Examines differences between old state-designed norm-referenced tests and new tests aligned with the curriculum. Concludes that new state tests are very similar to old ones. Discusses impact of new high-stakes standardized tests on students and teachers. Argues the new wave of standardized testing is not the answer to improving student…

Documents the history of the development of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. Reports that the International Schools Association (ISA) created the International Schools Examination Syndicate (ISES), which produced the first draft profile of an IB diploma program in 1964. Offers a brief biography of Desmond Cole-Baker, who was…

Compares "associationist" instructional theory and standards with constructivist instructional theory and standards. Argues that constructivist standards should be used to help create a culture of high quality based on high expectations in urban schools. Provides two examples: Central Park East Secondary School (CPESS) and the Philadelphia's…

In the wake of New York State's action plan to raise graduation standards, New York City's public schools have struggled to meet the new mandates and still provide adequate remedial services to students who need them. Offering alternative crediting through independent and group work is proving successful. (MLH)

There is no inherent flaw in the concept of single-purpose institutions as an appropriate vehicle for delivery of nursing education programs. Those programs that have successfully completed the rigorous reviews associated with accreditation have earned the right to be recognized as legitimate members of the higher education community. (Author/MLW)

The problem of student ignorance is really about adult ignorance of how to achieve thoughtful and long-lasting understanding. We will not escape our predominantly medieval view of curriculum, premised on knowledge as static and finite, until education learns the lessons of modern intellectual inquiry. Curricula should be organized around essential…

Instead of being devices for measuring what students have learned, tests should be instructional--the central vehicle for clarifying and setting intellectual standards. To regain control over testing and instruction, schools need to rethink their diploma requirements and grading systems. Then school transcripts will become trustworthy again.…

Specific suggestions for reducing the emphasis placed on college athletics and increasing the emphasis on precollege and college academic standards are made. They include abolishing post-season training, reducing eligibility, increasing accountability for athlete graduation, and not accepting or recruiting academically deficient high school…

Presents guidelines for public and private postsecondary institutions for the development, content, approval, and instruction of credit and non-credit courses. Includes procedural guidelines for determining which courses should be offered for credit. (DMM)

Considers whether it is possible to develop work-based learning (WBL) that provides effective higher education and whether WBL is an appropriate way to structure workforce development. Uses the example of social work education to argue that WBL composed of outcomes achieved entirely through practice can be compatible with the aims of higher…

Discusses the reform context, the importance of standards, the importance of arts education, the benefits of arts education, and the arts and other core subjects. (RS)

Asks whether standards in the arts are necessary. Presents the standards as set forth in the Goals 2000 Act, and provides some commentary on how to achieve them. States that educational reform, national standards, artists and educators working together, teacher education, and teaching leadership are necessary to make the standards work. (PA)

To make European higher education systems compatible, several systems of certification are being considered, including the German model of final certification, the English model of accumulative certification, the American "add-on" model, and the French model, which extends the "add-on" model. The influence of business and…

Speculates about how opportunity-to-learn (OTL) standards might be defined and used at federal and state levels and, in the process, to better understand why OTL standards have become so controversial. The author discusses OTL within the context of The Goals 2000: Educate America Act and how the standards might be used and what they should…

Virginia's high schools are restructuring the state school system. Using the 4 x 4 schedule, four high schools are offering all students up to a year of postsecondary study beyond the full high school program. Postsecondary scholarships will make this world-class education available to all well-disciplined students who attend regularly and learn…