This Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) annual performance report for the year 2015 describes Illinois' accomplishments, lessons learned, challenges, and strategies Illinois will implement to address those challenges. Illinois' Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) grant initiatives reflect the State's three…

Funding from the Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) grant has allowed Massachusetts an unprecedented opportunity to accelerate early childhood education so that the states' children have access to high quality early education that will put them on an early path to school success and productive citizenship. The Massachusetts…

The paper places secondary education in a strategic position in the Nigerian education system. It clarifies issues surrounding the misplacement of standard as against quality when examining the success or failure of secondary education on yearly basis. The paper concludes that the standard of education has not fallen in Nigeria, but that it is the…

This study explored the experiences of mathematics teachers as they examined recommendations for "Reasoning and Sense Making" (NCTM, 2009) and investigated them in their practice through action research. Narrative inquiry was used to capture the ways that teachers conceptualized the curricular recommendations, the actions teachers took…

The increasing use of the CAS standards as a comprehensive assessment approach in divisions of student affairs necessitates a more in-depth understanding of how the CAS standards are being implemented in these settings. In response to increasing calls for improvement, accountability and professionalism in student affairs (Bresciani, 2006; Cooper…

Through the years, educators, parents, and the general public believed that a college degree is one of the most powerful strategies for our nation's war on poverty. The increased earning power of individuals with college degrees and the contribution to our economic security were frequently acknowledged. Our commitment and attention to college…

In the coming years, states will need to make the most significant changes to their assessment systems in a decade as they implement the Common Core State Standards, a common framework for what students are expected to know that will replace existing standards in 45 states and the District of Columbia. The Common Core effort has prompted concerns…

Shifting your high school's math program to new Common Core standards is much easier when teachers and leaders have this handy guide. Getting a copy for every staff member involved in the process ensures everyone knows: (1) How the six conceptual categories throughout the math standards are connected and reinforced; (2) How the modeling standards…

Media literacy, the abilities "to access, analyze, evaluate, and communicate information in a variety of forms" (NAMLE), is necessary to help people understand the information presented to them and make informed decisions. However, despite decades of work to include media literacy education in academic learning (Hobbs and Jensen 2009),…

This article presents the results of a study that interpreted views of curriculum and practice of teacher education faculty at a public institution of higher learning in the USA. It offers information about the ongoing challenges of affecting a balanced approach to teacher education at colleges and universities in a standardized learning setting.…

Academic peer review is widely viewed as fair, equitable, and essential to academic quality. Successfully completing the process through publication or award is widely deemed as one of the most rigorous and prestigious forms of scholarly accomplishment. Despite this sentiment the academic peer review process is not without fault. It is criticized…

This article describes the process for alignment of the personnel preparation standards developed by the Council for Exceptional Children and Division for Early Childhood with the standards developed by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. The results identify areas of convergence across the two sets of standards and areas…

In this article, the author talks about the Common Core State Standards and what they mean to teachers and their students. The Common Core State Standards Initiative provides an opportunity for classroom practitioners across the nation to hone their skills, focus on student learning, and ensure that all the students they serve will be working…

Now that many schools are developing curriculums thoughtfully linked to standards--including benchmarks for achievement--many teachers wrestle with this question: Can we still make room for individualized instruction? The authors, who have taught at diverse international schools in many countries, believe the answer is yes. They argue that under…

"A Framework for K-12 Science Education" identifies eight science and engineering practices for K-12 classrooms. These practices, along with core ideas and crosscutting concepts, define the nation's learning goals for science. An important advance from earlier standards (AAAS 1993, NRC 1996), these practices are clearly identified "not" as…