Discusses how the National Curriculum in England affects teachers and students. Notes that while standards have risen, many teachers are concerned that teaching is being limited to ensuring students' performance in a narrow range of capabilities. Maintains that the focus should be on teaching children how to think. (KB)

Discusses a program to improve library instruction at Rider University (New Jersey) and reports on a pilot assessment. Topics include problems with assessment; student assessment tools; and five standards based on ACRL (Association of College and Research Libraries) standards that were designed to improve teaching methods to address learning…

Describes the expectations held by employers for graduates in a world of global competition and rapid change, and discusses why preparation for work and for higher education now require the same academic standards. (EV)

Colorado charter schools are public schools operated by a group of parents, teachers, and/or community members as a semiautonomous school of choice within a district. They have increased competition and spurred districts to develop more attractive alternatives. Colorado's Standards Based Education Act requires charter and other schools to adopt…

Suggests the International Baccalaureate Program (IB) as an alternative secondary program for gifted youth. After tracing the history of the IB program, comparing the IB program to other programs, and outlining the curriculum and requirements, the article shows how the IB meets the needs of gifted students. (Author/CR)

A National Collegiate Athletic Association study has found that the average athlete on a top college football or men's basketball team enters college in the bottom quarter of his class. Critics say the pursuit of success in athletics is corrupting higher education. Some attribute this pattern to racial bias in testing that skews athletes' test…

Before a St. Louis (Missouri) school could raise student achievement, its principal had to break through several "false ceilings" to create a new standard of student performance. To achieve this goal, the principal refrained from underestimating her "at-risk" students, provided enrichment instead of remediation programs,…

Describes how principals can provide the instructional leadership necessary to meet higher academic standards required by state standards and high-stakes testing. Suggestions include establishing goals and objectives, promoting a culture of learning, reordering priorities, emphasizing professional development, and focusing on results. (PKP)

Discusses Tek.Xam, a national standard in technical literacy developed by the Virginia Foundation of Independent Colleges, as the framework for six technology modules that are integrated into a representative undergraduate foreign language methodology course. (Author/VWL)

Summarizes the changes in student achievement scores from 313 schools that completed an improvement cycle and were accredited by the North Central Association (NCA) in 1999-2001. Concludes that the NCA Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (CASI) process offers a high likelihood of improvement in student achievement. (AUTH/KP)

Reports on a study that examines how well middle school programs support the attainment of key scientific ideas specified in the national science standards. Identifies the typical strengths and weaknesses of these programs using research-based criteria. (Contains 88 references.) (DDR)

Describes Oregon's Proficiency-based Admission Standards System (PASS), a transition away from using Carnegie units and grade point averages in college admission decisions and toward use of the certificates of mastery implemented as part of Oregon's K-12 education reform efforts. (EV)

A balance must be maintained between what students want and what they should receive in educational institutions. If teachers forget that they possess more knowledge of teaching than the lay public, especially politicians, or downplay their own importance in education, they abrogate their professionalism and weaken their ability to contend with…

Suggests that over-emphasis on race and gender are dragging down standards at U.S. colleges and universities and taking minority students with them, noting that academically unchallenging classes harm African American students. Describes how one college professor emailed such an opinion to a student, who passed it on to others and created great…

Explores the manner in which academic standards confer benefit, exhibit public-good characteristics, and elicit free-riding and "underproduction" in various parts of the academic community. Examines the resulting challenge to the maintenance of academic quality and the difficulty of discouraging free-rider behavior. (Contains 32…