Over the last two years, the author has talked with thousands of educators about the Common Core State Standards, and she has realized that one of the biggest risks they currently face is full-speed implementation without an understanding of the changes that the standards require. When a new reform initiative comes around, the instinct of teachers…

Teachers can make better use of data when they work together than when they do it alone. Creating the conditions for such collaboration is a tall order. This article describes the idea behind the collaborative inquiry approach. It also mentions several studies that indicate its effectiveness. Tips on how collaborative inquiry can be implemented…

Describes how one Florida elementary school taught students' global environmental protection issues through the use of videoconferencing and e-mail to communicate directly with students from other countries. (PKP)

Throughout nearly 300 years of policymaking in the United States, educators have promoted eight broad goals of schooling: basic academic skills, critical thinking and problem solving, social skills and work ethic, citizenship, physical health, emotional health, the arts and literature, and preparation for skilled employment. A recent survey about…

Two school districts in southwest Washington resolved practical concerns related to the mastery learning of writing skills. (Author/MLF)

The instructional auditor reviews school district policies, job descriptions, budget allocations, contract provisions, internal and external communications, instructional monitoring and delivery systems, elections, student characteristics, personnel characteristics, and administrative authority as these factors affect a district's instructional…

Curriculum management stresses the identification of purpose and content involving essentially what'' questions; instructional development deals with strategies and techniques of teaching that attend basically to questions of how.'' This article deals with a description of an appropriate instructional development system. (Authors/CB)

Outlines how the Writing Response Groups function. This is a cooperative learning atmosphere where trained student peers respond to other students' writing with the Praise-Question-Polish technique. Includes references. (MD)

The strengths and weaknesses of the fields of curriculum development and instructional development are discussed in a father-and-son letter exchange. (MLF)

The author presents a well-structured argument for including humor and laughter in the classroom. He includes ideas and resources for nurturing humor. (MD)

The Instructional Systems Development process and the application of a mastery learning strategy is used to train Marine Corps recruits. This method seems to hold promise in training widely divergent groups of human beings for high levels of performance. (Author/MLF)

Outlines the history of the use of the Instructional Design Process (a "systems approach" that can be applied to the curriculum development process) and its advantages. Includes a summary of the process and a list of references. (MD

The subtleties of instruction include interpretation, interaction, and longitudinality. Instructional leaders can help teachers make decisions about how to verbally mediate students' understanding during lessons. Includes references. (MD)

Because secondary school faculties are more diverse and specialized than elementary, a team approach to instructional leadership at the secondary level is recommended, and a four-step process is presented for incorporating such an approach: diagnosis, allocation, implementation, and evaluation. (TE)

Thoughtfully constructed standards provide valuable direction for curriculum and instruction. But to bring about significant improvement in education, standards must be linked to students' learning experiences and to classroom assessments. The author describes the table of specifications, a planning tool for analyze standards for instruction and…