Discusses individualism and the outcomes of liberalism. Highlights the pedagogical beliefs of egalitarian liberals and libertarian liberals and their differences. Discusses the current curricular and behavioral renorming of public education. (CMK)

Inquiry-based teaching and assessment approaches are superior to standardized tests for measuring students' progress. Historical thinking skills employed in Leopold von Ranke's 19th-century seminars have been refined to consider point of view, credibility of evidence, historical context, causality, and multiple perspectives--benchmarks of…

Eight members of the education community (e.g., students, teachers, college faculty, and administrators) respond to a question about the impact of high-stakes testing of teachers and students on teaching and teacher education. Their responses focus on such issues as test bias, at-risk students, specific state responses, and testing of students…

Introduces this special theme issue discussing tensions in education stemming from public school reform. Discusses the issue's focus on (1) standardized testing; (2) developmentally appropriate practice; and (3) full inclusion. Concludes that despite seemingly irreconcilable tensions, public schools have strong public support. (KB)

Explores how a new teacher's identity was affected when she attempted to enact a student-centered, i.e., liberal, pedagogy in a school district that was in the process of introducing a heavily scripted language arts curriculum tied to district standardized tests. Concludes that the frustration that the teacher felt was that the curriculum took…

Follows up the author's April 1999 article in this same journal, which described how her teaching improved when she decided not to focus on the minimal competency test for Texas. Quantifies ways her students became better readers and reports on the high pass rate of those very students on the reading section of the Texas Assessment of Academic…

Prospects for reforming assessment are dim. Persistence of the "education crisis" is chiefly attributable to the testing industry's profit margins and its distrust of teachers--a ploy to preserve the educational power structure. Schools should be accountable to local communities, not corporate entities, as a Nebraska initiative shows.…

Assessment and accountability have played prominent roles in many reform efforts during the past 50 years. Reviews features of assessment and accountability that influence the trustworthiness of information provided and impact educational practices and student learning. Discusses reform based on assessment and accountability, describes salient…

Citing the results of National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) exams, author disputes conclusion in Skrla and others article that Texas high-stakes accountability system significantly increased educational equity and social justice for racial minority students. (PKP)

Reviews features of assessment and accountability that influence the trustworthiness of information provided and impact educational practices and student learning. Discusses reform based on assessment and accountability, describes salient features in reform efforts, and makes suggestions for assessment and accountability systems. (SLD)

In this interview, influential educator Deborah Meier discusses her education philosophy, especially as it relates to current reform efforts focusing on standardized testing. Meier stresses that there is a big difference between standards and standardization, and that standardized testing is incapable of measuring complex and subtle qualities…

Asks several teachers what they have lost from their teaching or their classroom since the growth in mandated, standardized testing. Considers the ill effects of mandated testing, and names some educational essentials at risk of being lost while testing rules. Discusses what is lost in high-stakes multiple-choice testing of new teachers. (SG)

Typically, high performing schools are those with high test scores. Affluent students generally have higher scores than poorer students. True high performing schools require students to take rigorous courses, hire extremely competent teachers, and for teachers to know every student well. They use their limited funds efficiently to improve teaching…

Suggests that the most dangerous component of President Bush's education plan is the imposition of high-stakes standardized testing on public school students, describing the country's national anti-testing movement and highlighting the movement against the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, which is led by such groups as the Coalition…

The No Child Left Behind Act (2002) articulates a vision emphasizing the attainment of high achievement for all students. This legislation has defined a vital role for large-scale assessment in determining whether students are learning. However, standardized mathematics test performance by females and Black students continues to be a source of…