This handbook is designed to serve as a guide for community colleges as they plan distance learning programs. Produced by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, it provides member institutions with guidelines and policies that will be considered in the evaluation of distance education. Eleven current accreditation concerns…

This article highlights the work of Ontario teachers who use research and inquiry in the classrooms as part of self-directed professional learning. It positions action research within the work of the Professional Affairs Department at the Ontario College of Teachers. It begins with a narrative account of the researcher's work as a program officer…

To get a valid picture of program impact via comprehensive data collection, combined with a focus on standards, an evaluation of a professional development program for elementary and secondary level teachers of science was carried out at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. This paper presents selected examples from the program evaluation, designed…

In this seventh and final State of American Education Address, Secretary Richard W. Riley discussed the progress that has been made in education since his first address and challenged schools and communities to renew their commitment toward ensuring that all students achieve their fullest potential in the 21st century. Highlights include: "the…

This brief booklet provides a shorthand key to the national geography standards and related geography themes. The themes represent an instructional approach to give focus to a lesson. The standards comprise the geographic subject matter, skills, and perspectives of geography K-12. The five themes flow through the 18 geography standards and can be…

Nevada's academic standards for geography explain that geography is a field of study that enables people to find answers to questions about the world around them, where things are, and how and why they got there. The aim of Nevada's geography standards is for students to graduate from Nevada schools with an understanding of the people, places, and…

Nevada's nine academic standards for economics call for specific educational outcomes in grades 2, 3, 5, 8, and 12. They contain performance level descriptors. Nevada's standards aim to help students develop fundamental economic concepts; learn about economic performance in the United States; demonstrate a knowledge of how investment,…

Nevada's nine academic standards in music education call for specific educational outcomes in grades 3 and 5, as well as in middle school and secondary school. Nevada's standards relate to singing, playing instruments, listening to music, writing and reading music, and cultural and historical connections in music. The standards present performance…

The geography standards for Colorado schools offer suggestions for geography education that prepare students to cope with the complexities of contemporary life. The standards give students a firm grasp of the place and terrain that surrounds them; the patterns of human development around the world; and the interactions of peoples, places, and…

This paper addresses state and local level issues linked with Goals 2000 in Colorado and seeks to shed light on the development of geography content standards in one Colorado school district. The paper begins with a succinct review of Colorado's standards-based educational reform and the creation of the state's model content standards. After a…

The purpose of this North Carolina Standard Course of Study is to guarantee that all students have equal access to the same basic curriculum. It provides a detailed, integrated curriculum plan for all subjects at all grade levels. The document explains the philosophy and rationale underlying the curriculum, describes and outlines the theoretical…

This publication describes alternative teaching and learning strategies that challenge all students to reach high standards. Five alternative options are emphasized: (1) rigorous use of diagnostic systems to identify problem areas and student strengths; (2) staffing flexibility to facilitate better student-instructor relationships; (3)…

The Learning Record is a framework teachers can use to translate their observations of students into a disciplined, systematic, standards-based reporting process. This guide offers all the information necessary to use the Learning Record in elementary school. The chapters are: (1) "Documenting Prior Experience"; (2) "Documenting Student Learning";…

The speech opens with an overview of current conditions in American education. It provides a synopsis of gains in education made in the American South, such as the fact that college enrollment in the region approached national norms. The Secretary of Education describes the changing context of American education and the need for skilled teachers…

This document was written to help teachers understand how to implement standards in a professionally rewarding way. The essay describes how to refine curricular, instructional, and assessment decisions, and it provides selective reviews of standards' content areas. It addresses some of the basic questions that teachers ask, such as "What am I…