As technology advances continue to impact K-12 schools, online education options offer alternative choices for both teaching and learning. Library media specialists, long committed to providing physical and intellectual access to instructional materials, have responded to changing needs in this online world. They had previously created a virtual…

High school students with disabilities who drop out are costly to society. Compared to those who graduate, they are more likely to be unemployed, dependent on public services, and involved in the criminal justice system. Consequently, helping students with disabilities graduate has become a prominent national concern. Students with disabilities…

Rhode Island has recently mandated a new kind of arts requirement for high school graduation that involves proving proficiency in one of four art forms: music, visual art, theater, or dance. How the state came to mandate this law, how proficiency is currently defined and assessed in dance, and what effects the cuts in arts education funding will…

The North Carolina Virtual Public School completed its first session during the summer of 2007. Evaluation results revealed differences between accelerated and credit recovery students, including a significantly higher likelihood for accelerated students to rate their courses as high quality, to express interest in taking another online course,…

This article by the Council of Europe shows that government decree organized courses of instruction and revised schedules in the lycee. Tables of the required courses and hours are included. (AM)

In a continuing effort to improve student-learning opportunities in mathematics, state departments of education have focused on articulating standards or learning goals at all levels, including high school mathematics. A review of K-8 mathematics curriculum standards (many of which have been published since 2002) compiled by staff from the Center…

Although the 1980's fitness craze is wearing off and adults are again becoming "couch potatoes," this trend does not justify expansion of high school compulsory physical education requirements. To encourage commitment to lifetime physical fitness, the Phoenix (Arizona) Union High School District offers students private showers, relaxed…

Education reforms enacted by the 1983 Florida legislature included, for the first time, a minimum number of credits as a state standard for graduation, including a physical education requirement. Physical educators responded by offering as many courses as possible to meet students' interests and by developing a required personal fitness course to…

In the summer of 1985 the state of Maryland added one credit of fine arts to its high school graduation requirements. Major initiatives that brought this about are described. (RM)

The quantity of schooling students receive in different curricular areas makes a powerful contribution to differences in achievement both within and between schools. These variations in quantity arise from differences in course offerings available to students in different high schools, as well as from variations in course selections by students.…

This document is an important companion to the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) report "Getting Serious About High School Graduation." Together, they make powerful statements to policymakers and education leaders about the problems in high schools and what can be done to fix them. Teachers, policymakers, and parents have long agreed that…

There is a need for a stronger program of consumer studies in California's schools, and each year this need becomes more pressing. It is a confusing time for the American consumers; complex products are frequently hard to evaluate, and the nature of the marketplace is impersonal. According to a study released by the U.S. Office of Education, more…

Through discussions with faculty and continuing research, staff at a small Indiana high school developed a five-period schedule embedded in a trimester format. This plan enables students to earn 60 or more credits during their high school years, with fewer classes but longer class periods. Trimesters have increased learning opportunities. (MLH)

Investigates whether state course graduation requirements affect high-school dropout decisions, using aggregate data on dropout rates, individual data from two time periods, and aggregate data on high-school completion rates over 15 years. Results strongly suggest that state-mandated minimum course requirements cause students to drop out.…

A disparity in high school coursework currently exists between college preparation requirements and state board/school district graduation requirements in Minnesota. Because graduation requirements are general, the extensiveness and quality of curriculum requirements can vary greatly by school district and building. This information brief compares…