This is one of two papers developed for an Ministry of Education funded project, Competencies in New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZC). This paper draws on archived policy discussion papers to document the provenance of the key competencies included in the "New Zealand Curriculum" ("NZC"). The second paper analyses…

This brief highlights recommendations for policymakers with guidance on strategies and action steps to drive the transformation of K-12 education systems to meet the needs of every student. Policymakers, at every level, need to ensure the nation's education systems are fit for purpose, equity-driven, capable of preparing all students -- rather…

Drawing on research about East Asian (mainly Chinese, Korean, and Japanese) heritage language (HL) teaching and learning in three contexts--the home, community heritage language schools, and programs in U.S. K-12 schools--this article discusses the challenges that East Asian subethnic groups face in improving HL education in each context.…

Scotland, in common with many countries internationally, has been learning how to align ideas from research with policy and practice. This article considers what Scotland learned from large-scale evaluations of its Assessment is for Learning (AifL) programme and the extent to which this evidence was used to inform future learning within the…

Curricular coherence is an indication of the alignment of content ideas, the depth at which they are studied, and the sequencing of ideas within and across grade levels and has been identified as an important predictor of student performance. This study examined the contribution of inter-unit coherence on energy to the learning of this concept…

Using sociologist C. Wright Mill's analogy of the trap, this piece invites readers to think about the Common Core State Standards beyond the classroom, outward toward its historical and political context. The traps describe the connection between larger social issues related to the implementation of the Common Core and changes at the classroom…

In 2012, a new assessment and rating process for Australian early childhood education and care (ECEC) services was introduced, using a new National Quality Standard (NQS). The NQS assessment and rating process has similarities to observational assessment systems used in educational research, and involves similar strategies for upholding…

This paper demonstrates that while ideals of close linkages between research and teaching are widely embraced in research-oriented universities, a practice of division of labour between teaching-oriented and research-oriented staff persists. In an investigation of how the research-teaching nexus is managed at three Swedish universities, we…

Given that paraeducators are increasingly utilized to deliver special education services, the need for their quality preparation has come to the forefront. The authors address how standards set expectations for appropriately trained paraeducators through the use of specific knowledge and skills, offer a process for revising an existing preparation…

The Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education (MBAE) continues its advocacy for Common Core and the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), a federally funded testing consortium, with the release of a study concluding that Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) performance is not an indicator of…

President Obama signed into law the Every Student Succeeds Act, the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, on December 10, 2015. "Learning Forward's focus in this new law is its improved definition of professional learning," said Stephanie Hirsh, executive director of Learning Forward. "We've long advocated…

Career and technical education generally has focused on helping people to understand the relationship between education and work to acquire employment skills. There is a need for action to ensure that the programs being offered in Career and Technical Education (CTE) align with the needs of the 21st century workforce. This research will attempted…

Globalisation, with all its varying facets, has forced education systems around the world to look for ways and means whereby they can operate productively and progressively within a global education agenda. This paper espouses a Caribbean perspective. It takes two themes that intercept on global levels -- Henry's (2012) 'internationalisation…

Reforms of the size and scale to which Race to the Top States have committed, require unprecedented planning, oversight and problem solving to implement. Although many factors influence the outcomes of these reform efforts, performance management is a key structural element in realizing "sustainable reforms" that are durable and…

Using linked high school and community college records for students in a large metropolitan area in California, we explore what happened to students who experienced inter-sector math misalignment (ISMM). These students were deemed "college ready" by high school standards but were placed in remedial/developmental math courses when they…