This issue of Changing Schools explores what algebraic thinking is and why students need algebraic thinking. The efforts of Kansas and North Dakota to incorporate algebraic thinking into their state mathematics standards are described. Contents include: (1) "Algebraic Thinking: Preparing Students for Mastering Algebraic Concepts" (Vicki…

Recent reports by the National Science Teacher's Association, the National Science Foundation, and the National Education Goals Panel indicate that the science preparation of American children is deficient. In 1990 the State of California published the "Science Framework" guide to curriculum and materials in an effort to address these…

The pace of global change and the increasing interdependence of people worldwide are the driving forces behind the need for a contemporary global education movement that reinterprets current knowledge to educate students to meet their responsibilities as citizens of an increasingly complex global society. Evaluations of U.S. 18-24-year-olds reveal…

Discussed are the rationale for, and the benefits accrued from, the use of graphing calculators within all aspects of the secondary mathematics curriculum. Examples are included that highlight specific features of graphing calculators. (JJK)

A curriculum is a repertoire of learning experiences, planned and organized according to the program's educational goals. The curriculum development process of early childhood education differs in many ways from that of other levels of education. Intended for curriculum planners, education policy-makers and other early childhood education…

The 10 essays and reports collected here offer various perspectives on elementary and secondary curricula most appropriate to a future of rapid technological change. Articles by the National Science Board, Secretary of the Air Force Verne Orr, the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA), Shirley McCune for the Education Commission of the States…

Using technology as part of learning paradigms is rapidly integrating into many schools' curriculums. To successfully integrate technology into a school's curriculum, the following groups must become actively involved in the integration process: (1) local school boards; (2) administrators; and (3) teachers. Two schools in San Antonio, Texas are…

"New Things Considered" reports on emerging trends and issues in education to policymakers and participants in SEDL-SCAN, an emerging issues tracking system being pilot tested by the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory's Policy Information Service and the State of New Mexico. This issue presents brief summaries of the thinking…

The first of two documents presented, "Better Mathematics for K-8" (Iris M. Carl), describes the underlying assumptions, purpose, origin, formation, goals, and content of the "Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics" produced by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). Information on implementing the Standards is…

A two-issue volume presents articles describing innovative schools, classrooms, and alternative learning arrangements found in some of today's schools. Issue one contains three articles offering glimpses of an elementary school committed to the Core Knowledge curriculum of E. D. Hirsch, a renovated school devoted to early childhood learning…

School mathematics is governed by a powerful tradition as regards both content and methods. In the first stage of the Alternative Course of Mathematics (ALM) project, an analysis is being made of the mathematics used in the everyday life of the community. By interviewing adults and children outside school, an analysis is also being made of the way…

In January 1990, the National Conference of State Legislatures surveyed the curriculum directors at each state department of education regarding efforts to improve science education. Those surveyed were asked to list and describe statewide science education programs in the public schools and the involvement of state legislatures in creating and…

Launched by Unesco in cooperation with the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) in 1975, the International Environmental Education Programme (IEEP) will enter its fourth phase during 1984-85. Anticipated IEEP activities are described in this newsletter. They include exchange of information and experimental data, promotion of research and…

The following major activities are discussed to guide educators through the complexities of curriculum organization. The first, defining outcomes, includes: (1) exit outcomes that express broad educational goals; (2) unit objectives; and (3) lesson objectives. The second major activity, developing learning units, includes: (1) opening lessons; (2)…

Although there has been reluctance to support direct methods of teaching moral values and character traits, due in part to lack of consensus about whose values should be taught, a national call to rethink that trend has begun to be heard. An up-to-date account is provided of the recommendations of the Oregon State Board of Education to mandate…