Curriculum is the heart of the mission of every college. College curriculum approval processes have been established to ensure that rigorous, high quality curriculum is offered that meets the needs of students. While some concerns may exist regarding the effectiveness and efficiency of local curriculum processes, all participants in the process…

This paper introduces the questions and approaches of a five-nation cross-cultural study of state-based curriculum-making discussed in this issue of "JCS." The paper reviews the two decade-long interest of many nations in state-based curriculum-making and presents a framework for thinking about state-based curriculum-making as a tool of…

This article considers lessons learnt through involvement in several assessment projects. Early experience, in university work and in school examinations, led to an opportunity to help establish a novel system of assessment for an innovative school curriculum. Different lessons were then learnt from work on a national survey of school students'…

The Carl D. Perkins Act of 2006 creates a need for secondary school administrators to plan differently for professional development activities for Career and Technical education (CTE) teachers. No longer can professional development activities be comprised of short-term workshops or conferences. The legislation calls for professional development…

In November 2004, State Superintendent of Schools Nancy S. Grasmick convened the Maryland Social Studies Task Force. The Task Force was charged with examining issues related to social studies education and recommending ways to improve social studies instruction in Maryland's public schools. The Task Force formed four Subcommittees, each examining…

In 1989, the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (AACTE) published "The Knowledge Base for the Beginner Teacher". More than a decade later, teachers, teacher educators and scholars from across the country came together to revise and refine the curriculum in teacher education. This article focuses on the recommendations of the…

This article will focus on an event in the educational history of Wales in the 1980s which still impacts both on school practice and on thinking about concepts of Welsh identity. That event was the creation of the History Committee for Wales which was charged with devising a history curriculum for Welsh schools in the wake of the 1988 Education…

This discussion of educational changes needed for conversion to the metric system includes ways in which the local curriculum committee can efficiently facilitate the changeover in teaching and in materials. (TA)

Organizational factors affecting curriculum change are discussed, including resistance to change, organizational climate, leadership and organizational culture, and conditions for effective participation. Four special considerations are outlined: the ethics of curricular change, creating a culture of innovation, zero-based curricular review, and…

Success in curricular reform requires, at minimum, a broad-based and representative committee, unhurried fact-finding and discussion, informal and relaxed interchange with faculty, and resolution of all internal differences to allow presentation of a united front to faculty. (MSE)

A discussion of law school curriculum reform focuses on the essential role of the process in achieving change and the development of faculty consensus, the key to successful approval and implementation. (MSE)

The process of reviewing and renewing a program of general education is complex, challenging, and often frustrating. This paper is presented with the aim of facilitating the process from inception to successful conclusion. Practical guidelines and suggestions, derived from long experience as faculty member, academic administrator, and consultant,…

In response to a curriculum problem, a strategy emerged at the University of Sussex that is used to tackle issues and help bring about change. The strategy operates within the departmental structure of the university and involves setting up working parties of members of the Teaching and Learning Support Programme and representatives of the…

The enthusiasm generated by workshops in writing across the curriculum can be translated into lasting curricular change, particularly in freshman composition, general education courses, and upper-division writing emphasis courses. Committees, central to any change effort, can take any of a variety of forms. (MSE)