Officials of state education agencies are not known for hyperbole. Maintaining data systems, drafting rules and regulations, and monitoring compliance are not the stuff of breathless raves--especially in Louisiana, whose education system ranks near the bottom nationwide on measures of student achievement and high-school graduation rates. Yet in…

A social democratic, egalitarian public sector and a corporatist political economy have been strong, distinctive and enduring characteristics of Norwegian education. However, this article demonstrates that the education sector has experienced a period of rapid and extensive implementation of New Public Management (NPM) reforms and post-NPM reforms…

The purpose of this article is to assess areas of opportunity and access for students of color to participate in the science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine pipeline (STEMM). Using a Critical Race Theory framework, this position paper reviews occupational outcomes and stratification in STEMM fields, examines the pertinence of…

The field of education in the United States is in a period of unprecedented change. Educators in all disciplines are challenged to understand and respond to the waves of reform sweeping over the national education landscape. Linking these reforms to meaningful outcomes that will produce more rigorous and effective measures of quality and…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress--commonly called "The Nation's Report Card"--tells a dismal story: Only 2% of high school seniors in 2010 could answer a simple question about the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark "Brown v. Board of Education" decision. And it's no surprise. Across the country, state educational…

Within the next decade, national standards describing essential outcomes in various school subjects could become the glue holding together curriculum frameworks and guides, textbook adoption, staff development, and student assessment. This article discusses confusion over definitions and intentions, raises questions about delivery and assessment…

In developing a national curriculum, ways must be found to challenge students and teachers, preserve initiative, and maintain democratic control. President Bush's New American Achievement Tests will consist of a system of examinations to be administered by individual states or clusters of states. Conversion should embody a grand,…

Creative intelligence is relevant to all aspects of the school curriculum, yet it is through art and design that pupils may come to experience the significance of creativity as a means of exploring innovative and original ideas which offer credence to the individual and affect approaches to learning. This article analyses creativity and the…

In today's schools, the pervasiveness of assessment has often distorted teaching and learning through testing, examining, and short-term memorizing. Learning to cope with examinations has become almost as important as the learning itself. This report is the third in a series of publications derived from the Centre for Educational Research and…

The President and the Department of Education have advocated national testing, but they have not really justified their use. Most educators argue for the importance of multiple assessments, rather than a single test of achievement with great impact on the future of a student and an educational system. Misuses of test results would plague national…

Discusses plans for a national testing program and its possible effects on social studies. Expresses concern that the proposed plans avoid the issues of how and by whom curricular content is to be developed and how diversity will be accommodated. Includes discussion of the purposes, fairness, and problems inherent in the American Achievement…

Explores the current educational reform movement through its first and second waves. Progress to date is reviewed, and issues for future concern are discussed, including (1) outcomes-based education; (2) national testing; (3) the curriculum; (4) parental choice; and (5) urban schools. (SLD)

Illustrates the importance of studying educational policy in the making with instances of multicultural history-social studies curriculum policymaking in California and New York in the context of movements for national standards and assessments and possibly a national curriculum. Attempts by neo-nativists to influence policymaking are discussed.…

Several leaders in education have concluded that the United States should have some form of national achievement testing. Such tests are proposed as part of the "America 2000" education strategy. Believing that the experience of other countries will be useful to educators, policymakers, and concerned citizens, the National Endowment for…

The state initiatives described in this report are geared toward meeting the national education goals. Although they vary considerably, the initiatives emphasize the importance of establishing high-level goals and standards applicable to all students and providing local flexibility in exchange for accountability. Many initiatives involve: (1)…