In 2010, more than 40 states adopted the Common Core State Standards. Initially, the standards were quickly and easily embraced, but over the past year the standards have become enmeshed in various controversies, raising many questions about how the standards were written and what they include. This article attempts to provide authoritative…

The United States is a multi-trillion dollar economy that annually allocates a staggering amount of resources to produce a variety of goods and services for domestic and world consumption, and provides employment and income for millions of individuals. This lesson plan for social studies and economics teachers traces a series of interconnected…

Designed to serve as a framework in which high school debate students, coaches, and judges can evaluate the issues, arguments, and evidence concerning which agricultural policies best serve the United States, this booklet provides guidelines for research on the 1986-87 debate resolutions selected by the National Federation of State High School…

Traces the history and development of the Children's Television Act of 1990 that establishes individual stations' obligations to serve children's needs and limits the amount of advertising. Describes the failure of the marketplace to provide educational programing once children's television was deregulated. Concludes that children's television is…

The historical development of early childhood music education (ECE) in Kenya reveals the challenging circumstances under which it has, and continues, to progress. Poverty remains the most formidable hindrance to the success of this area of education. Multiculturalism, the mosaic that defines Kenya's rich heritage, also demands ingenuity from…

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is an area of land located in the northeast corner of Alaska within the Arctic Circle that includes a potentially oil-rich coastal plain between the Beaufort Sea, the Brooks Range, and the Prudhoe Bay oil fields. For the past several years, ANWR has also been the location of a national debate over energy…

The purpose of this guide, one of the nine-booklet Teacher Quality Series, is to help educational policymakers develop better policies by explaining how to use a compensation plan to improve education and how to make one work. It also encourages consideration of alternative policies to improve education. Each section introduces common positions on…

Traces the evolution of the National Security Council (NSC) under President Reagan. Examines the structure of the Reagan NSC and compares the structure of the Reagan NSC to that of his predecessors. Analyzes the rebuilding of the NSC in the aftermath of the Iran Contra Affair and the policy mistakes of the NSC in that affair. (RW)

Traces U.S.-USSR relations throughout Ronald Reagan's administration. Analyzes the shifts in Reagan's policies toward the Soviet Union. Examines the reasons why Reagan changed his views on the Soviet Union, and discusses the political Right's response to Reagan's changed position. (RW)

Claims that the United States' inadequate response to the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) crisis was more related to structural problems in the country's health system than with politics and social mores. (TW)

Presents a lesson plan for illustrating how shifting patterns of immigration and public reaction have influenced public policy toward immigration restriction. Details objectives and procedures for activities using National Archives documents. Includes a worksheet and copies of government documents. (CH)

Facing mounting evidence that California has fallen behind on many key indicators of educational performance, policymakers and the public share considerable interest in exploring whether California should expand public funding for preschool education. This expanded funding will be most effective if resources can be directed to their most efficient…

One of the principal drafters of Stanford University's regulation concerning verbal harassment on campus proposes an interpretation of the conflict between civil rights and civil liberties in this situation. Contrasts in the two approaches to injury and the public/private distinction are highlighted. The text of Stanford's regulation is appended.…

This document presents the results of a survey of Oregon voters, polling those who did and those who did not participate in a series of meetings using the state's interactive telecommunications network, Ed-Net. The meetings were part of a project in deliberative democracy called a Conversation with Oregon, launched by Governor Barbara Roberts to…

Designed to initiate discussion of foreign policy decisions, this book contains an analysis of eight foreign policy issues confronting the United States in 1986. Each unit provides the background and guidelines to provide perspective to assist in understanding foreign policy crises. The units included in this issue are: (1) "How Foreign Policy Is…