Written and oral communication has been listed as the top explicitly requested skill by employers for a long time. Despite pressure from industry, the gap still exists between the expectations and average written and oral communication skills of current information technology/information systems graduates. This paper addresses the above issues and…

Concerned about the lack of focus on students' needs for support in order to meet rigorous academic standards at the secondary and postsecondary levels, the Pathways to College Network--a partnership of national organizations and funders working to improve postsecondary opportunities for underserved populations--is undertaking a national…

Describes a college reform effort that includes the development of a college science course for nonscience majors. The main goal of the course is to advocate the interdisciplinary nature of all sciences and to involve the students actively in the discovery process as a way of learning science. (ZWH)

Presents recommendations from the Ohio Council for the Social Studies for high school graduation requirements in social studies education and discusses the rationale behind proposed changes. Assesses the impact of the Council's recommendations, and defines potential cost factors involved in the recommendations. (RW)

Presents three physical geography lessons for teachers who may lack either formal training or resource materials in physical geography. The lessons are in response to the new Utah state requirements for junior high schools. Overviews each lesson, suggests activities, and lists materials needed each day. (KO)

Describes the writing-intensive courses developed at Broome Community College, Rockland Community College, and Kapiolani Community College as graduation requirements to incorporate writing permanently into the curriculum. Reviews the problems experienced at each campus in gaining faculty and student support. (DMM)

Designed to help Wyoming school districts meet the needs of their students and communities, this manual outlines the essential elements of a well-planned, comprehensive social studies curriculum. The four components of the program, each described in a separate section, are essentials of education, fundamentals of an exemplary social studies…

In Japanese colleges and universities, native speaker teachers in English departments are sometimes called on to teach courses that furnish English majors with the necessary tools to write their graduation theses in English. This study was undertaken at one university to determine what constitutes a graduation thesis, what aspects of the thesis…

The report offers a comparison of instruction time for beginning languages at St. Olaf College (Minnesota) and 17 other colleges and universities, and concludes with recommendations for curricular change at St. Olaf College. Contact hours ranged from 80 hours (St. Olaf) to 171 hours. The study was undertaken in response to faculty concern that not…

Documenting the history of the Reading Program offered by the Department of Education at Washburn University, Kansas from its inception in 1937 to 1987, this document contains information related to the undergraduate reading requirements for the completion of the Elementary and Secondary Education Degrees and the graduate requirements for the…

According to the National Center for Education Statistics (Table 153), there are almost as many states that require a minimum of 2 credits of science for graduation (22) as there are those that require 3 credits (21). According to the "2000 High School Transcript Study," between 1990 and 2000, not only did the average number of science credits…

Describes the development and impact of a fine arts high school graduation requirement. Discusses how music, drama, and art teachers relinquished some of their independence to form a fine arts department. Includes six strategies that might be used to institute a fine arts graduation requirement in other schools. (CFR)

The Board of Regents of South Dakota's public colleges and universities decided in 1984 to implement a Value-Added Testing program (an exit test required for graduation) modelled on the Northeast Missouri State University plan. The plan was intended to increase student learning, improve curricular design, and encourage excellent teaching.…

Presents a New England History Teachers Association survey and its results. Includes questions on curriculum, classroom materials, students, and general opinions. Concludes that teachers favor increasing history requirements to include U.S., European, and non-Western or global studies. Reports that teachers rely on locally developed activities…

A 2003 survey of principals found that middle and high schools were more likely to increase social studies and science instruction than decrease it. This suggests that districts are not cutting social studies and sciences entirely but merely "deferring" those subjects until the secondary grades. This strategy provides more time for reading…