This article charts some of the most notable ways in which the science curriculum has changed over the past 50 years and identifies the influence of members of the Association for Science Education (ASE) in both projects and policy developments. The world is different from that of 50 years ago but there are continuing issues about the teaching,…

The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) is one of the world's leading educational research centres. ACER's mission is to create and promote research-based knowledge, products and services that can be used to improve learning across the life span. This annual report describes ACER's milestones and accomplishments for the 2015-2016…

The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) is one of the world's leading educational research centres. ACER's mission is to create and promote research-based knowledge, products and services that can be used to improve learning across the life span. This annual report describes ACER's milestones and accomplishments for the 2016-2017…

The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) is one of the world's leading educational research centres. ACER's mission is to create and promote research-based knowledge, products and services that can be used to improve learning across the life span. This annual report describes ACER's milestones and accomplishments for the 2013-2014…

Inferences from recent international comparative data on mathematical attainment, frequently quoted as justification for curriculum change, are critically examined, and the implications are contrasted with expressed curricular aims. Using characterisations by Ball (1990) and Ernest (1991), positions of key actors are analysed in relation to…

The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) is one of the world's leading educational research centres. ACER's mission is to create and promote research-based knowledge, products and services that can be used to improve learning across the life span. This annual report describes ACER's milestones and accomplishments for the 2014-2015…

Science schooling enjoys high status. Scientific capability is perceived as critical in underpinning economic success in advanced societies. Science achievement, at all levels, has become a global competition in which nations want to be seen to triumph. Governments periodically pay close attention to science education with a view to ensuring it…

Shows that the mathematics curricula used in the highest achieving countries are very similar and coherent. Using a visual comparison, this paper explains where the United States comes up short, noting that in the countries with the highest mathematics achievement, teachers have coherent guidelines (national curricula) and related tools and…

This book offers in-depth information resulting from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Launched in 1995, the TIMSS examines elementary and secondary mathematics and science achievement in 40 countries. The book explains that curriculum has a profound effect on student achievement and plays a crucial role in providing…

This document summarizes the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 1999 Video Study that is the follow-up and expansion of the TIMSS 1995 Video Study of mathematics teaching. The 1999 study investigated 8th grade mathematics as well as science. This report focuses on the mathematics lessons major findings and comparison of…

Describes a three-step process--exploring, inventing, and discovering--that helps students derive concepts actively from problem solving. (YDS)

This paper provides the current rationale and historical background for educational standards and discusses various meanings and interpretations attached to this term. It then provides a comparative analysis of these sets of publications that are seen as providing national standards for the American Association for the Advancement of Science…

Reform-minded educators should examine business and medical models to construct a viable, research-based framework to validate proposed curricular programs before implementing them. Pursuing a reliable research base for math reform, several superintendents convinced the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement to let…

Results of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) illustrate the urgency of strengthening mathematics education. School leaders can determine whether more of Title I funds should be shifted to mathematics programs. Title I can be a key resource for raising expectations for students, professional development, and the use of…

This document summarizes the findings of a year-long study that used case studies of specific schools in Japan to collect qualitative data on the Japanese educational experience. From 1994-95 the Case Study Project (a component of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study) collected information from interviews with students, parents,…