This book presents classroom activities and reading materials. The activities use a hands-on approach and address the standards. Each features both a student section and a teacher guide. Eleven activities include: (1) "It's Only a Paper Moon"; (2) "Time Traveler"; (3) "Solar System Scale"; (4) "Hello Out…

This essay is divided into three sections that explain the history of mathematics reform and its conflicts focusing on the controversial California mathematics standards, discussing assumptions about ethnicity and gender in the mathematics reform movement, and describing the incorporation of technology into the mathematics curriculum. (Contains 22…

Construction began on the memorial to Abraham Lincoln in 1915, fifty years after his assassination. Sculptor, Daniel Chester French, designed the statue to honor the 16th U.S. President. French had gained a national reputation with his earlier portrayal of "The Minute Man," a statue to honor those colonials who died at Lexington and…

Between 1914 and the spring of 1917, Europe engaged in the conflict known as World War I. The United States remained neutral. In January of 1917, British cryptographers deciphered a telegram from German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmerman to the German Minister to Mexico, Heinrich J. F. von Eckhardt, offering U.S. territory to Mexico in return for…

Although the U.S. Constitution of 1787 strengthened the national government and provided for the reestablishment of a national navy, congressional debate on rebuilding the Navy did not begin in earnest until the end of 1793. On March 27, 1794, Congress reestablished the Navy with authorization for six vessels. In 1797 the launching of the first…

For its sixth national conference, a national collaboration in support of school reform sharpened its focus by asking Houston Independent School District (HISD) to host the conference and serve as a "case study." HISD was an ideal subject because of a long history of addressing statewide standards-based reform and engaging in multiple…

Recent changes on the part of the Texas State Board of Educator Certification (SBEC) have impacted educator competencies in regards to technology. Doubt remains, however, as to whether more effective professional development strategies are being employed to facilitate increased technology proficiency among educators. A review of the literature…

This booklet explains how primary teachers and their schools will be involved in England's National Literacy Strategy (NLS). It addresses the following questions: What is the National Literacy target? How will the target be achieved? What must primary schools have done by the end of the summer term 1999? What will happen at the literacy hour? How…

This report describes the past 15 years of work by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) to raise the standards for teacher quality. The NBPTS identified five core propositions that describe the knowledge, skills, and dispositions characterizing accomplished teaching. It created professional standards for K-12 teachers,…

This study explores the possibility of measuring a specific instructional strategy using statistical methods based on item response theory. It measures teachers' instructional practices using the same rigorous statistical techniques now applied to most large-scale assessments of student achievement. It specifically examines teachers' use of…

The purpose of this document is to provide more detailed guidance around early literacy instruction than afforded by currently available national and state standards documents. In particular, this document: (1) establishes consistent definitions for the terms "standard" and "benchmark"; (2) establishes a consistent format for early literacy…

The Council of the Great City Schools, a national organization representing the needs of urban public schools, has studied school finance in four member districts, including New York. The Councils interest in current litigation over school financing began when Council data were used in evidence to support the defendants in the case brought by the…

This book discusses challenges facing teachers in the knowledge society today, focusing on the changing world and the changing work of teaching. Seven chapters discuss: (1) "Teaching for the Knowledge Society: Educating for Ingenuity" (e.g., profiting from, developing, and teaching for the knowledge society); (2) "Teaching Beyond…

This final report discusses the activities and outcomes of the Center for Policy Research on the Impact of General and Special Education Reform, a federally funded center that investigated and analyzed critical issues in current general and special education policies, their interactions, and their impact on students with disabilities. The center…

A mathematically literate citizenry is essential to maintaining democracy and ensuring a competitive position in a global economy. Instruction, curriculum, and assessment related to the teaching and learning of mathematics must be such that all students are given the opportunity to learn high levels of mathematics and encouraged to succeed. This…