Summarizes the findings of the latest study by the American Federation of Teachers on the progress of the standards movement, focusing on standards, curriculum, assessments, and accountability. Discusses whether states have coherent standards-based systems in place and recommends mid-course corrections necessary to the success of the standards…

Notes that within the past five years, the national standards movement has prompted many states to turn to the use of test scores to hold students and teachers accountable to higher standards in academic achievement. Discusses the unintended consequences: pervasive emotional pressure, reductionist views of literacy, conflicted views of teaching…

Tells a story of woodcrafters' city as a metaphor for testing and learning in today's educational system. Considers the structure of organized education addressing standards, logic and science. (SG)

In this forum, eleven authors address the implications of the national Standards for foreign language learning for language and literature departments in higher education. (Author/VWL)

Using exploratory factor analysis, data from 132 agriculture faculty showed that they rated the academic rigor of off-campus courses (in terms of active learning, effort, and high cognitive levels) lower than on-campus courses. Their opinions were not related to their experience with distance teaching. (SK)

Presents an interview with Angela Collins, director of the National Science Education Standards Projects from 1991 to 1995, on educational reforms in science education standards. (ASK)

Despite many calls for a core curriculum, there are no national educational standards for doctoral training in psychology. Historically, psychologists have been unwilling or unable to define what a psychologist is. Reviews the history of the struggle to develop a core curriculum within American psychology and related fields of study, discussing…

Argues that schools cannot significantly improve unless they adopt a standardized curriculum. Describes the three major components of a standardized curriculum: Keeping it viable, guaranteeing coverage, and linking the curriculum to grades. (PKP)

Both the promises and the inadequacies of standards-based education bring us Ron Wolk's expansively "bold undertaking" on behalf of thoughtful educators. His essay asks school reformers to consider educating children more important than sending them to school. He encourages educators to take the ideas they exchange with peers in casual…

In this article, the author suggests that good teachers add value in a number of measurable and immeasurable ways. While the gain of a student in mathematics can be measured, it is impossible to measure the impact of a teacher who motivated a child to want to do math. Teachers cannot control how kids enter the classroom and should not be held…

Like a lot of superintendents, Pennsylvania's Steve Iovino believes in a simple axiom: the more student test data the better. Warwick School District, a 4,100-student district located in southeastern Pennsylvania, tested its students even in years when state-mandated exams were not required. But Iovino did not know exactly what to make of all this…

Ever since the charter school movement became big news, Anne C. Lewis has refrained from writing about it very much because it seemed more like covering each hit in a Ping-Pong game. As study and counter-study rolled off the presses and into the press releases, the substance became less and less relevant. Each new study was always sure to be…

Accreditation has become something of a hot topic in higher education. In Europe it has been described as a 'Licence to Kill'. The James Bond metaphor is particularly illustrative when reflecting on quality assurance challenges in higher education. Publications on this subject in recent years reveal that the array of issues associated with…

The increased high expectations for student performance has led to greater pressures on school resources. While most families support the idea of quality schools for all students, adequate funding has not matched these high expectations. The vast majority of families are increasingly unable to vote in those additional resources due to a radical…

A proposed federal regulation on testing students with disabilities provides details on the flexibility available to states and schools for meeting the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act. While state education officials have generally welcomed the flexibility, representatives from advocacy groups for people with disabilities say they are…