The efforts of a ninth grade teacher Dotie Hyatt are reviewed as she struggles to work within the school district's expectations to meet the needs of her students. Various problems and needs of students are mentioned.

The students, who debate develop the skills of critical learning, argumentation and presentation quickly. A high school teacher illustrates the way she combined essay writing and debate to address a range of language arts standards and also help students become better-informed participants in a democracy.

With suitable supports, including differentiated instruction, students ranging from gifted to those with significant disabilities can receive an appropriate education in general education classrooms. A multilevel lesson planning system is presented here that is manageable in a standards-based instructional context, along with a variety of helpful…

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) requires states to test specified subjects and grades, to establish minimum performance standards for students, schools and school districts, and to provide assistance and impose sanctions on schools and districts that do not meet performance goals as a condition of receiving federal aid. NCLB builds on…

As new standards for students are taking effect, large disparities continue to exist in the educational opportunities available to rich and poor students in most states. These disparities are especially pronounced in California, where thousands of students attend school in dilapidated buildings, without textbooks, materials, or qualified teachers.…

In the context of escalating criticism of university-based teacher education across the world, a clear need exists for informed defence of the field and the profession as well as critical evaluation of both teacher education and schooling. This paper takes up the issue of the 'outcomes question' in this regard, arguing the case for a strong focus…

In 2000 the UK Engineering Professors' Council (EPC) drafted an output standard to describe first-cycle engineering programmes that would prepare students for practice and further professional learning. The standard described what is authentic and worthwhile in engineering education--it identified complex outcomes of learning. This poses practical…

The purpose of this paper is to consider whether standards-based school reform is an acceptable strategy for achieving a politically legitimate school system according to a principle of personal liberty. First, it briefly describes the purpose and implementation of standards-based school reform in the U.S. It then considers the ramifications of…

In the early 1990s, Washington State was in the vanguard of the standards movement. By 1994, the National Business Roundtable rated Washington as one of four states that had enacted the most complete standards-based reform program. Washington political and business leaders intended to transform public education from a bureaucracy controlled by…

Over the course of the last several decades, advances in the Internet and media have brought distant parts of the globe closer together. It is now possible to email, chat with, and offer web-based classes or conferences to colleagues and students from all over the world. As this occurs, it is becoming increasingly possible for physical educators…

Setting goals and developing a sound set of principles will provide a great deal of stability and confidence as educators face teaching challenges. The authors of this article have a simple set of goals and principles that guide them in their efforts to teach. These goals worked for them, and they have had a positive effect on the students they…

In contrast to curriculum standards initiatives, the teaching standards movement advocates a broad teaching approach that includes teaching for understanding, skills development in context, collaborative activities, and diversity of content and method. Using this conceptualization to analyze teachers' responses to a survey, we found that their…

This article discusses the academic success of CTE students in Arizona which is making a solid case for the role of career and technical education in America's high schools. When the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) issued its position paper, "Reinventing the American High School for the 21st Century," it contained…

International organizations dealing with higher education should pay more attention to the rise of autonomous world regional processes and explore synergies. This article gives an overview of new macro-regional processes around the world. The European case is the most salient, but developments in America and East Asia are also noticeable. In the…

The efficiency and effectiveness of the nation's human capital pipeline has become a prime area of focus in the policy arena, spurred on by international data that show the U.S. lagging in high school and college completion. For policymakers, education leaders, and even students and parents, it is becoming increasingly clear that the transition…