Journalism as an academic field in the United States has frequently changed and grown through new professions and new industries coming under its umbrella (sometimes but not always driven by technological and/or economic changes) and academic developments such as cultural studies and media studies. But journalism is still rooted in good…

This article features Oscar F. Smith Middle School, a challenging school in Chesapeake, Virginia. When Principal Linda Scott exclaims, "Oscar F. Smith Middle School is "hot"!" to visitors, she is not referring to the inside temperature of the bustling school of grades 6-8 located in the historic South Norfolk borough of…

Improving professional learning for educators is a crucial step in transforming schools and improving academic achievement. To meet federal requirements and public expectations for school and student performance, the nation needs to bolster teacher skills and knowledge to ensure that every teacher is able to teach increasingly diverse learners,…

A new division of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT), the Division of Instructional Development (DID), invited papers by five leaders in the field to provide a starting place for defining and exploring instructional development (ID). The first paper argues that definitions are restrictive and should be used only…

Discusses "backward design," a strategy for planning curriculum and school improvement by first thinking carefully about desired results and then working backward to develop meaningful assessments and learning plans. For this design to work, educators must identify desired results, analyze multiple sources of data, and determine appropriate action…

The United States is transitioning to an information age society, requiring that the citizens and workers of the future be highly literate in their use of information. Information literacy is the ability to evaluate, analyze, and apply critical thinking to the use of information. Educators need to answer basic questions about how students become…

Reports on Jim Jacobs and Roberta Teahen's efforts to develop a systematic approach of integrating career and academic education. The movement began in 1995 with representatives from four Michigan community colleges. Presents examples from various colleges across Michigan that demonstrate success in curriculum integration. (VWC)

Discusses how schools can avoid mistakes in building their school-improvement plans. The two most common mistakes are (1) using measures of student learning that are not sensitive to the actual learning occurring, and (2) having no system for interpreting and using the data. (Contains 1 figure and 11 references.) (WFA)