Asserts that while enrollment in academic courses has increased since "A Nation at Risk" report, academic achievement as measured by national and international mathematics and science exams has remained unchanged. Suggests that divergence between increased enrollment and test scores is due to watered-down curriculum and course materials.…

Case study of how a third-grade teacher in California allocates time among academic subjects, assessment, and social services. Finds there is not enough time to meet state academic standards. (PKP)

Reviews a research project of 15 years ago that investigated whether children were better or worse off when they attended preschools that emphasized adult-directed instruction and the basics of reading and math rather than preschools that focused on play and exploration. Now, the most effective early childhood classrooms nurture both children's…

Describes a citation analysis of articles appearing in the "Journal of Curriculum Studies" (JCS) between the years of 1979-1991. Tabular data includes journals with 10 or more citations to JCS articles, as well as, country of origin for authors and journals citing JCS. Includes an annual list of the 10 most cited papers for the years…

New evidence on brain functions demonstrates the necessity of connections between knowing and doing, school and life, knowledge and application, and content and context. Contextual teaching and learning principles can better harness the power of the thinking brain. (SK)

Describes three programs successfully integrating vocational and academic education: (1) Dauphin County Technical School (Pennsylvania), which uses the cluster concept; (2) St. Mary's (Maryland) Technical Center's tech prep program; and (3) Frederick Vocational-Technical Center (Maryland), which offers core course mastery and a systems approach to…

Reviews some of the qualities that theater studies and production experience contribute to a student's education. Suggests that theater students learn to enjoy the learning process, engage in active (not passive) learning, learn creative expression and problem solving, and learn self-discipline and leadership skills. (SR)

The Work Keys Reading for Information test was completed by 418 high school students in either applied or traditional English, math, and technology courses. Traditional students scored higher, but results might be influenced by use of intact groups, correlation between class mean achievement and class type, or self-selection bias. (SK)

North Carolina agriculture teachers with High Schools that Work integration grants (n=32) were compared with 32 without grants. Overall, the level of academic integration into agricultural education was low. Teachers with grants did not have more positive attitudes about integration. Time and administrative support were significant barriers to…

Describes programs in several states that seek to ease students' transition to postsecondary education and careers by providing them with a range of learning options and ever-widening circles of experience that move them away from school. These programs tailor experiences and learning objectives to students' developmental levels and interests.…

In the past, the law has not been considered as an important part of gerontological science. Historically, different sciences such as medicine, biology, psychology, and sociology have played far more important roles in the creation and crystallization of gerontological knowledge. This state of affairs is reflected in academic education and field…

This paper provides a critical exploration of work in progress to develop a genre based academic support that promotes post-graduate academic literacies among new EIL and EAL Hons and Masters students in the School of Theology, University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg. It traces the path of an action research project, using an eclectic needs analysis…

Thirty-six per cent of 18-19-year-old sixth-form and further education college leavers in the UK currently go on to university. A majority of the remaining 64 percent apparently go into work or work-related training. Yet, for this latter group, as with the former, 16-19 education was supposed by the Department for Education and Employment to equip…

This newsletter includes vignettes about schools that are effectively integrating academic and career/technical (CT) studies to help more students find meaning in their learning and to motivate students to make great effort to achieve. This is part of a series of newsletters describing best practices for implementing the "High Schools That Work"…

The lack of academic and thinking culture is getting more worried and becomes a major challenge to our academia society this 21st century. Few directions that move academia from "cogito ergo sum" to "consumo ergo sum" are actually leading us to "the end of academia". Those directions are: (1) the death of dialectic;…