When the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards project began, there really was nowhere else to go but up. The project was up against great odds--a dearth of funding, a history of incivility amongst the disciplines within social studies, a knack for ending up in media battles over what should be taught in…

Shifting your high school's math program to new Common Core standards is much easier when teachers and leaders have this handy guide. Getting a copy for every staff member involved in the process ensures everyone knows: (1) How the six conceptual categories throughout the math standards are connected and reinforced; (2) How the modeling standards…

In the last issue of "American Educator," several scholars argued in favor of a common core curriculum. By common core, they meant that the curriculum should be broadly adopted (enabling improvements in instructional materials, student tests, and teacher training), but also limited (preserving instructional time for districts, schools,…

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…

The results of Romanian students at international comparative TIMSS and PISA tests have constantly proven to be unsatisfactory. The present paper aims at analyzing the school syllabi "Mathematics and Environment exploration", "Environmental Education" and "Natural Sciences" studied during primary education in Romania…

Environmental Education (EE) refers to a broad array of approaches in which an instructor uses the environment as a means to integrate various subjects and real world learning. Research supported the idea that EE instruction had a positive correlation to academic achievement. Under the Kentucky Education Cabinet of the Department of Education, the…

Although many states mandate college preparatory curricula for all high school students, there is no conclusive evidence regarding the benefits of this effort. Furthermore, we know little about how schools interpret and implement such policies. This extended ethnographic case study included a 4 year examination of 1 Michigan high school's response…

Instructional supports guide how academic standards are taught and translated into student learning. Teachers want a clear curricular framework, a rich array of teaching resources, and ideas for assignments that tap higher order thinking. As states implement new standards, they must simultaneously provide teachers with the tools to teach them…

Go in depth on Common Core Standards for middle schools to learn how they help students build on and extend skills acquired in earlier grades and prepare them for the nuanced communication and analytical work they will encounter in high school. Getting a copy for every teacher ensures they'll know: (1) The key focus areas of the Common Core…

This report provides the historical background and interpretive analysis needed to understand controversies surrounding Common Core and its associated tests. In this report, Williamson M. Evers presents a revised and expanded version of his expert report for "Jindal v. United States Department of Education et al.," No. 14-CV- 534 (M.D.…

Given the magnitude and severity of the problem of climate change, it is not surprising that a marked emphasis had been put on the issue over the last two decades, resulting in a series of proposals containing mitigation and adaptation measures. Education is often considered as one of such measures. This study was aimed at assessing the extent to…

Parents can play a vital and active role in facilitating their children's science learning outside the formal classrooms. Parental involvement in their children's science learning process not only could enhance their children's learning motivation and interest in science, it could also help to strengthen the family bond when parents and children…

The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS or Council), founded in 1921, is the premiere professional association in the social studies field. This treatment of a transformative period in the institutional history of the Council is intended to serve as a partial antidote to the social studies field's longstanding case of "historical…

Instructors all around the country are creating online courses for the first time. Yet a standardized format and structure for online courses has not yet emerged. So, for many who are facing this task, it feels like a do-it-yourself project, especially for those who are working in organizations that cannot offer much in the way of guidance and…

From penmanship, to product, to process...this article recounts 100 years of instructional practice in the US elementary writing classroom through the voices of past teaching manuals and curriculum guides. This particular tale begins at the turn of the 20th century--a time when the elementary school was firmly established in the country, and…