The movement for developing and implementing adult English as a Second Language (ESL) content standards is gaining momentum in the United States as more emphasis is placed on learner outcomes, accountability, and professionalism in the field. Additional research is needed to investigate the impact that adult ESL content standards have on…

The author defines "middle schoolism" as "an approach to educating children in the middle grades (usually grades 5-8), popularized in the latter half of the 20th century, that contributed to a precipitous decline in academic achievement among American early adolescents." She argues that many middle schools are on the right…

The "No Child Left Behind" Act (2002) requires that all students have access to the general curriculum at their designated grade level. Federal guidance received from the US Department of Education noted that these extended standards are intended only for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. A key goal is to assure…

The relationship between good teaching and student achievement elevates the importance of teacher quality in the eyes of parents, educators, and policymakers. While some teachers may have a special gift to help students learn, good teaching encompasses critical elements, such as knowledge of the learning process, child development, teacher…

This review of the literature investigates ways to apply student-centered math activities in fifth grade standards-based curriculum. My goal for this project is to discover and share several ideas about how to effectively implement student-centered math activities within the standards-based curriculum requirements that dominate today's public…

This book provides basic data on educational attainment, achievement, and practices for each state and the United States as a whole, with a focus on the academic-achievement gap between minority and white students. The first part provides an overview of the national picture of education, describing academic achievement, expenditures and…

In early 1996, the Atlanta school board approved a plan to reconstitute Walden Middle School, opening it to students across the city and substantially changing the composition of the faculty. This report for 1996-97 recounts the first year of the reform effort, during which all positions were declared vacant and a new staff and faculty were…

This report describes how assessments are scored and results are reported in the inclusive assessment and accountability systems in Maryland and Kentucky. Specific topics include: (1) how school performance is reported to the public; (2) what components go into the reported performance of schools; (3) how scores are obtained for students in the…

This report examines the need for and status of remedial education at colleges in the 15 member states of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB). It notes that too many (one of every three) entering college students currently take at least one remedial course and suggests that this number could be reduced if high school students planning to…

This information kit discusses the need to have trained, qualified, dedicated teachers in all U.S. classrooms. Section 1 discusses the background of efforts to raise standards in U.S. education and examines the role teachers play. Section 2 describes the current state of the U.S. teaching force, noting that many teachers are underqualified, that…

The Consortium on Inclusive Schooling Practices (1996) developed a framework to analyze state and local policies and their relationship to the development of inclusive schooling practices. The framework focuses on standards-based systemic reform across six major policy areas: curriculum, student assessment, accountability, personnel development…

This speech, presented by the U.S. Secretary of Education, speaks to mathematics educators about the need to reach for high standards of learning in mathematics as an ever more important part of preparing students for an increasingly complex global economy. One of the major concerns is increased polarization and dissension about how mathematics is…

This report presents findings from an evaluation of the National Science Foundation's (NSF's) Urban Systemic Initiative (USI) program in 22 large urban school districts. The USI program has supported educational reform in large public school districts that have a high percentage of students living in poverty and has directed its efforts toward the…

Master's degrees, as currently configured, offer teachers routes out of the classroom. The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) is one of the efforts to address the current focus on teacher performance and preparation, and to help with the professionalization and the upgrading of the status of teachers. While traditionally…

This document aims to help teachers make the transition to standards-based teaching and learning. It describes the first phase of a 3-year applied research project on professional development for teaching to high standards in culturally and linguistically diverse middle schools. Standards-based teaching and learning requires teachers to reach a…