This document provides guidelines for developing competency-based pathways in Iowa districts and schools and outlines waiver requirements and procedures. Competency-based pathways provide ways to validate learning of standards that occurs outside the structure of the traditional school and offer flexibility for schools to engage students in…

The 2009 "State Teacher Policy Yearbook" provided a comprehensive review of states' policies that impact the teaching profession. As a companion to last year's comprehensive state-by-state analysis, the 2010 edition provides each state with an individualized "Blueprint for Change," building off last year's "Yearbook"…

Summarizes the reactions and perceptions of community members, educators, and students in l5 Iowa school districts who participated in community efforts to express attitudes towards needs assessment and the implementation of Phase I of the Phi Delta Kappa educational planning model. (JD)

Much energy has been invested into identifying educational goals at the national, state, and local levels. When a plethora of goals exist, the chances of all goals being achieved decreases as economic and human resources are not channeled toward a narrowly defined end. This paper presents findings of a study that explored the alignment of federal…

If technology were incorporated into teacher education and professional development activities, educators might have time to gain confidence, identify appropriate uses, and experiment with specific techniques for their own classrooms. Distance education and computer-mediated communications developments in Iowa, Alaska, California, Virginia, and…

This workbook, submitted by the State of Iowa to the U.S. Department of Education, is for State Grants under Title IX, Part C, Section 9302 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (Public Law 107-110). By January 31, 2003, States must complete and submit to the Department this Consolidated State Application Accountability Workbook. The…

This publication provides a comprehensive view of kindergarten through community-college education in Iowa. It describes input indicators (which are somewhat fixed by outside constraints), process indicators (over which school districts have some control), and outcome indicators (which result from planned district programs). Information for…

Based on the Iowa model for career education, this career education inventory presents a series of four tests for measuring a student's career education development. Following a list of student outcome objectives, tests are provided for four levels of career development: grades K-3, awareness; grades 4-6, accommodation; grades 7-9, exploration;…

The exemplary project report describes in detail the development of a definition of career education, the concepts of the career development model, and the four phases of the career education objectives: awareness (primary level), accommodation (intermediate level), exploration (junior high level), and exploration and preparation (high school…

For five years running, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) has tracked states' teacher policies, preparing a detailed and thorough compendium of teacher policy in the United States on topics related to teacher preparation, licensure, evaluation, career advancement, tenure, compensation, pensions and dismissal. The 2011 State Teacher…

To assess the purpose and role of agriculture and agribusiness education in Iowa and develop curriculum and administrative guidelines based on those principles a four-phase project was conducted. In phase I seven basic principles were written for agriculture and agribusiness education. These were reviewed by agricultural educators and validated by…

Iowa's education system is preparing for the 21st century by building on its past and present strengths. This report outlines the strategic plan established by the Iowa State Board of Education and the Iowa Department of Education. The plan establishes four interrelated goals for education in Iowa. Part 1 establishes an overall goal for Iowa's…

The progress of Iowa public elementary and secondary schools and community colleges made in 1992 toward the National Education Goals is described in this report. The first section describes selected initiatives designed to reach major goals of the state's strategic educational plan: increasing student achievement; transforming the education…

An overview of Iowa public schools for the school year 1990-91 is provided in this report. Findings are based on school-site visitations made by the state "ambassador for education." Following an introduction, section 1 describes successes of the state public school system, some of which include changing classroom practices, increasing…

Realizing that there is virtually no acknowledgement of the theater arts as part of the educational program in the public schools of Iowa, this guide is intended to be a model for instruction in theater beginning in the earliest grades and continuing beyond the school years. It is organized so that it is the theater teacher/director who makes the…