In the last issue of "American Educator," several scholars argued in favor of a common core curriculum. By common core, they meant that the curriculum should be broadly adopted (enabling improvements in instructional materials, student tests, and teacher training), but also limited (preserving instructional time for districts, schools,…

Instructional supports guide how academic standards are taught and translated into student learning. Teachers want a clear curricular framework, a rich array of teaching resources, and ideas for assignments that tap higher order thinking. As states implement new standards, they must simultaneously provide teachers with the tools to teach them…

The 13 leading mathematics educators who made up the task force that prepared this report were thoroughly acquainted with every major report on math education produced within the last decade. They were also thoroughly acquainted with the realities of instruction in the K-12 classrooms. Their aim, therefore, was to make appropriate compromises…

The education reform movement has inspired an impressive array of school improvement programs. This article categorizes these intitiatives, summarizes policy directions, explores recent state curriculum guidelines and Northwest trends, and discusses implementation challenges. According to an Education Commission of the States study, most…

This course of study guide is designed to help teachers establish a continuity within the scope and sequence of their elementary school mathematics curriculum and to assist those teachers in formulating some realistic goals for themselves and their students. This guide delineates content requirements needed to satisfy K-8 proficiency expectations…

Describes the learning community model that involves teachers in an ongoing process of developing and refining curriculum. Through the sharing of information teachers improve their classroom practices and are more accountable for what they teach. (MD)

This proficiency guide was designed to serve as a resource for local school corporations in developing, reviewing, and revising curriculum documents. It was assembled in response to an Indiana State Board of Education directive to produce a guide to aid school systems in establishing proficiencies in English language arts, mathematics, social…

This planning guide encourages reformation of the Wisconsin art education curriculum toward a less linear, sequential, and compartmentalized approach. The new program draws on recent knowledge of how students learn and how curricula components can be integrated. Focusing on themes and concept development, the guide supports independent thinking…

This course of study guide is designed to help teachers establish a continuity within the scope and sequence of their elementary school mathematics curriculum and to assist those teachers in formulating some realistic goals for themselves and their students. Part I contains an introduction and statement of philosophy. Part II contains course…

The final report summarizes activities of the 3-year Correctional Special Education Training (C/SET) Project, designed to improve special education services to incarcerated youth and young adults. Original project goals are listed. First year activities are noted, including site visits to identify current regional correctional special education…

This is the first part of a two-part position paper, updating an 1986 position statement, developed by the Illinois Art Education Association for the elementary, middle-level, and secondary schools in the state of Illinois. Part 1, the "Introductory Statement," highlights the contemporary context of educational reform as an opportunity…

This document is designed to provide Michigan school districts with suggestions on how to develop and enhance educational programs to meet the needs of students in an interrelated world. Beyond presenting a definition of global/international education and accompanying concerns, the paper suggests resources and procedures for fostering programs…

Responding to the Colorado State Board of Education's request for recommendations concerning the need to improve humanities instruction and its relationship to the development of higher-order thinking skills, this task force report specifies a scope for humanities teaching; defines higher-order thinking skills as the ability to judge information,…

Based on the premise that a school reading program must focus on the learner and the text, this guidebook is designed to serve as a resource for school districts, groups, or individuals involved in planning, implementing, and evaluating reading programs. The guidebook is divided into two phases. Phase 1, "Guidelines for Developing and…

Describes a study of teachers as curriculum developers in a broad organizational setting. Identifies three themes that shaped the teachers' participation: their low status, isolation from other teachers, and lack of rewards. Includes tables and appendix. (MD)