As a result of rapid growth and changes in the student body, the Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) has been engaged in a complete review and revision of its educational system since 1978. As part of this process, the Arts and Sciences Task Force (ASTF) was formed in 1980 to revitalize the liberal arts and science. The ASTF has…

This report discusses some of the characteristics and benefits of an interdisciplinary curriculum, as well as practical considerations involving the introduction of such a curriculum in elementary and secondary schools. To successfully introduce an interdisciplinary curriculum, teachers and administrators need to: (1) integrate the curriculum; (2)…

The editors of "The American School Board Journal" and "The Executive Educator" magazines recently invited school leaders from across North America to send in curriculum ideas that work. From among the 1,026 entries that were submitted, a panel of judges selected 100, which are published in this special report. Criteria for selection included (1)…

An overview is presented of an elementary-level social studies core curriculum at Fieldston Lower School (in New York City) in which the moral and ethical development of students is seen as a priority. Fieldston Lower School is one of three branches of the Ethical Culture Schools. Article 1 focuses on the modification of the traditional elementary…

The many forms of interdisciplinarity in higher education institutions and the various ways it has been used to advance curricular changes are examined. Definitions of interdisciplinarity and its variants (multi-, pluri-, and transdisciplinarity) provide a conceptual framework for the examination. In this study, interdisciplinarity is understood…

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…

Designed as a forum for the exchange of ideas on significant issues in the humanities, this journal presents articles written by two-year college faculty in the humanities disciplines. The 1989 annual issue includes the following: (1) "Popular Literature and the American Literature Survey Course: The Case of Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood," by…

This bulletin describes the Dallas Community College District's (DCCD's) efforts to develop a common learning core curriculum. Introductory material discusses the creation of Committees for Common Learning to decide on standards and requirements for all students who enroll in degree programs at any of the seven district colleges and to design an…

Interdisciplinary studies are examined in this paper with respect to common teaching modes, advantages and disadvantages, courses integrating humanities instruction into occupational programs, and specific programs operating at six urban multi-campus community college districts. After an introduction to the rationale behind interdisciplinary…

Eight programs are described that are representative of the variety of approaches to the problem of integrating the sciences and humanities. The reason why integration of science, humanities, and the social sciences is important in the undergraduate learning experience is addressed in an essay by George W. Hazzard entitled, "Knowledge…

The project on which this report focuses is basically a research and development enterprise set up to investigate the possibilities of constructing and introducing core syllabuses and to study problems that emerge in such an undertaking. The project is largely an attempt to test the feasibility and practicability of an approach to curriculum and…

Efforts are currently underway to adjust the focus of industrial arts instruction to concentrate more on the study and understanding of technology and its role in our lives. For many years industrial arts programs have been industry-based; however, many professionals support a curriculum that will relate industrial arts instruction more closely to…

A project to help small independent liberal arts colleges integrate technology and the liberal arts in the undergraduate curriculum is considered in this newsletter issue. The first two stages of this project on Technology and the Liberal Arts, which is sponsored by the Council of Independent Colleges, are described, along with the progress of…

Six articles by Lynn Olson, published in various issues of "Education Week" starting in January 1993 and ending May 1995, describe a Maryland project to improve elementary education in the State: (1) "Winning NASDC (New American Schools Development Corporation) Project Takes Flight" (the basic skills children need to succeed in…

This monograph, part of an ongoing series, discusses the need for school arts programs and provides some examples of how the arts can be infused into the regular curriculum at the elementary level. Support systems for such programs are also discussed. Properly conceived, the arts constitute a great integrating force in the curriculum. To achieve…