These two papers were presented at a two-part session on using a competency-based approach to secondary reading teacher preparation. The philosophy and rationale of a performance based approach to reading are discussed by Richard W. Burnett. Competency-based courses in secondary reading are contrasted with such courses in elementary reading and…

How can schools effectively prepare students for life after high school? With the accountability standards set forth by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), there are many theories regarding standardized testing. Many schools today are adopting the goal of preparing all students for the college or the workplace. This review of current literature…

International companies are recognised by equity between men and women as well as between other different groups (Diversity) as an economic factor and incorporate it into their company visions. Mixed teams are set up to design target group-oriented products, for example in automotive engineering. Therefore they need employees who represent the…

This paper argues that Educational Effectiveness Research (EER) should establish closer links with research on teacher professional development. A dynamic integrated approach (DIA) to teacher professional development is proposed. The methods and results of a study comparing the impact of the DIA and the Holistic Approach (HA) to teacher…

Since the mid-1990s, the concept of professional learning communities has arisen in the education field in the West, aiming to improve teachers' professional competency by using collaborative approaches. Western studies indicate that these strategies help teachers achieve professional growth. Schools in China have had a long history of enhancing…

As the world economy continues to evolve, businesses and industries must adopt new practices and processes in order to survive. Quality and cost control, work teams and participatory management, and an infusion of technology are transforming the way people work and do business. Employees are now expected to read, write, and communicate…

As the world economy continues to evolve, businesses and industries must adopt new practices and processes in order to survive. Quality and cost control, work teams and participatory management, and an infusion of technology are transforming the way people work and do business. Employees are now expected to read, write, and communicate…

Alverno College (Wisconsin) defines a curriculum in which all students demonstrate certain major abilities within their disciplines or professional areas, and it assesses those abilities as its primary graduation requirements. The college-wide assessment center has enabled assessment of complex abilities not easily tested through a single course.…

In 1975, the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) was adopted as a vehicle for achieving excellence in the District of Columbia public schools. A total of 213 elementary and secondary school teachers and 16 instructors participated in the inservice course "Foundations of Curriculum Writing for CBC." The participants were divided into six…

Intended to be utilized as an instructional unit in preservice or inservice vocational teacher education or as a part of a total performance-based teacher education program, this module is one of two modules developed to train vocational personnel how to install and manage competency-based instructional (CBI) programs. These two modules were…

The Performance-Based Teacher Education (PBTE) curriculum developed by the National Center for Research in Vocational Education has been widely adopted by colleges and universities training vocational education teachers. In order to determine whether PBTE works, two sites using PBTE--Temple University and the University of Central Florida--were…

This unit of the Flexible Learning System (FLS) is designed to help teachers analyzing the effects of classroom situations on the self-concepts of children in preschool through third grade. Among the questions addressed are: What is a healthy self-concept; How do teaching practices affect children's self-concepts; and When are situations…

This unit of the Flexible Learning System (FLS) describes the development of children's concepts and presents ways that adults can facilitate conceptual learning in children between 2 and 8 years of age. Concepts are described as representable, sharable and organized knowledge formulated around interests, susceptible to agreement and disagreement,…

This is the final report on evaluation and research of the Flexible Learning System (FLS). The Flexible Learning System (FLS) began as an outgrowth of the Far West Laboratory's several years of investment in research and development of a Responsive Model of Early Childhood Education for young children. The model emphasizes the development of…

Civil Rights leaders should be demanding educational standards, not working to defeat them, which is the outcome of the movement's shift away from color-blind standards. The growing preoccupation with race-conscious policies has affected Black academic achievement negatively. Disadvantaged minorities should applaud competency standards for…