More than ever before, as the classroom population increasingly diversifies, educators need a clear, concise guide to designing and implementing responsive curriculum. This book, built around the lessons of classroom teachers, provides the "how" of instruction design. Designing Responsive Curriculum details the most important components of design:…

This book is a comprehensive step-by-step tool for school leader preparation candidates and school leaders alike in the development of standards-based digital school leader portfolios. Readers receive a rich array of activities, worksheets, and rubrics useful in the planning, development, and assessment of standards-based digital portfolios.…

Challenged by our 7th U.S. Secretary of Education, Rod Paige, when he said "Dream how technology can not only improve education but also transform what we think of as education," we made this dream a reality in an elementary classroom in the Bronx. The dream of improving and transforming education through technology became possible as a…

In this report for the Progressive Policy Institute's 21st Century Schools Project, the author examines charter schooling in Washington, D.C., including the region's unique history of charter schooling and the challenges these schools face. She is optimistic about the future of the District's charter school movement, but argues that District and…

This guide delineates Utah's secondary school music course curricula. The introductory section, "Music Connections," contains a music achievement portfolio for a general music course. The guide explains that "Music Connections" is an extension of the K-6 music core and includes concepts and skills to integrate music into…

This paper reports on a study of three states (Maryland, Massachusetts, and Texas) that investigated their policies and practices imvolving standards, assessment, accountability, teaching quality, and public engagement. It focuses on common conditions contributing to success in raising achievement (consistency, consensus, and comprehensiveness);…

This seventh grade activity asks students to gather data that will help them understand and appreciate the Islamic way of life and to learn to feel comfortable living with a Muslim family in Syria during the second semester of the school year. The activity states each student will be interviewed by a Fulbright official, expected to keep a…

A research project undertaken in York, Ontario, Canada aimed to raise literacy standards in the primary division and to ensure that all children in Grade 1 read to the Grade 1 standard (as determined by Reading Recovery levels, the school board, and the Ontario Ministry of Education). Focus was placed on acquiring high quality leveled literature…

The High Schools That Work (HSTW) program is geared to help public high schools meet high standards for many more students by building educational programs around college-preparatory-level academic studies and challenging career concentrations. The program is based on the belief that almost all students can learn advanced-level academic and…

The Connecticut Curriculum Trace Maps are designed to help curriculum developers and teachers translate Connecticut's K-12 performance standards into objectives and classroom practice. The Trace Maps provide detailed descriptions of what students should know and be able to do at smaller grade level clusters, K-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, and 11-12.…

Students focus on people who make a difference. The unit features men and women whose achievements have had a direct or indirect influence in the students' lives. These individuals include heroes from long ago and the recent past along with people who are currently active in the local community. The unit is crafted around biographies. It aims to…

The arts convey knowledge and meaning not learned through the study of other subjects. Study of the arts employs a form of thinking and a way of understanding based on human judgment, invention, and imagination. This publication represents a strong consensus on the skills, knowledge, and abilities in dance, music, theater, and visual arts that all…

This digest summarizes potential benefits of standards-based reform and areas of concern for schools serving American Indian and Alaska Native students. Content standards may benefit Indian education by creating a more common curriculum, providing a focus for improving teaching and learning, and promoting a more holistic, active-learning sort of…

Through reading a selected piece of literature and developing an imaginary city, students learn about the functions of local government and the incorporation process. They learn about the basic structure of the U.S. government and participate in a simulated city council meeting. Government is defined as the people and groups within a society with…

In this unit, students draw from historical and community resources to organize the sequence of events in local history and describe how each period of settlement left its mark on the land. Students draw from historical and community resources (maps, photographs, oral histories, newspapers) to demonstrate an understanding of the growth and…