Teachers have historically been at the margins of educational improvement, and they are just beginning to drive improvements in the profession. Networked improvement communities (NICs) are one approach for collective reprofessionalization of teaching, where practice is defined and managed by practitioners. Edit Khachatryan and Emma Parkerson offer…

The Common Core of Standards project has strong national support, but it will not succeed if it doesn't involve teachers in grassroots development activities. The initiative should involve local consortia of schools in working with the new standards, assessments, and support tools. Local teachers would design teaching units and then share these…

The new leadership in China wants to move toward higher educational efficiency, excellence, and merit. (Author/IRT)

Defends Project EXCEL against criticisms offered in EA 510 647. (IRT)

Offers a critique of the origins and policies of Jesse Jackson's Project EXCEL. (IRT)

Reviews the positions of the National Education Association on merit pay and on establishment of independent teacher certification boards and explains how those positions contrast with Myron Lieberman's proposal (EA 519 376) for the creation of national educational specialty boards to recognize outstanding teaching. (PGD)

Europe's need for multiethnic education results both from its multiplicity of historical ethnic, linguistic, and religious groups and from the more recent immigration of foreign workers. While national and supranational programs have been developed, relatively little money has been invested in them and multicultural curriculums have not been…

Examines the role played by national literacy campaigns in larger transformations among societies over the past 400 years. Literacy campaigns have attempted to integrate individuals into more comprehensive political and/or religious communities. Analyzes the historical lessons educators can learn from several such campaigns. (CJH)

Reflects on the positive merits of the educational specialty board concept discussed by Myron Lieberman (EA 519 376) and urges further development of the concept, but also argues that Lieberman's proposal has little relation to merit pay and that the merit pay connection should be dropped. (PGD)

Poses an extended list of practical questions left unanswered by Myron Lieberman in his proposal (EA 519 376) for the creation of educational specialty boards to recognize outstanding teachers. (PGD)

Reviews the accomplishments, goals, and problems of the commission during its first ten years. (IRT)

Outlines a proposal whereby students between the ages of 16 and 26 would give two years of national service in the government agency of their choice or in the nonprofit private sector. The proposal would be especially useful, the author argues, for noncollege-bound high school students and dropouts. (JBM)

Briefly describes the educational systems of Western Europe as essentially similar despite a few variations. Comments on the economic support provided for education, the structures and clienteles of the various systems from elementary school through higher education, and the range and content of the curricula offered. (PGD)

Data gathered by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) can be used to analyze the relative effects of educational systems in different countries. A simplified example of such analysis utilizes variations among countries, among age cohorts within countries, and between subject matter competencies within…

Discusses Jesse Jackson and his program to inspire self-help in urban education. (IRT)