Too often American schools aim to satisfy the self-actualizing and higher-level needs in Maslow's hierarchy, while ignoring survival and security needs. The new State curriculum seeks to correct that deficit. To graduate, an Oregon student in the Class of 1978 will be expected to demonstrate the competencies to function effectively on the job, as…

A NATIONAL SURVEY WAS MADE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS IN AMERICAN COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES DURING 1965-66. THE SURVEY FIGURES SHOW THAT ONE COLLEGE IN THREE PRESCRIBES FOREIGN LANGUAGE CREDITS FOR ADMISSION AND THAT NINE OUT OF TEN REQUIRE LANGUAGE FOR GRADUATION WITH A B.A. DEGREE. IN 32 ADDITIONAL COLLEGES CERTAIN NONLANGUAGE DEPARTMENTS…

Discusses the place of foreign language study in the public school curriculum. Argues that foreign language learning is an important part of education and that states should require high school students to take at least two years' study of a foreign language. Asserts that federal funding is not the answer. (WD)

Discusses the development of a decentralized and national qualification within the field of educational technology for the United Kingdom. (RAO)

Corbin High School is located in a small, rural community of approximately 8,000 residents in southeastern Kentucky, midway between Lexington and Knoxville, Tennessee. The mission of Corbin High School is to provide opportunities that will help each student prepare for a successful transition to college, the workplace and life. This report…

This is the eighth annual "Keeping Pace" report. When the authors look back on 2011 from some future year, it may be clear in retrospect that 2011 was the year that online and blended learning went digital, transcending their distance-learning or computer-based instruction origins and taking root in classrooms and schools across the…

Mandatory internships are implemented in higher education curricula in order to ease the labour market integration of graduates. This article evaluates the utility of mandatory internships in Germany by assessing the effect on graduates' transition from higher education to work. The authors examine whether these compulsory programmes provide extra…

Recent publications raise three concerns about the traditional senior year: it lacks rigor, it fails to provide students with clear pathways to work and postsecondary education, and it does not prepare students for a successful transition from high school to post-secondary experiences. These documents suggest that high schools should transform the…

This exploration into competency-based innovation at the school, district, and state levels suggests that competency-based pathways are a re-engineering of this nation's education system around learning--a re-engineering designed for success in which failure is no longer viable. This discussion draws on interviews and site visits with innovators…

This paper provides information about Alabama High School Graduation Exam, 3rd Edition, a comprehensive standards-based exam. The purpose of the exam is to: (1) Provide schools with student academic diagnostic information; (2) Determine prospective high school graduates' mastery of the state curriculum; (3) Increase alignment of local curriculum…

This paper provides information about Ohio Graduation Test, a comprehensive standards-based exam. The purpose of the test is to: (1) Measure the level of reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies skill expected at the end of 10th grade; (2) Ensure that students achieve a passing score as a condition of granting a diploma; (3)…

This paper provides information about South Carolina's High School Assessment Program. The purpose of the test is to: (1) Demonstrate students' achievement based on selected South Carolina academic standards; (2) Provide data to state policymakers on student attainment of state education goals to inform educational policy decisions; and (3) Meet a…

Learning outcomes are described as written statements of what a learner is expected to know, understand and/or be able to do at the end of a period of learning. At the beginning of the 90s, a EU pilot project on ECTS showed that study programmes were much easier to compare if they were described in terms of outcomes, instead of inputs. The…

This article presents the state education finance and governance profile of Tennessee. The 17th largest state, Tennessee is home to 2.01% of the nation's inhabitants. Funding of K-12 education in Tennessee is accomplished via a formula known as the Basic Educational Program (BEP). This plan primarily utilizes school district enrollment numbers to…

This manual, "Course Information for the Graduation Program, Grade 10, 11, and 12 Courses: 2009-2010," was approved by the Minister of Education on July 30, 2009 for setting out graduation requirements. The manual provides information for schools about courses that students take in Grades 10, 11, and 12. It is updated annually with…