The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001(NCLB) changed the landscape of education nationally. The purpose of this law is to provide a high-quality education to children regardless of their race, socioeconomic status, ability, or background. Effective School Research suggests that successful student learning is linked to the following school…

By contrasting two case studies of school districts, this paper illustrates the effectiveness of K-12 science departments in supporting elementary science education, especially in response to NCLB's push towards the articulation of curriculum across all grades and as a response to the erosion of instructional time on science in elementary schools…

Research Findings: The emergence of standards-based accountability reforms in early childhood education has created new challenges for the field. This article presents findings from a case study that explored how stakeholders in a large urban pre-kindergarten program struggled to implement an assessment tool that aligned the normative academic…

In an effort to meet the societal demands for a better prepared workforce and the educational reform movements, such as the "No Child Left Behind Act of 2001," school districts have begun to partner with post-secondary institutions. In particular, community colleges and high schools are working together to make education more affordable,…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Education Appropriations Bill Signed into Law: U.S. Department of Education to Receive $1 Billion Increase in…

Since the inception of mandated testing in reading and mathematics, social studies instruction has been marginalized in elementary and middle schools. After the genesis of several state-mandated testing programs and nearly a decade after the launch of the No Child Left Behind legislation, the effects of limited K-8 social studies instruction are…

In response to requirements in the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), state policymakers have made concerted efforts to align state standards with state accountability assessments. When strongly aligned and articulated, state standards and assessments can provide a clear and coherent set of expectations for students and educators. How do districts…

Mathematics curriculum has long been a topic of keen interest in mathematics education and remains a central issue in efforts to improve mathematics learning opportunities for students. This Yearbook continues in a long line of National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Yearbooks that have addressed various facets of the changing mathematics…

At the heart of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is the call for all students to be "proficient" in reading and mathematics by 2014. Yet the law expects each state to define proficiency as it sees fit and design its own tests. This study investigated three research questions related to this policy: (1) How consistent are various…

A review of current literature identifies three growing trends. First, there has been an increase in legislatively mandated accountability that requires taxpayer-funded education and research programs be demonstrated effective by "scientifically based research." To receive federal monies programs must emphasize quantitative,…

The Coordinating Board for Higher Education and the Department of Higher Education are pleased to present this Annual Report of accomplishments, benchmarks and statistics related to Missouri higher learning for fiscal year 2008. Chief among this year's accomplishments is the coordinated plan, "Imperatives for Change: Building a Higher…

Career and Technical Education (CTE) has evolved over the years to include a plethora of skilled training opportunities for both secondary and postsecondary students. While postsecondary programs are viewed as being on the "front end" of education's effort to prepare students for the workforce, it is often the secondary-level programs…

The Coordinating Board for Higher Education (CBHE) and the Missouri Department of Higher Education (MDHE) present this report on Missouri higher education for fiscal year 2007. 2007 is an exciting year. The omnibus higher education bill, which was signed in May and became law in August 2007, represents a major transformation in the structure of…

Work-based education (WBE), including traditional vocational education and other career-focused programs, was an important curricular component in American schools for most of the 20th century. The 1990s was a period of substantial change for work-based education (WBE). Spurred on by a concern about the international competitiveness of the…