Figuring out what motivates and engages individual students is essential. Indeed, it is the prerequisite for implementing student-centered approaches to learning. However, today's teachers--confronting large class sizes, fast-paced academic calendars, and standardized assessments--face particular pressures to lump all students together and "teach…

In his 2008 Arts Policy Campaign platform, President Obama argued for reinvesting in arts education and reinvigorating the American hallmarks of creativity and innovation. The President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities (PCAH) conducted an in-depth review of the current challenges and opportunities facing arts education. It sought out…

When the authors recently examined a federal survey of students in elementary and high schools around the country, they found that many students are not being challenged in school. Their findings include: (1) Many schools are not challenging students and large percentages of students report that their school work is "too easy"; (2) Many…

Anti-bullying is much more than pointing fingers and labeling perpetrators. Teens who are labeled as bullies are unlikely to simply change their ways just because they have been accused of bullying. Preventing bullying also goes beyond hanging rules on a classroom wall. The real goal should be to undermine bullying by fostering compassion in…

The importance of effective principals to school reform is well-documented. But what makes a school principal an effective change agent, and how can a school board and district administrators assist in pushing their top site leaders to excellence? Many district and board leaders say it's all about vision, building trust with staff, and developing…

The country has entered an era of education reform with an extensive focus on how well it is preparing students to succeed in postsecondary education and careers in a rapidly changing economy, as well as to become thriving, contributing members in its democracy. Although these aims have recast the national conversation in important ways, they have…

The standards movement arrived in the mid-1980s and new curriculum frameworks of instruction were crafted for the reform of science and mathematics curriculum, instruction, assessment, and professional development for teachers. Today, the warning calls about science and mathematics education, the fading STEM (science, technology, engineering, and…

Defining and understanding a generation of Americans has always been difficult until years after the generation ends. Although there is universal agreement on the Baby Boomer generation (1946-1964) and most people agree that Generation X started in 1965 and ended around 1979, after that it gets murky. In his research, the author believes that the…

In this article, the author discusses the importance of reforming the present school reforms mandated by the government. He emphasizes the need for better teachers and the need to reinvent the ways of recruiting, training, and retaining teachers. He also points out the need for a better curriculum and the need to create a national curriculum. He…

In traditional Chinese medicine, a key maxim is "Zhi Bing Yao Zhi Gen," which literally means, "To cure a disease one must cure the underlying cause." The author was reminded of this principle when she reflects on K-12 math education reform when the US. President Bush's 2006 State of the Union Address prompted yet another wave…

Condensed from "CBE Bulletin, Volume 13 (December 1968), 1-5, published by the Council for Basic Education, Washington, D.C.

A school is a tough place to change. Everyone hear of schools being transformed into an exemplary or model learning places. In the report, "The Neglected 'R'': The Need for a Writing Revolution," by the National Commission on Writing in America's Schools and Colleges, a panel organized in September of 2002 by The College Board, it says, "... it…