The Center on Standards, Alignment, Instruction, and Learning (C-SAIL), examines how college- and career-readiness (CCR) standards are implemented, if they improve student learning, and what instructional tools measure and support their implementation. This brief presents findings from C-SAIL's Implementation Study, which uses interview and survey…

According to a 1986 Educational Research Service Educator Opinion Poll that surveyed 1 in every 700 teachers across the United States, over 90 percent of respondents believed there should be minimum grade standards for student participation in interscholastic athletics. Only 47 percent felt too much emphasis was placed on sports in the high…

Offers a list of nonthreatening questions to use in determining why a large number of students are doing unsatisfactory work in one teacher's class. Gives guidelines for the administrator's use of the information gained, including a chart showing how to analyze course offerings and grades. (WD)

This report is the first accounting of one case study of large-scale assessment practices in a local educational agency (LEA) where students with disabilities are administered states' standards-based tests out of level. The overall purpose of the research project was to describe the specific effects of testing students with disabilities out of…

Describes a study of faculty opinions concerning academic standards in the community college classroom, comparing faculty responses based on personal characteristics, academic senate experience, and employment factors. Although faculty generally agreed on the importance of academic standards, there were differences based on senate membership,…

This paper provides an account of individual and collective academic values under the pressure of government policy for social equity in selective admissions at one Australian university. A survey of faculty (N=93) from Law, Social Work, Science, and Architecture identified their goals related to the goals of the university and fairness in…

Agrees with the Carnegie report that schools must be rebuilt, rather than merely repaired. Describes the organizational structure and six common principles of the Coalition of Essential Schools; gives examples of working, experimental school programs; and describes several studies currently being prepared. Eleven footnotes are appended. (IW)

This book presents information from a 1999 survey that asked teachers nationwide about stressors in their teaching situation, how they handled the stressors, and specific times they felt the most joy in teaching. Part 1, "Teachers' Lives," highlights: the teachers' own words about centering and balancing; the joys of teaching; school community;…

This article describes a Maryland staff development program that guides educators through an improved Individualized Education Program (IEP) process that provides a better alignment of IEP goals with general education curricular outcomes. The program's components and the teachers' response to the program during the 1999-2000 year are discussed.…

This book explores how standards are negotiated and created within classrooms, addressing how they actually play out in classrooms from the point of view of students and teachers. It follows the experiences of students and teachers at urban Powell High School who wrestled with curricula designed to expand their achievement. The book presents four…

A survey of 365 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University faculty investigated undergraduate grading policies and practices across disciplines. Results reveal patterns in teacher treatment of absolute vs. relative standards, grade recording and averaging, unexcused absences, late work, class participation, and non-achievement-related…

This book is a guide to reclaiming students' passionate engagement in learning. It uses stories from classrooms; the voices of teachers, parents, and students; and practical suggestions to advocate a view of curriculum as a web of relationships. There are 16 chapters in four parts. Part 1, "The Promise of Passionate Learning," includes…

This paper examines: (1) what those who directly employ and educate America's students after they leave high school think of the quality of the U.S. elementary and secondary schools; (2) what recent students and their parents think of the quality of the education they or their children received; and (3) what a cross section of Americans think…

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…

Maintains that professional development based on competency-based education and training is growing. Reviews postsecondary inservice teacher education programs. Argues that democratic traditions in teaching and learning should be included in professional development programs. (CFR)