Explores the role of the school social worker in preparing students to master their standards-based education and whether the work of school social workers support these academic standards. Suggests that school social workers need to do a better job communicating to the public, administrators, parents, and teachers their direct and supportive role…

Problems facing African Americans students are complex and numerous. In this article, we describe current educational contexts (i.e., high standards, accountability, and standardized test scores). In addition, we discuss the realities confronting African American students through West?s (1994) lenses of paranoia and poverty. Finally, we present…

This "Focus On" discusses curriculum mapping, a process that allows educators to align the curriculum both within and across grades and to ensure that the curriculum is in line with school, local, and state standards. It outlines the steps of the curriculum mapping process from planning the mapping initiative to creating and editing curriculum…

The members at the American Federation of Teachers examined each state's and Washington, D.C.'s content standards documents to determine whether or not they contain enough information about what students should learn to provide the basis for coherent curricula and assessments. There is no perfect formula for this; they made a series of judgment…

The Idaho Math Initiative has been developed to help raise student achievement in mathematics across all K-12 grades, focusing on three main areas: teacher education, student achievement, and public awareness. This report describes the initial phase of the Math Initiative, including: (1) Assessment; (2) Intervention; (3) Standards; (4) Curriculum;…

This report, prepared for the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education by the Educational Policy Improvement Center (EPIC), provides a final list of recommended college readiness reference standards to be used as part of the South Carolina Course Alignment Project (SCCAP). The purpose of these standards is to serve as a common reference point…

Knowledge of group dynamics and leadership activities is a component of the CORE Standards for the Master's degree curriculum in Rehabilitation Counseling. A group experience is often included as a learning activity in rehabilitation counselor education curricula as an instructional method of imparting knowledge of group dynamics. Group experience…

To improve teaching and assessment for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities and to truly ensure that state accountability systems address the performance of these students, a better understanding of the instructional effects of accountability systems as perceived by school leaders (i.e., principals) is critically important.…

In New Zealand the polytechnic sector embraces a range of post-compulsory education fields. Fields as diverse as nursing, business, social work and English as a Second Language (ESL) may co-exist on polytechnic campuses and are subject to similar curriculum documentation processes. The common competency-based framework and discourse of such…

Nestled in the mountains and surrounded by Christmas tree farms, Ashe County Middle School is a small, rural school in the far northwest corner of North Carolina. Recognized nationally for its fine academic and co-curricular programs, the school prepares students for high school and real-life situations by teaching important concepts, essential…

Throughout classrooms in the United States there appears to have been a general watering down of academic standards. The percentages of "A" and "B" grades have risen, and at some schools, the percentage of grades of "C" or lower has plummeted. Numerous scholarly articles about grade inflation discuss the extent,…

This paper outlines the development process that took place for the production of assessment materials to be used by teachers in Wales now that statutory testing at the end of KS2 has been abolished. The aim was to provide teachers with a free, but rich, optional resource that would allow for assessment of pupils' abilities in a wide range of…

This article reports that educators are still searching for the right blend of academic and developmental strategies for middle school students. More than a decade after a prominent group of middle-grades reformers set out to infuse higher academic standards into what critics deemed the touchy-feely world of middle schools, many teachers are still…

Using 3 waves of the TIMSS data, this study investigates the relationship between 8th-graders' mathematics and science achievement and their self-perceptions on these 2 subjects. For within-country data, there is generally a positive relationship between students' achievement and the following 3 measures of their self-perception: how much they…

The newly updated "Content-Based Curriculum for High-Ability Learners" provides a solid introduction to curriculum development in gifted and talented education. Written by experts in the field of gifted education, this text uses cutting-edge design techniques and aligns the core content with national and state standards. In addition to a revision…