The mathematics curriculum leader plays an important role in leading the mathematics curriculum in primary schools. They experience successes and face challenges associated with this leadership role. The perceptions that 25 mathematics leaders held about the successes and challenges they experienced whilst participating in a school mathematics…

In June 2010, the National Governor's Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers published "Common Core State Standards" (CCSS) for K-12 mathematics. Forty-eight states collaborated in the development of CCSS and, to date, 34 states have officially adopted CCSS to replace existing state standards. CCSS presents an opportunity for…

This report describes development of the "Prepare Them for the Future" project, a K-3 activity-oriented science curriculum. The program, funded through two grants, was driven by the need to boost the distressed labor-based economy in rural western Pennsylvania. Data showed a drop of 1,100 coal-mining jobs between 1980 and 1986 in Indiana…

In 1987, the Cheshire Public Schools initiated a science curriculum review. Teachers, parents, and students recognized that the existing textbook-based elementary science program was a dismal portrayal of such a dynamic discipline. There was community consensus that reading about science and acquiring scientific vocabulary words were not the same…

This curriculum evaluation study involved a group of 989 twelfth-grade students who participated in a given curriculum for four years. Effects of interaction between curriculum and such variables as teachers' bias, type of school, sex of student, and specific subject matter taught as related to achievement were sought. Schools included city…

This study was designed to analyze the process of curriculum development adopted by developers in language arts, biology, and geography, in a centralized educational system. Specific objectives were to identify naturalistic models of curriculum development used in curriculum projects in Israel; point out relationships between contextual factors…

This document describes an empirical study on the patterns of teacher behavior and a comparison of student outcomes from two settings where different programs (types of curricula) were used. The two psychological positions identified within the curricula were stated to have been operationalized in the two programs developed for the elementary…

Factors influencing the implementation of physics curriculum projects are examined. Large scale implementation of curriculum projects is discussed in terms of involving representatives of many groups, including the government, the educational system, technical colleges, industry, professional associations, examining boards, parents, and society.…

The Foundational Approaches in Science Teaching (FAST) is an interdisciplinary science program that began as a curriculum reform effort in the mid-1960s. This historical study provides insights into the FAST project and contributes to an understanding of the dynamics of survival of curricular and instructional innovations. Data collection methods…

This report traces the development of science education, particularly the elementary science curriculum, in Trinidad and Tobago. Problem areas are identified that have influenced science instruction and/or the lack of it. A model is presented for teacher involvement in elementary science curriculum development. Through this approach, approximately…

A longitudinal study was conducted which focused on the concerns of elementary school teachers who were involved in implementing the Science Curriculum Improvement Study (SCIS) curriculum. Two major questions were addressed: (1) Do stages of concern exist? (2) If so, are they developmental? The sample consisted of teachers attending summer…

This is a report on a two-day conference, held at the University of Maryland in August of 1974, to examine the impact of the National Science Foundation (NSF) on science curriculum development in the United States. The conference covered the improvement of science teaching materials and instruction development as well as the overall…

Originally developed in an elementary science program called the Science Curriculum Improvement Study, the learning cycle (LC) teaching approach involves students in an active learning process modeled on four elements of Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development: physical experience, referring to the biological growth of the central nervous…

The National Science Foundation's (NSF's) institute programs and curriculum development activities are briefly reviewed as well as the current activities of the Information Dissemination for Science program. Included are goals of the program and a discussion of the nature of projects funded by the program. (DS)

Teams of teachers from four middle/junior high schools, in collaboration with faculty from the University of New Hampshire and consultants from the New Hampshire State Department of Education, implemented systemic changes in the teaching of mathematics and science. The curriculum goal was to design, adapt, implement, and evaluate hands-on,…