What schools should teach and what materials they should use are fundamental questions. Censorhsip of K-12 curriculum materials threatens academic freedom, diversity of thought, and other important educational values. The definition of censorship is itself the subject of disagreement. Censorship cannot be clearly distinguished from the gatekeeping…

American schools are being challenged to provide opportunities for students to achieve at much higher levels. Assessment is viewed as one of the essential elements in assisting schools to address the standards now deemed to be important in a manner that will help all students to achieve them. The major challenge for assessment is to implement…

Discipline-based art education (DBAE) can best be understood as a curriculum construct if it is seen in the context of traditional, major curriculum orientations. The three major curriculum orientations are child-centered orientation, society-centered orientation, and subject-centered orientation. DBAE is a contemporary construct of the…

The National Commission on Social Studies in the Schools was formed in 1987 by the Organization of American Historians, the American Historical Association, and the National Council for the Social Studies to study the state of social studies in the schools and to make recommendations for curricular change. The Commission's curriculum report,…

Technology alone will not improve educational quality, but when integrated with curriculum and instruction, it is a powerful tool. This digest reviews how educators can evaluate technology-based curriculum materials for use in classrooms. Authenticity is key to evaluating technology-based curriculum materials. To promote authenticity, learning…

Provides a partial listing of works found in the ERIC database on the debate between those who support social studies as a discipline and those who would replace it with history and geography courses. Includes articles, reports, and reviews covering various aspects of the debate. (DK)

No matter where gifted and talented students obtain their education, they need an appropriately differentiated curriculum designed to address their individual characteristics, needs, abilities, and interests. A program that builds on these characteristics may be viewed as qualitatively (rather than quantitatively) different from the basic…

In this digest, readers are introduced to the scope of instructional program evaluation and evaluators' changing roles in school districts. A program evaluation measures outcomes based on student-attainment goals, implementation levels, and external factors such as budgetary restraints and community support. Instructional program evaluation may be…

Developed by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Committee to Evaluate Curriculum Guides and Competency Requirements, this guide is intended to help teachers and administrators to develop exemplary English language arts curricula. The first part of the booklet presents an annotated list of recommended curriculum guides, representing…

Developed by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), Committee to Evaluate Curriculum Guides and Competency Requirements, this guide is intended to help teachers and administrators develop exemplary English language arts curricula. The first part of the booklet presents an annotated list of recommended curriculum guides representing a…

The 12 publications on program evaluation selected for annotation have previously been entered in the ERIC system. Six of the entries are manuals or handbooks on how to conduct a program evaluation. Official manuals from Oklahoma, Wisconsin, California, and the Los Angeles (California) Unified School District are included along with one on applied…

Developed by the National Council of Teachers of English Committee to Evaluate Curriculum Guidelines and Competency Requirements, this guide is intended to help teachers and administrators develop exemplary English language arts curricula. The first half of the booklet presents an annotated list of committee-recommended curriculum guides,…

Approximately 50 percent of all students who enter postsecondary education enroll in community colleges. Consequently, reviewing the characteristics of the community college curriculum is paramount to understanding the role these institutions play in shaping students' trajectories. To accomplish this task, it is imperative to track curricular…

The term curriculum model refers to a conceptual framework and organizational structure for decision making about educational priorities, administrative policies, instructional methods, and evaluation criteria. This digest discusses the role of curriculum models in early childhood education. Following a discussion of the origin of early childhood…

Four recent journal articles and one meeting paper on teacher involvement in curriculum development are summarized in this research bulletin. Contents include "Motivating Teacher Involvement in Professional Growth Activities," by Ruth Wright; "Teacher Participation in Curriculum Development: What Status Does It Have?" by Jean Young; "The Locus of…