Questions whether higher education can fairly evaluate a 21st century institution when using standards from earlier centuries that may be outdated by technology and do not mesh with the population that virtual universities serve. Discusses the background; differences between traditional and new services, roles, methods, and materials;…

For service-learning proponents, the emphasis on assessment presents special challenges: definitions vary widely; credible testing is in its infancy; and tracking causal effects on academics is difficult, intrusive, and expensive. Political will may diminish if schools are forced to choose between school service programs and high test scores. (MLH)

Focuses on an experimental vegetable garden project in which grade eight students test their hypotheses on plant growth under variable soil conditions. Provides opportunities to integrate various scientific topics. (DDR)

Reviews current trends away from multiple-choice testing to alternative forms of student evaluation. Discusses elements contributing to these trends: emphases on critical-thinking skills and active learning, research supporting a constructivist view of learning, efforts to develop academic standards and companion performance-based assessments, and…

The soul of our educational system is sick, reflecting society's sole expectation of education as preparation for the marketplace; the "tough love" approach of raising standards merely perpetuates such extrinsic values. Healing the system requires an infusion of feminine qualities that encourage schools to honor each child and nurture…

Describes the experiences of art educators participating in the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) certification program for early-adolescent and young-adult art. NBPTS candidates are asked to collect data on their own teaching, observe videos of their classes, and analyze their teaching through reflective writing. (MJP)

Some advocates of "all children can learn" downplay the need for adequate resources and child-friendly public policy. Educators' heroic efforts alone are insufficient. Other destructive fallacies include the principal as sole instructional leader and exception-based, uniform standards. The effective-schools movement has become too…

Lee Shulman's vision of good teaching includes nurturing students' moral and spiritual development, civic engagement, and socialization. High-stakes tests do not embody standards. When evaluating and rewarding teachers, mentoring and monitoring functions should be separated. National Board for Professional Teaching Standards improvement incentives…

This article illustrates methods by which faculty are collaborating to further understand the issue of technology integration while developing ways to use technology in their teaching. It discusses the inclusion of Technology Standards for Teacher preparation on the Web site of the 21st Century Chautauqua program at the University of Kansas. (CR)

The standards movement seeks to bridge the gap between universities and schools, smoothing the transition for student teachers from novice to professional. The imposition of standards and close monitoring of learning outcomes potentially violates the affective bond between student and teacher and the teacher's commitment to education. Resolving…

A Maine study found that homework often disrupts family life, interferes with parents' own teachings, and punishes children in poverty for lacking computer access and/or a supportive home environment. The standards movement requires teaching in a more tightly controlled system, leaving no room for homework, an unknown variable. (Contains 13…

Recalls a previous attempt, via the Committee of Ten, to set national academic standards in American high schools 100 years earlier, describes the effort's defeat, and explains how the objections raised then are much like the ones being raised today. The author argues that the need for national academic standards is more urgent now than ever…

This article describes results for students with mild disabilities who participated in the Kansas science assessment involving cooperative groups. Individual achievement, attitude, and project scores were consistent with expectations in relation to results for general education students. The study did not find that participation of students with…

A Nebraska district surveyed parents' reasons for sending their children to private or Catholic schools. Reasons could be grouped in categories: concerns and issues (such as religion) that public schools cannot address; and concerns (such as discipline, values, curriculum, and academic rigor) public schools could address by changing their programs…

The national context in which occupational standards and National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) have been developed is described. NVQ methodology is explained, and issues arising from NVQ implementation are outlined. Developments in accreditation within the contexts of counselling and psychotherapy and guidance for learning and work are…