Although many states mandate college preparatory curricula for all high school students, there is no conclusive evidence regarding the benefits of this effort. Furthermore, we know little about how schools interpret and implement such policies. This extended ethnographic case study included a 4 year examination of 1 Michigan high school's response…

The major curricula revisions in South Africa in the last two decades or so have changed the curriculum landscape. These revisions are meant to effect among other issues, the socio-economic development for all through quality education. The latest curricula transition from National Curriculum Statement (NCS) to Curriculum and Assessment Policy…

The paper examines the implementation of an external written curriculum in the classroom. The study is based on observation of and interviews with 26 Israeli Bible teachers who followed a formal curriculum and used a teachers' guide. The study identified three types of curriculum narrative: the frame narrative, the task narrative, and the…

The Maine Department of Education (MDOE) is at the forefront of national efforts to align high school curriculum to college and career readiness standards. Embarking on a mission it calls A Personal Journey for Next Generation Learners, Maine has employed several key strategies to ensure all of its students graduate from high school with the…

This study was undertaken by the Ontario (Canada) Public School Men Teachers' Federation to: (1) describe current practices and problems in curriculum implementation in Ontario public elementary schools; (2) provide information about the attitudes of federation members toward practices; and (3) identify barriers that block educators from…

A survey of teachers' attitudes over the use of individual education programs (IEPs) for handicapped children revealed that they viewed the IEP more as a legal requirement than as an important guide for planning instruction. Few helped develop their students' IEPs. Recommendations for increasing teacher involvement in IEP are presented.…

To examine the durability of educational changes, researchers studied the school-related factors that promote or hinder the maintenance of classroom instructional changes beyond the initial period of change implementation. A brief review of the literature on change durability also reveals a paucity of research on the subject. The researchers…

A project in Louisiana surveyed local vocational education programs and local application plans and compared them to assessed needs, skill levels, and quality program standards. The project was implemented through nine strategies, which included project staff development, assessment of local plans, needs assessment, development of an assessment…

"Tech prep" is the term given to vocational education programs that provide preparation for technical careers. These programs often include an articulated curriculum of 2 years of high school and 2 years of postsecondary education with work experience components. This report describes tech prep as it currently exists, based on data…

Beginning with a capsule history of United States education reform efforts and an examination of the American "myth" of the apolitical nature of education, this paper explores the political bases of education policy. Reviewing the literature on educational politics with a particular concern for recent curriculum reform efforts at the state level,…

This study examined the implementation of the seven critical attributes of the primary school curriculum mandated by the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) in a single multi-age primary classroom. The study used a case-study approach over a 16-month period. The seven attributes observed are: (1) developmentally appropriate practices; (2)…