A brief overview of the Diploma Examinations Program conducted by Alberta Education during 1989-90 is provided. All grade 12 students in Alberta are required to write at least one diploma examination, either English 30 or English 33, to receive a high school diploma. The Grade 12 Diploma Examinations Program is intended to develop and maintain…

The mathematics and experimental science courses in the programs of the upper secondary school in the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) are discussed. The paper addresses: (1) the two "secondary levels" within the FRG school system, indicating that the Secondary I-Level (SI) comprises grades 5 through 9 or 10 while the Secondary II-Level…

This report considers one school's approach to science education, examining in particular the development of a two-semester required unified science course. Designed to be useful to all students and applicable to all areas of science, the course is characterized by a high degree of teacher teamwork, as in developing instructional materials.…

West Virginia State College's course development for a new general education core curriculum is described in this report. The process of curricular change that led to the development of new courses entitled "Origins" (investigating the origins of the universe, earth, human life, the mind, and society) and "Race, Gender, and Human…

Several major reports on the status of education in the United States have been presented to the public and to educators and government bodies in recent years. Nine of these reports provide the source material for this document on the state of the search for educational excellence: Adler's "Paideia Proposal,""A Nation at…

Traces science curriculum development efforts in elementary and secondary schools in Great Britian. Calls for changes in the curriculum so that all students above the age of 16 take science courses. Considers the possible impacts on vocational courses, and on college courses in science, engineering, and teacher education. (TW)

Delaware's secretary of education and the president of the State Board of Education asked Achieve to provide an analysis of the quality of Delaware's high school content standards and its course-taking requirements. In assisting Delaware in its commitment to raising the quality of its expectations for high school graduates, Achieve examined the…

The courses U.S. high school students select, differences in course offerings across different types of schools, and course-taking patterns by race, gender, and socioeconomic status were studied. In general, the study found that public, secular private, and Catholic schools were more similar than different in their course offerings. Most striking…

This bulletin examines the current status of Soviet training programs for Africa: the training of personnel from Africa in the U.S.S.R; Soviet study and research in the U.S.S.R. on Africa; and training programs in Africa connected with Soviet developmental projects. The increasing Soviet penetration of Africa has considerable import for the free…

Examines the catalog descriptions of 42 undergraduate psychology programs in North Carolina. Reveals that minimum introductory and methodological requirements consists of one-term introductory, statistics, and experimental design courses. A required integrated experience was most often a history and systems course or senior seminar. This is…

Describes the restructuring of an introductory women's study course which by filling an academic requirement attracted a broader audience. Discusses the instructors' need to change the tone of the class to respond to students who may be hostile to a feminist perspective. Includes a series of exercises to help students focus their observations. (DK)

Maintains that geography occupies a prominent position in the Chinese secondary curriculum. Describes the current course content, which includes both physical and human geography. Concludes by discussing barriers to further development, including lack of qualified staff and poor textbooks. (CFR)

Describes a quasi-experimental study at Western Kentucky University that compared a traditional required, for-credit class in library skills with a Web-based course. Discusses skills level, satisfaction, and demographics, and includes a copy of the student survey used. (LRW)

This report examines state policies and policy development activities regarding student preparation for college. Three policy areas are the focus of the analysis: (1) raising admissions requirements for public four-year colleges, (2) providing regular feedback to high schools on student preparation, and (3) establishing statewide merit aid…

In February 1988 the Board of Education of the San Diego City Schools (California) adopted a core curriculum for all district schools. The implementation of this policy was studied in 1990 and 1992, and again in this followup study. Part I of this report provides an analysis of student enrollment and achievement data from 24 selected sites and…