Recommends that inner city students (and essentially all high school students) be required to take physics. Lists some problems with teaching physics in inner city schools. (WRM)

Presents the story of one award-winning elementary school which shows that effective reading instruction demands a fine sense of balance. The school uses both phonics and whole language in order to teach to all children's needs. It also incorporates a balance of other techniques. After 3 years, the school's standards-based reading program is…

Reviews the College Board's Advanced Placement (AP) program, presenting evidence that the average test performance has dropped and pointing out that the College Board's scale and claims for AP qualification disagree seriously with college standards. Suggests that "advanced placement" is coming closer to "placement." (Author/SLD)

A study investigated the perceptions of 41 headteachers on the advantages of target setting for students with learning disabilities. The majority of headteachers believe that target setting in schools for pupils with learning disabilities is a good idea, is unlikely to help schools compare performances, and should include behavior targets.…

A study investigated the extent to which scores in Kentucky's statewide alternate assessment program for 60 students with severe disabilities correlated with measures of program quality and overall school effectiveness. Results indicated a significant relationship between overall program quality and scores, but not between scores and…

Summarizes a presentation by Richard Colwell to the Ohio Graduate Music Education Forum in February, 1996. Colwell argued that music-education research is not focused or organized enough to be answering questions that are truly helpful to practitioners in the field, and he suggested ways to improve music education research. (DSK)

Argues that curriculum reforms within developed nations do not define standards for student achievement in the visual arts and do little toward assisting the achievement of consistent and meaningful judgments of students' studio work. Proposes a "community as arbiter of quality" concept as an assessment strategy for visual arts. (DSK)

Supports the views espoused by Doug Boughton in his accompanying essay. Argues that there is an imperative to establish some form of generalizable standards in visual arts education in the face of pressures to cut less essential programs from school budgets. Expands on some of Boughton's points. (DSK)

Describes one school district's experiences setting standards for foreign-language learning. The district was one of six pilot sites involved in standards development. Participants gathered information on how the standards interfaced with state and local frameworks, items missing from the standards, and implementation of the standards.…

Presents one mathematician's view of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics national standards documents, discussing their history and highlighting specific notions, examples, concepts, phrases, and uses/misuses of the standards. Differentiates among what the standards say, what people think they say, and what teachers do in the classroom…

Discusses various views regarding the fundamental premises of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' (NCTM) original standards documents, examining concerns expressed by key stakeholders and noting that one of the problems with the standards is that the essence of the subject is lost. Describes mathematics education reform, curriculum…

Addresses the development, content, and potential for implementation of nationally developed science education standards, including their adoption and effects at the state level, comparatively analyzing three sets of publications that provide national standards for science education. The role of assessment in setting standards is discussed.…

Interviews with over 200 parents, educators, and students examined the impact of efforts by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to impose high school course standards. The article describes a growing national challenge to NCAA policies and procedures that have delayed or blocked many high school students from participating in…

Discusses findings of two studies conducted in the Poudre District in Fort Collins, Colorado, which had experienced rapid implementations of in-district choice, a school-within-a-school, several public alternative schools, and a charter school. Debate rages over relationships between public schools and their communities, school choice and academic…

Offers historical background on some of the National Communication Association's past involvement in K-12 education. Describes the process used to develop the K-12 standards for speaking, listening, and media literacy. Gives an overview of the present effort to articulate competency statements for each standard. (SR)