During the 2020-2021 academic year, Virginia piloted a state-designed secondary African American history elective in 16 school divisions. Using the framework of Racial Pedagogical Content Knowledge (RPCK), this study examined the treatment of race in the new course by analyzing the state-created curriculum materials and interviewing three teachers…

This study aimed to determine the perspectives of Louisiana high school students, particularly Black students, on the diversity of the state-mandated Tier 1 English I curriculum and the correlation between their academic self-concept, curriculum diversity perceptions, and their achievement level on the LEAP 2025 English I high stakes assessment.…

In this article, literacy, which is conceived of as a set of cognitive skills, is juxtaposed with a sociocultural orientation that sees literacy as a set of social practices for the production of meaning. Cognitive, skills-based pedagogies treat literacy as universal, autonomous, and independent of context, whereas sociocultural literacy…

State policies to encourage elementary teachers to teach for understanding and thinking are more comprehensive in California than in any other state. Based on in-depth interviews with eight curriculum and policy experts and an analysis of over 100 documents, this report describes efforts being advanced across six policy fronts: (1) curriculum…

The criteria developed by the NCTE Committee on Curriculum Bulletins for the evaluation of reading programs are presented and explained. (JH)

Elementary and secondary school curriculum development and implementation in Ontario is guided by pamphlets (curriculum guidelines) from the Ministry of Education. The diverse nature of these pamphlets caused the Ministry to initiate the design of instruments to determine the meaningfulness and effectiveness of the guidelines throughout the…

A project identified consumer education content that Louisiana consumer and home economics teachers perceive as being important. It also evaluated content of curriculum guides currently available from states and determined if any of these meet the needs of home economics consumer education programs in Louisiana. A questionnaire was developed to…

Educational leaders are developing standards to specify what students should know and be able to achieve in key subject areas. This document examines an important challenge of standards-based reform--that of creating a process to develop standards. Information is based on studies conducted by the Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE)…

This paper analyzes the curriculum materials of the California Literature Program, a distinctive literature curriculum for grades K-6, in terms of how it addresses the critical/aesthetic approach. The paper notes that although a sequence of concepts, skills, and attitudes about literature in parts of the program can be identified, the organizing…

This study was concerned with the validation of the Oklahoma Curriculum and Instructional Materials Center's agricultural mechanics curriculum manual and the development of a model whereby future manuals can be validated. Five units in the manual were randomly selected from a list of units to be taught during the second semester of the 1977-78…

In 1981, the Texas Legislature established a systematic structure for the development and implementation of a state curriculum for Texas public schools. This biennial report outlines the state's responses to curriculum-related legislation issues from fall 1990 to fall 1992. The introduction offers a historical review of state legislation that…

Local Maryland school systems are provided with a structure for developing and designing comprehensive K-12 social studies programs. The first of four sections discusses philosophy, defining social studies and placing it within the context of society, the learner, and the school curriculum. Social studies goals and their respective subgoals are…

Explores the New York State Great Irish Famine Curriculum Guide, discussing the author's initial reaction to the guide. Focuses on the strengths and discusses specific parts, such as the inclusion of background information and the student learning outcomes. Addresses how to include the guide into an already-filled curriculum. (CMK)

Provides responses to two articles featured in this issue of the Social Science Docket: (1) "Demythologizing Subject Matter: Teaching Ireland in the Curriculum" (David Cowell); and (2) "Review of the New York State Great Irish Famine Curriculum Guide" (Kevin Sheehan). (CMK)