While it has been, and currently is, the practice of early childhood educators to evaluate educational programs in terms of their impact on children's development, enhancing children's knowledge may be as important as enhancing development; it is possible, in fact, that the enhancement of knowledge could be a better goal for early childhood…

These course specifications are based on and are an update of the 1981 Alberta Social Studies Curriculum. They are intended to: (1) identify the core content and objectives for the Grade 9 Social Studies Curriculum; and (2) present the core content and objectives in a form that helps to develop test items. Three major course objectives are…

The purpose of this research was to examine policies and curriculum practices in performing arts secondary schools in the United States. Data were obtained from a survey (including questionnaires, opinionnaires, interviews, and observations) conducted among 55 schools (total number existent in 1980) and visits to 11 selected institutions in the…

Observing that speech communication, by whatever term it is called, is now a popular major among the traditional liberal arts, this paper proposes an essential speech communication curriculum for the small, comprehensive college. The first part of the paper presents a rationale for the curriculum by exploring how the curriculum reflects (1) its…

This paper presents an overview of research on academic tasks in the classroom and describes some of the themes that are emerging from studies in this area. The concept of "academic task" is defined along with problems associated with using this theoretical construct in classroom research. Three conceptions of how content should be represented to…

Videodiscs have much to offer in developing the school curriculum, but teachers must use definite criteria in planning teaching-learning situations that will enable students to achieve on an individual basis. Thus, students should find meaning, interest, purpose, provision for individual differences, and a balance among objectives in their…

This report presents the results of a needs assessment study on comprehensive drug education conducted for a small rural K-8 school. A brief review examines the literature on drug and alcohol abuse among rural youth. Parents, teachers, and students were surveyed to assess their needs, interests, and knowledge of drug and alcohol abuse. Twenty…

Economics education in elementary and secondary schools is essential in order to prepare a responsible citizenry that can cope with economic problems and issues. This ERIC Digest examines: (1) the primary goal of economics education; (2) current economics curriculum patterns; and (3) methods of improving the economics curriculum. The basic…

The literature on vocational education indicates a number of factors that have shaped the need for a change in the vocational education system. These factors include Japanese industrial pressure and philosophy, technological advancements, a shortage of skilled workers, and a mismatch between available jobs and trained workers. Suggestions to…

A review of arguments for and against including business ethics courses in the Master of Business Administration (MBA) curriculum reveals strongly opposing views. Those favoring business ethics courses argue that such courses teach a way to approach and think through a problem and provide a framework for judging behavior, that the university must…

The effect of television on children is in part a reflection of the effect of current schooling practices, so that the simplicity of television is a reflection of the discontinuity and incoherence of modern schooling practices. This state of affairs in schooling is due to several factors: (1) efforts to make schooling less stuffy and mechanical…

Labor studies are often not included or underemphasized in the elementary and secondary school curricula. This ERIC Digest examines major themes of labor studies; inclusion of these themes in the curriculum; likely positive outcomes of labor studies in the curriculum; and available resources for teachers and students. Key historical events, the…

This scope and sequence document for Oregon schools' social studies curriculum adopts the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) Task Force on Scope and Sequence publication as a guideline and is organized by kindergarten through eighth grades and by the required high school courses of U.S. history, economics, government, and global…

This paper explores some possible productive links between ecology and education, with particular reference to the ethical position described by the term "deep ecology" and to empirical research in perceptual psychology that has led to the formation of ecological theories of perception. It is suggested that these ecological understandings support…

A study examined whether a writing style called "dialogue writing" would allow children to use conversational cues to write longer papers in the same amount of time as free writing. Subjects were 54 sixth graders (about 12 years old) in 3 classrooms in rural neighborhoods--one class consisted of children with learning difficulties.…