In the early 1990s, a coup in Haiti sent a new wave of political refugees to southern Florida. First-year teacher Sidney Brown taught ESOL classes to Haitian teens who came to Dillard High School in Ft. Lauderdale. As she got to know her students, she was surprised by the class distinctions that divided the French-speaking students, whose…

The nonprofit organization Common Core looked at curriculums, standards, and assessments in nine nations that consistently outrank the United States on the Programme for International Assessment (PISA) to see whether differences in countries' PISA scores are due to differences in the content they teach. Findings revealed that top-performing…

In 2008-09, Colegio Ingles had a watershed year in terms of teachers learning to enhance one another's skills. Beneath a deceptively congenial surface, teachers at this Mexican preK-9th grade school were avoiding professional confrontations and rarely observed one another's classes or shared teaching solutions and innovations. That same year, the…

The content and scope of the USSR's science and mathematics curricula place them far ahead of every other nation. (Author/MLF)

Suggests that the Soviet mathematics curriculum may not be as advanced as claimed; however, recommends steps that United States schools should take to meet the increased need for mathematical competency. (MLF)

American educators should begin to train students in mathematics and science for the technological world. (Author/MLF)

The Soviet educational system is now designed to maximize the ability of every student. Only the minority of American students take full advantage of the benefits provided by school programs. (Author/MLF)

Describes the International Baccalaureate (IB), a demanding core curriculum with rigorous examinations developed for secondary students in Europe. Discusses the reactions of several U.S. educators who have used the IB and presents sample questions from IB examinations. (RW)

The National Curriculum is perhaps the most important element of the United Kingdom's Education Reform Act of 1988. Although there are many challenges in describing and assessing the skills, knowledge, and understanding that each child is expected to develop, the national curriculum's early implementation has won wide support. (MLH)

Representing English, history, geography, science, graphic arts, intermediate special education, physical and health education, and environmental studies, six Ontario (Canada) teachers cooperating on an integrated curriculum project found that their "separate" subject areas came together naturally in a theme approach to teaching. Success…

Alberta's new Career and Technology Studies (CTS) program updates and expands existing business education, home economics, industrial education, and vocational education into an integrated curriculum for grades 7-12, reorganizing them into 22 strands. CTS is appropriate for all students and allows them to investigate concepts and technology across…

A widespread perception about falling standards prompted Margaret Thatcher's government to pass 1988 legislation mandating a national curriculum and accompanying testing system. The worst-case scenario feared by many British teachers is coming to pass: a test-driven curriculum without significant attention to teachers' assessments of student…

Describes how an elementary school in Konya, Turkey, used Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences to personalize students' learning experiences. Includes description of the initial effort; the curriculum structure consisting of three elements (core courses and activities, exploratories, and projects); and the benefits for students and…

The American International School in Mallorca, Spain, addressed students' appalling ignorance of geography without overhauling the curriculum. An innovative geography fortnight incorporating geographical places, terms, and concepts across the curriculum vastly increased students' knowledge and enthusiasm. (MLH)

Using the Trends in International Mathematics and Science (TIMSS) video study, the authors compare science teaching practices in the United States and in four other countries that outperformed the United States: Australia, the Czech Republic, Japan, and the Netherlands. Their observations of videotapes from 100 8th-grade science lessons in each…