improvement occur. This paper examines the importance of (1) collaborative action research to help teachers assess and improve their own practice and (2) leadership support to encourage…

Recalls a previous attempt, via the Committee of Ten, to set national academic standards in American high schools 100 years earlier, describes the effort's defeat, and explains how the objections raised then are much like the ones being raised today. The author argues that the need for national academic standards is more urgent now than ever…

It is a commonly understood problem in education that many highly qualified teachers tend to gravitate toward higher performing schools, including schools with lower minority enrollments and lower incidence of poverty. This article explores the distribution of a subset of teachers, namely, those who are National Board Certified. To what extent do…

The leadership of Qatar has a social and political vision that calls for improving the outcomes of the Qatari K-12 education system. With this vision in mind, the leadership asked RAND to examine Qatar's K-12 education system, to recommend options for building a world-class system, and, subsequently, to develop the chosen option and support its…

The Third International Mathematics and Science Survey (TIMSS) has tested large and representative samples of students from around the world to measure their math and science knowledge and skills. The results place U.S. 8th grade students below the international average in mathematics, with 20 countries scoring significantly higher than the U.S.…

Maintains that implementing the new social studies curriculum standards has been a challenge for many elementary teachers. Asserts that high-quality children's literature is essential for an integrated, multicultural curriculum. Provides an annotated bibliography of 13 teacher resource books. (CFR)

Presents an allegory based on the development and dissemination of the National Geography Standards. Uses the allegory to introduce a series of articles dealing with the Standards. Suggests that geography teachers acquire and use the Standards, entitled "Geography for Life: National Geography Standards." (CFR)

As the largest and most highly publicized initiative to improve teaching in American schools, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) has raised great expectations. It has created rigorous standards for teaching and a system to assess and certify teachers meeting these standards; it has promoted financial incentives to…

This document contains written and oral statements from 11 U.S. Senators and the Secretaries of Education and Labor concerning the need to improve education standards and job training opportunities for youth. According to the witnesses, legislation has been introduced that will begin such changes, and boards will be set up to establish standards…

This document presents an executive summary of the 96-page "Leading Learning Communities: Standards for What Principals Should Know and Be Able To Do," a guidebook for those who care about creating and supporting quality in schools. It is an operating manual for school leaders that features new strategies to help principals structure and support…