The Learning Policy Institute (LPI) conducted research in New Mexico to provide state leaders and stakeholders a research perspective on the challenges facing education and to identify evidence- based ways that state policy can address them. This report complements the main report, "Improving Education the New Mexico Way: An Evidence-Based…

Unlike most disciplinary-based academic programs, interdisciplinary international studies programs vary considerably in terms of their core curricula. They need to fit within the institutional context in which they operate and must insure that there are sufficient faculty and resources available so that required courses are accessible on a regular…

When faculty members think about curriculum, they think about course content. Debates about general education reflect this focus. Drawing on a case study, this article considers, rather, the politics and process of curricular change. It argues that success in this realm depends on the skill of academic administrators. (Contains 2 figures.)

Outlining procedures involved in arriving at a newly adopted curriculum for the Oak Park, Illinois, high school of which he is the associate principal in charge of instruction, the author argues the importance of developing a comprehensive vision of educational priorities before considering specific curricular components. (JBM)

Discusses the graduate engineering management program of Drexel University, including student characteristics, program objectives, academic requirements, and course options. Indicates that the program serves the demand for management talent by providing students with skills different from those of conventional programs. (CC)

During the 1985 session of the Louisiana legislature, House Concurrent Resolution No. 110 was passed requiring that the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education study the possibility of instituting a state-wide multiple-curriculum system in Louisiana's public schools. Tasks of the resulting 19-member curriculum committee focused on a…

This bulletin describes the Dallas Community College District's (DCCD's) efforts to develop a common learning core curriculum. Introductory material discusses the creation of Committees for Common Learning to decide on standards and requirements for all students who enroll in degree programs at any of the seven district colleges and to design an…

This issue of CPRE Policy Briefs draws on a report by William Clune and others entitled "The Implementation and Effects of High School Graduation Requirements: First Steps Toward Curricular Reform." Evidence from this indepth study of the effects of education policies in six states indicates that state-mandated increases in minimum course…

A required core contemporary history course is proposed for Europe's senior pupils, needed because of prospects for European integration. The course could be shaped by pairing three fundamental ideas with related conflicts: Reformation/30 Years War, Enlightenment/French Revolution and Napoleanic Wars, and Nationalism/World Wars I and II. (IAH)

A substantial change in the core curriculum and general education requirements at Syracuse University provided the context for an interdisciplinary approach to encouraging foreign language study among undergraduates. A unique "continuing skill requirement" dictates that students in upper division courses sharpen and consolidate skills…

Mississippi students are now being tested at almost every grade level. Passage of the Functional Literacy Examination (FLE) will be a prerequisite for a high school diploma beginning with the 1989 graduating class. This emphasis on testing, without an accompanying commitment to ensuring all students equal access to a full academic core curriculum,…

This paper outlines some initiatives taken to change and improve senior high school programs and diploma requirements in Alberta, Canada, as originally stated in the June 1985 policy statement, "Secondary Education in Alberta." It is intended to assist educational groups planning to revise a senior high school program. It also presents…

A survey completed by 319 principals of high schools with enrollments under 500 was used to determine the core curriculum and the specific curriculum needs of today's small high schools. Principals indicated a need for additional courses in computer-related areas, remedial reading, speech, first-aid, geography, creative writing, and consumer…

This report by the Texas State Board of Education to the 70th Legislature outlines reform legislation established in response to the call for school reform, specifically examining the components and implementation of a well-balanced basic curriculum in public schools. A reproduction of Section 21.101 of the Texas Education Code is supplied,…

Reasons favoring the maintenance of foreign language requirements in public schools and colleges are developed in this essay in terms of international understanding and practical application of the second language. Five goals and accomplishments of current programs are examined in an attempt to determine whether recent linguistic methods produce…