This cross-site, collaborative study focused on the instructional practices of three middle school art teachers from Arizona, Indiana, and New York. The researchers found similarities as well as differences among the teachers' strategies. At all three sites, emphasis was on curriculum related to their students' lives, developing technical skills,…

The primary goal of education is to help students gain the knowledge and skills necessary to solve the problems that occur in real-life situations. One of the most touted methods for achieving this goal is through curriculum integration. Physical education students can benefit from an integrated curriculum. NASPE's (National Association tar Sport…

"Which textbook?" is a question nearly as old as the Gutenberg printing press. Although faculty have always tailored curricula according to their own goals and classroom needs, it remains true for most that the textbook defines the platform around which courses are designed. In today's classroom, the traditional textbook may have been replaced by…

In recent years, FCCLA has updated all of its resources, culminating with the latest release, the "Career Connection and Leaders at Work CD-ROM." Curriculum integration has been a key focus of the updating project, and today each national FCCLA program is supported by materials custom-designed for use in family and consumer sciences (FCS)…

This paper presents an overview of events in Aotearoa/New Zealand mathematics education over the past decade or so. We begin with the curriculum reforms of the 1990s that led to the development of the current mathematics curriculum (Ministry of Education, 1992), and document developments in policy, resources and approaches to teaching. There has…

In the past 20 years, there have been numerous calls for a reinvigoration of vocational psychology. Now, as vocational psychology has grown again within counseling psychology, the authors argue that what is needed is not a reinvigoration but rather a new paradigm that reintegrates vocational psychology and the rest of counseling psychology. The…

The CDIO initiative began as a joint endeavour involving four engineering schools in Sweden and the USA. The number of schools joining the project is increasing constantly. CDIO focuses on four activities--curriculum development, teaching and learning, workshops, and assessment projects--with a view to improving engineering education programmes by…

This article describes the benefits of hiring an introductory science specialist for introductory-level students. An introductory science specialist can help prepare students for upper-division courses. These specialists are content generalists and methodological specialists--someone who is adept at teaching a wide range of content concepts and…

A persistent and pervasive disparity in academic achievement exists between ethnic minority and English Learner students and their White and Asian peers. This qualitative single-case study of a high-poverty, high-performing middle school focused on the cultural norms, practices, and programs that were perceived to be contributing to narrowing the…

Much of what students learn never appears to connect to their lives. They learn facts, they study events, and they read stories of others. Teachers need to help students make these associations, and sometimes that means expanding the curriculum. To help her language arts students make connections between their lives and the realities of life…

In the past, educators almost always looked for best practices in classrooms. In fact, when educators say "practice," they are generally talking about teacher practice. Yet 12 years of work at Springboard Schools (and its predecessor, the Bay Area School Reform Collaborative, or BASRC) argues that administrators, as well as teachers,…

As the number of new schools explodes in urban centers, educators need to understand the processes and challenges faced by schools trying to develop a central focus for curriculum and instruction. Using case study methods including interviews and document analysis, the current study explores the ways in which a highly successful magnet high…

We welcome you to the International Conference on Education and New Developments 2014, taking place in Madrid, Spain, from 28 to 30 of June, 2014. Education, as an important right in our contemporary world, began since we exist. Knowledge and skills were passed by adults to the young, and cultures began to extend their experiences through various…

To succeed in college, career and life in the 21st century, students must be supported in mastering both content and skills. This Implementation Guide presents state leaders, policymakers and/or district and school leaders with assessment tactics and examples to assist in statewide 21st century skills initiatives. The Partnership for 21st Century…

The purpose of this study is to compare the efficacy of three different approaches to professional development in Earth science education: preparing teachers to "adopt" expert-"design" curricula; preparing teachers to use a principled approach to design curricula; and preparing teachers to use a principled approach to "adapt" curricula. The claims…