Interest in creating conditions that enhance student learning and support students in achieving their educational goals is at an all-time high. The pool of prospective undergraduates is larger and more diverse than ever, and four-fifths of high school graduates will require some form of postsecondary education to acquire the knowledge and…

An overview is provided of curriculum management and "mapping," an auditing technique for assessing the content, time, and sequence of the taught curriculum as reported by the teacher. The general notion of management is first discussed in terms of three basic kinds of activities: defining purpose and mission, configuring available…

A social studies department chairperson describes the case concerning the importance of elementary social studies education that she presented at a school board hearing. As a result of her presentation, the board added 50 minutes to the daily time allotted for intermediate grade social studies instruction. (RM)

Teachers can improve their teaching if their knowledge base about teaching increases. Eight research-based areas, relevant to effective teaching, are discussed: goals and objectives, planning, lesson presentation, student engagement, management, student activity, feedback, and teacher assessment. (IAH)

School board members can use board policies to set the direction for effective instructional management. Effective schools appear to have these characteristics in common: (1) strong instructional leadership by the principal, (2) a safe and orderly atmosphere, (3) high expectations of all students, (4) schoolwide emphasis on basic skills…

This paper presents ideas relating to curriculum organization from the Far West Laboratory for Educational Research and Development publication, "Excellence in Our Schools: Making It Happen," which attempted to synthesize nine reports written in response to the National Commission on Excellence in Education report, "A Nation at…

A policy for the evaluation of certificated employees adopted by the Sheridan Board of Education on July 12, 1983 is presented. The evaluation plan begins with a 17-item "we agree" statement which enumerates the responsibilities and job-related needs of teachers. The purpose, rationale, and objectives of the evaluation plan are based on…

This paper presents one researcher's premise that the most important variable in determining classroom effectiveness is the congruence of the delivered curriculum with the desired outcomes or, that students be given the opportunity to learn what is expected of them. This theory presupposes that curriculum expectations be made clear to students,…