Presents a lesson plan that teaches students about the process of polderization (the reclamation of low tracts of land from a body of water). Illustrates how a country can solve a problem by modifying its environment. Includes background information and worksheets on the application of this process in the Netherlands. (MJP)

A survey of 701 medical-school administrators, medical-residency program directors, medical students and residents, and practicing physicians investigated the perceived clarity and validity of 44 medical school accreditation standards as indicators of the quality of undergraduate medical education. Predictive validity of some standards was also…

Comments on the new National Council on Economic Education standards and calls for more clarification and detail as well as additional standards. Argues that the almost-exclusive focus on principles-based standards ignores that need for explicit skill standards. Discusses possible difficulties for social studies teachers not trained in economics.…

Today's competitive climate is pressuring public school educators to improve schools in an environment dominated by parent and consumer choice. This article draws on two studies involving Australian principals that illustrate difficult ethical situations. Most participants found the values of marketing and economic rationalism to be inconsistent…

Presents tips, gleaned from federal research, to help parents understand how their children are doing in school, including: know what is expected; know the child's reading level; understand test scores; solicit teacher feedback; become familiar with the child's homework; use report cards to identify overall progress; stay attuned to social skills;…

A general equilibrium schooling model shows that greater school efficiency is complementary with more equal opportunity, increased overall learning, more integration, stable teacher salaries, and fewer course preparations per teacher. Transferring students to area schools with curricula suited to their abilities would secure these ends. (Contains…

An analysis of the 1998 California educational standards confronts the assimilationist ideology embedded in the push for standards and accountability in American education. The standards explicitly define "America" and"Americans" as White and Anglo, ignore Indigenous history and contributions of non-European cultures and women,…

In this interview, Alaska's statewide trainer in project-based learning recommends that teachers plan projects by identifying the desired results, determining acceptable evidence, then planning the learning experience. Project-based learning encourages teacher collaboration and engages students so that learning becomes relevant. Teachers should…

This article identifies problems associated with excluding the scores of students with disabilities who need nonapproved accommodations and explores ways in which these scores can be included in system and student accountability systems. The need for Individualized Education Program teams to establish guidelines and establish a documentation…

This article sketches the historical context for the development of alternate assessment for students with disabilities, describes alternate assessment, and identifies some of the potential benefits of including students with significant disabilities in large-scale assessment. The correlation between alternate assessment scores and the…

This article discusses provisions under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act that require all students with disabilities to have access to the general education curriculum and be assessed. The role of the Individualized Education Program in documenting student participation in state and district-wide educational assessments is explored.…

A study that examined state Individualized Education Program (IEP) forms found that out of the 41 with IEP forms, only 5 specifically addressed educational standards on their forms. Thirty-one states addressed the general curriculum on their IEP forms and 30 states listed three or more options for assessment participation. (Contains nine…

Presents data on the percent of full-time public school teachers indicating the extent to which participation in professional development activities in various content areas improved their classroom teaching, by number of hours spent in professional development in that content area in the last 12 months (1998). (SM)

Examines the history of students who cannot do what educators want them to do, noting how educators have labeled poor performers in different periods and how these labels reflect both attitudes and institutional conditions. The paper summarizes four major historical explanations for why children fail and explores implications of this history for…

The Central Valley (California) Educational Research Consortium asked 118 area principals what they were doing to improve their lowest achieving students' education. Respondents are focusing on individualizing instruction, aligning curricula to standards, advocating teaching to standards and tests, promoting new curriculum methodologies, and…