The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in ELA/literacy call for increased rigor, close reading of complex texts, evidence-based argumentation in academic English, and collaborative conversations. For English language learners (ELLs), achieving the standards requires that they double their efforts to simultaneously learn both academic English and…

Roughly seven years have passed since the majority of states adopted college- and career-readiness (CCR) standards. Some states adopted the Common Core State Standards while others adopted their own versions of CCR standards. Because teachers are the primary implementers of CCR standards, we wanted to understand the challenges they face in using…

Teachers of students with significant cognitive disabilities have expressed the need for additional training and resources to realign instruction to general education standards. At the same time, pre-service teachers preparing to enter the field of special education need to be placed in classrooms where teachers have updated knowledge and skills…

This article analyses the contribution of post-compulsory education and training systems to the development of literacy and numeracy skills across OECD countries. While there is extensive cross-country comparative research on the effects of primary and lower secondary education systems on aggregate skills levels, there has been little comparative…

The United States has undergone a revamping of education standards in an effort to systematize rigorous learning standards across the country and prepare students to be college- and career-ready. In addition, new accountability requirements have been put in place to determine the effectiveness of the school leader. Certainly, educational reforms…

There are few topics more engaging, polarizing, controversial, and relevant than the issue of race relations in the United States. As race and racism are enduring issues of importance and popularity, it seems fitting to explore the topic through one of the more engaging and divisive eras in U.S. history; the Civil War. National and state standards…

In this REL Mid-Atlantic webinar, Dr. Ross Wiener, Vice President and Executive Director of the Education and Society Program, Aspen Institute, discussed strategies for integrating the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) into teacher effectiveness systems, including ways in which the CCSS can support professional growth and inform teacher…

Background: School food service professionals are vital to implementing national nutrition standards in school meal programs. Appropriate and effective training for these professionals may be one key to producing healthful meals that students are excited to eat and also meet United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrient guidelines. A…

A teacher shares his experience implementing the "Next Generation Science Standards," from struggle to success.

A Delphi survey was conducted with 30 outdoor education experts in Kansas. Participant responses helped frame a Kansas definition of outdoor education and identified essential educational goals and outcomes, critical components for effective outdoor education programming, and barriers facing outdoor education in Kansas. The study highlights…

Library instruction continues to evolve. Regardless of the myriad and conflicting opinions academic librarians have about the ACRL "Framework for Information Literacy," the debates and the document itself have engendered greater discourse surrounding how and why librarians teach. The "Framework" provides an additional push…

The release of the "NRC Framework for K-12 Science Education" and the "Next Generation Science Standards" has important implications for classroom teaching and assessment. Of particular interest is the implementation of science practices in the chemistry classroom, and the definitions established by the NRC makes these…

School librarians are experiencing upheaval and controversy in education today. They are coping with the implementation of (and battles over) the Common Core State Standards, the uncertain future of their jobs, and the rapidly changing nature of school libraries. Despite the flux and instability in education, the importance of intellectual freedom…

Teacher learning, as well as the development and testing of curriculum materials, are key for teaching lessons that bring the goals of the Next Generation Science Standards to life in classrooms. Lesson study is a process that links standards, teacher learning, curriculum materials, and instructional enactment together to facilitate student…

There is no doubt but that the education realm is replete with silos of experts of one discipline or another whose knowledge and teachings do not normally crossover into others. Yet the Common Core's call for career and college readiness virtually requires such subject integration--especially between the disciplines we consider academic and those…