In 1893, in just 184 days, 28 million people, about one-third of the U.S. population, visited the World's Colombian Exposition in Chicago (Illinois). This lesson focuses on petitioning the federal government, peaceably assembling, and exercising freedom of speech and religion, all of which are protected by the First Amendment to the U.S.…

Long before he was a Founding Father, Benjamin Franklin was world famous for his work in electricity. He challenged the prevailing idea that there were two distinct kinds of electrical fluid, proposing that there is one kind of electricity and two charges. He invented the lightning rod which is still used today and so found a highly practical use…

World history guides students to an understanding of culture, geography, and diversity of expression using a historical chronology that illustrates humankind's connections throughout the world. The state of Idaho mandates a core requirement of two credits to be completed in the field of arts and humanities. To achieve success in this core…

Inquiring into families, communities, states, nations, and various peoples of the world through history engages students in the aspirations, struggles, accomplishments, and failures of real people in various aspects of their lives. The historical record is inextricably linked to the geographic setting in which it developed. The ultimate goal of…

Western Illinois University's College of Education and Human Services has redesigned its teacher education program for pre-service elementary teachers. The redesigned program provides more classroom observations and onsite field experiences in the schools at earlier stages in student teachers' education and offers methods classes with integrated…

This paper outlines concerns relating to the inclusion of students with disabilities in state and district educational assessments and the provision of non-standard accommodations (NSAs). The major concerns are that: (1) the term "non-standard accommodation" is an oxymoron and muddies the issue; (2) NSAs change the plain meaning of words…

This study examined professional development offered in South Carolina, how it was offered, support given to implement skills acquired from professional development, and how professional development enhanced academic goals outlined in district and school strategic plans. The paper describes characteristics of high quality professional development…

This book targets students who are going to be K-12 teachers and points out the responsibilities that both science and education faculty members face. These responsibilities not only include providing fundamental information and skills related to teaching, but also mentoring teachers to reflect their understanding. The National Science Education…

This paper begins with the following quote from Michel Foucault: "People know what they do; they frequently know why they do what they do; but what they don't know is what what they do does." The context of the paper and the policy directions considered encompass the past decade and take the National Curriculum as an intervention in…

This paper describes Maine's high standards for all students and a model for personalizing instruction and assessment to fit student needs, thus providing fair opportunities for all children to achieve the standards. Maine's academic standards, the Learning Results, are structured in three levels: broad performance goals for all students (guiding…

This framework for dance contains three instructional strands. Each strand has content standards and cumulative student learning expectations for grades K-4, grades 5-8, and grades 9-12. The three strands are: (1) "Basic Elements of Movement;" (2) "Arts in Civilization;" and (3) "Artistic Communication." The content…

This framework for music contains four instructional strands. Each strand has content standards and cumulative student learning expectations for grades K-4, grades 5-8, and grades 9-12. The strands are: (1) "Create and Perform," in which students will demonstrate musical competency through creating and performing; (2) "Listen…

Ohio's Model Competency-Based Science Program is designed to provide direction for school districts in developing local competency-based science education programs. The model is designed to be used to guide the development of district curriculum. The ultimate purpose of Ohio's Model Competency-Based Science Program is to move Ohio towards the…

As the educational community works together to improve academic achievement, the importance of character traits such as honesty, trustworthiness, self discipline, kindness, empathy, respect, responsibility, and courage must not be neglected. This guide has been designed to help educators and families in Massachusetts link character development and…

Viewing standards from the perspective of classroom teachers, this book discusses the need to alter middle school culture to facilitate meaningful improvements in the teaching-learning environment. It emphasizes efforts by middle grades educators to make schools and classrooms places where more students work harder to do work of higher quality…