Central to the mission of most educational institutions is the task of preparing the next generation of citizens to contribute to society. Schools, colleges, and universities value a range of outcomes--e.g., problem solving, creativity, collaboration, citizenship, service to community--as well as academic outcomes in traditional subjects. Often…

Why would a school district consider implementing a district-wide, web-based assessment of student achievement of physical education standards? Why should any school or school district assume the expense, both in terms of time and money, of adopting an online assessment tool for physical education to assess students' cognitive and motor skills?…

Many physical educators are aware of the impact the tightening fiscal climate has on physical education programs at all levels. Shrinking resources have generated a need to protect and promote the quality of physical education programs in this country. Additionally, administrators need to be proactive when attempting to target physical education…

Part I of Kick, Glide, Pole! Cross-Country Skiing Fun, which was published in last issue, discussed how to select cross-country ski equipment, dress for the activity and the biomechanics of the diagonal stride. Part II focuses on teaching the diagonal stride technique and begins with a progression of indoor activities. Incorporating this fun,…

Since gaining independence from South Africa in 1990, Namibia has placed considerable emphasis on education, including adult learning. As a means of improving the quality of adult learning, the Namibian Ministry of Education commissioned the development of national standards in 2010 to express competency requirements for adult educators.…

Purpose: This study examined agreement between all 3 standards (as well as relative diagnostic associations with metabolic syndrome) using a representative sample of youth from the Hungarian National Youth Fitness Study. Method: Body mass index (BMI) was assessed in a field sample of 2,352 adolescents (ages 10-18.5 years) and metabolic syndrome…

The author discusses how teachers can measure their effectiveness and discusses three frameworks they can use to do so: the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards's Core Propositions, Robert J. Marzano's Teacher Evaluation Model, and John Hattie's eight mind frames. She also gives examples from her own experience to show how she…

What are today's best methods for teaching literacy skills to students with complex support needs--including autism, intellectual disability, and multiple disabilities? This comprehensive guidebook has up-to-date, evidence-based answers for pre- and in-service educators. Developed by Copeland and Keefe, the experts behind the landmark book…

Globally, national curriculum policies are up for renegotiation. These negotiations are shaped by international and national top-down accountability regimes, and an increasing turn towards curriculum centralization and standardization. The new Australian Curriculum (AC) is no exception. The AC is an important educational policy event, one in which…

Recent research has focused on the discrepancy between school counselors' preferred roles and their actual functions. Reasons for this discrepancy range from administrators' misperceptions of the role of the school counselor to the slow adoption of comprehensive school counseling approaches such as the American School Counselor Association's…

The development of standards in early childhood is associated with governments wanting to assert their influence on what young children should know and be able to do before they enter formal schooling. In South Africa the National Early Learning and Development Standards (NELDS), released in 2009, attempts to assert influence in the context of…

Cross-border higher education has created a need to build capacity -- particularly in the internationalization dimension -- for national quality assurance agencies to evaluate cross-border education provided by foreign educational providers, or jointly by local and foreign institutions. This is quickly becoming a key issue in the Asia-Pacific…

Elementary science experiences help develop students' views of science and scientific interests. As a result, teachers have been charged with the task of inspiring, cultivating, recruiting, and training the scientists needed to create tomorrow's innovations and solve future problems (Business Roundtable 2005). Who will these future…

An increased availability and advancement of digital media technology, paired with the technology skills of students in the iGeneration, have given teachers and coaches an opportunity to integrate new and affordable technology into physical education and sport. Application technology, or "apps," can be used on a smartphone or tablet to…

In most states, educator evaluation systems are moving toward more frequent and focused evaluations that include educators' contributions to student outcomes such as learning growth. Many states include "Specialized Instructional Support Personnel" (SISP) in their educator evaluation systems, but the measures and methods used to evaluate…