The Common Core State Standards have been adopted by 46 states and the District of Columbia. They enjoy a huge following of well-wishers and supporters who are optimistic that the standards will boost achievement in U.S. schools. Setting aside the cheerleading and fond hopes, what are the real chances of success? The most reasonable prediction is…

Any organization with a comprehensive training program has a leadership development curriculum. These programs include everything from conventional classroom learning with guest speakers to high-tech simulations and lavish retreats. There also may be mentorship thrown in, as well as multiple job rotations. Despite the well-rounded curricula, many…

The International Leadership Association's "Guiding Questions: Guidelines for Leadership Education Programs" (Ritch & Mengel, 2009) provides a framework to attend to leadership program development, redesign, evaluation, organized program review, questions concerning academic legitimacy and developing common program benchmarks. This article…

The United Nation's Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD) aims to prepare students for pressing economic and environmental problems. In this article, I argue that an exclusive emphasis on an ambiguous goal, sustainable development, raises important questions for educational ethics. Specifically, I argue that DESD mission…

Discussed is the efficacy of the spiral mathematics curriculum. Many feel that mathematics curricula in their current forms are hurting efforts to improve mathematics education. Reform guidelines are suggested. (KR)

This book explains curriculum audits and how to conduct them. Chapter I, "Why Audit?" presents criteria for determining if an audit is warranted and describes three basic types: functional, operational, and programmatic. Chapter II shows how the three primary activities of document review, interviews, and site visitations yield answers to the…

Presents a mode of formal analysis that identifies different substantive theories about history teaching. The mode rejects as incomplete or incoherent pseudotheories that fail to indicate which needs they are supposed to meet, which knowledge they are supposed to provide, or which authority they are supposed to recognize as legitimate. (RM)

Curricular efforts at 10 colleges and universities in response to the Association of American College's report, "Integrity in the College Curriculum," are described. Reactions to this publication are also discussed by Mark H. Curtis in the essay "R Plus One: Reflections on the Impact of 'Integrity in the College Curriculum.' The…

Offers a step-by-step guide to course design and development. Includes information on design basics, underlying objectives, course description, evaluation, standards, recordkeeping, and administration. (JOW)

Joe Renzulli asserts that pull-out programs for gifted elementary school children that reflect horizontal enrichment and vertical acceleration can provide flexibility and enable radical departures from the regular curriculum. Joyce VanTassel-Baska counters that current pull-out programs are inadequately planned, provide insufficient time, are…

Discussed is the influence of mathematics textbooks on the sequence and amount of mathematics taught in middle grades. An alternative method of organizing mathematics instruction is proposed. The issue of homework is addressed. (KR)

This book proposes a broad view of the college curriculum, suggesting that it be defined as an "academic plan." The plan included decisions about what, why, and how students learn; ways to determine whether students have learned what they are supposed to learn; and methods of using this information to improve the plan. Taking both a macro and a…

Curriculum design model provides a conceptual basis for ongoing planning and appraisal of the school system by members of the community. (JOW)

Surveys the 17 "distinguishing characteristics" listed in the introduction of California's History-Social Science Framework (1988), and evaluates its strengths and weaknesses. Points out inconsistencies and argues that the arbitrary omission of some important items was unnecessary. (GEA)

Asserts that program evaluation can identify weaknesses in a community college's curriculum and ways to overcome these weaknesses. Discusses reasons for program evaluation, state-level evaluation efforts in Florida, and two examples of campus program evaluation plans. Offers a curriculum planning model for the 1980's. (AYC)