This paper presents initial findings from a 2-year study to identify the core knowledge and skills necessary to teach in a standards-based system. The study was part of the Standards-Based Teacher Education Project (STEP), which focused on the development of frameworks and materials for preservice and practicing teachers. High school teachers and…

Secondary vocational-technical education programs in Mississippi are faced with many challenges resulting from sweeping educational reforms at the national and state levels. Schools and teachers are increasingly being held accountable for providing true learning activities to every student in the classroom. This accountability is measured through…

This educational-futures literature review examines essential skills students will need to function in an increasingly sophisticated work environment, noting implications for students with disabilities. Results highlight 12 competencies needed to succeed in the future work world. The competencies relate to general skills rather than rigidly…

A ranking of 229 universities in the United States provides survey information concerning academic reputation, student selectivity, faculty resources, financial resources, retention, alumni giving, college entrance examination scores, freshmen's high school rank, acceptance and yield rates, student/faculty ratio, expenditures per student, class…

Identifies five forces driving colleges and universities to incorporate computer technology into curricula: improved information access; realism of simulation; work-related need for technology-based communication skills; potential for asynchronous learning; and potential to stimulate and support faculty development and renewal. Discusses…

Explores the intersection of geography and politics in U.S. public policy development and connects this to several of the National Geography Standards. Discusses contemporary issues including economic interdependence, the impact of migration, resource competition, cultural values, and environmental issues. Offers suggested student activities. (MJP)

Over the past 30 years, Florida's 500 middle schools have become more sizeable, racially segregated, and security conscious. Other features include interdisciplinary team organization, warring curricula, block schedules, integrated technology, inclusion, ability grouping, corporate practices, and female and minority principals committed to…

Focusing on national policy and practice, this paper suggests key recommendations for consideration in the context of standards-based reform, including: produce teachers who are multiculturally literate; re-assess ability grouping and tracking practices; reduce K-3 class size and elementary and secondary school size; expand and improve federal…

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA) requires all children to meet state standards of proficiency. Nowhere does this seem more absurd than the requirement for subgroups of students with disabilities to meet the same standard as children without disabilities. Educators, parents, and students alike protested that to be labeled as a child with an…

Despite the fact that the early reading proficiency for all children has become a national mandate captured in both the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the poor performance of America's fourth graders on national examinations of reading proficiency indicates that the nation is far from…

At the heart of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is the call for all students to be "proficient" in reading and mathematics by 2014. Yet the law expects each state to define proficiency as it sees fit and design its own tests. This study investigated three research questions related to this policy: (1) How consistent are various…

New York's state standards for student achievement in second language learning, for languages other than English, are outlined in the areas of both communication skills and cultural awareness, at three proficiency levels. The first standard is that "students will be able to use a language other than English for communication." The second…

This report presents tables, graphs, and text summarizing baccalaureate graduation rates in Texas beginning with a cohort of first-time, full-time students who entered a public college or university in Texas in 1985. Graduation rates are typically described as the percentage of first-time, full-time students who earn baccalaureate degrees within 6…

Ireland's program of specific skills training (SST) Objective 1 courses, which are designed to train/retrain the labor force required for implementation of Ireland's Industry and Services Operational Programme, was evaluated by analyzing program expenditure reports and participant profiles, surveying a random sample of 101 employers, and visiting…

The Ohio sixth-grade proficiency test is intended to measure a student's literacy level and basic competency in writing, reading, mathematics, citizenship, and science. This guide is designed to help parents prepare their fifth- and sixth-grade children for this proficiency test. An introduction, "Important Information," outlines three…