A review of current activities and thrusts in inservice education for primary and secondary teachers in Scotland, including national planning efforts. (SJL)

Concerns of Connecticut secondary and postsecondary shorthand teachers about the need for articulation to turn around declining shorthand enrollments include skills needed, types of tests, and recognition of different systems of shorthand. Connecticut's articulation activities with implications for all state departments are given. (MF)

Study investigated whether/how teachers of a team-taught college introductory course in Portuguese met National Standards on teaching of culture. Teachers met many of the standards, but students had few opportunities to develop perspectives on cultural patterns and products. Use of the term "native culture" and the complexity of cultural education…

Discusses the legal issues involved in setting content or performance standards. Recommends establishing clearly documented procedures that adhere to professional recommendations and are administrated fairly. Addresses such issues as parental rights, assessment security, nondisclosure agreements, and specific alternative assessment techniques for…

Reprints 11 standards for assessing quality in service learning projects from the Alliance for Service-Learning in Education Reform. Each standard provides a rationale and relevant examples. Standards include youth being involved in the planning, program requiring preparation and reflection, and project making a meaningful contribution to the…

Praises the efforts to develop a national standards for civics and government. However, discovers serious shortcomings in the current product. Claims that the current standards blur important distinctions and contain a number of factual errors. Recommends reducing the conceptual outlines and increasing illustrative cases and texts. (MJP)

Women are enrolling in college in greater numbers than men, but the imbalance is particularly acute at private liberal arts colleges. Administrators are concerned about implications for campus social life, athletic opportunities, and academic programs. Some colleges are trying new strategies to attract men. Critics are concerned about lowered…

Argues that learners and workers must be willing, not just able, to make informed, skilled, and fair-minded judgments as they solve problems, make decisions, and engage in professional practice. Makes recommendations for nurturing thinking and reflective problem solving in both classroom and workplace, including cultivation of a culture and…

Identifies the doctoral psychology programs producing the most mentors (identified as dissertation supervisors). Assesses the quality of these programs as rated in past research. Discovers a strong correlation between those programs assigning mentors and those rated highest in quality. (MJP)

Describes one elementary principal's experience with implementing outcome-based education (OBE), which combines competency based education and mastery learning. The principal explains that he is not convinced that OBE is a worthwhile philosophy to pursue, and he lists problems and common objections from teachers and community members. (SM)

Development of voluntary, national standards as the basis for educational reform has generated considerable debate about such standards' desirability and the enlarged federal role in education. Examines arguments for and against national standards; assumptions and misconceptions underlying this approach; political considerations; and issues of…

Maintains that the way arts education assessment, outcomes, and standards are specified has the potential to shape arts education both positively and negatively. Argues that current approaches are fragmented, decontextualized, and inefficient. Recommends a holistic approach combining discipline-based art education with a more intellectually…

This article describes the Council for Exceptional Children's professional standards for special education teachers, including the content standards and the knowledge and skill standards. Information is provided on how to use the standards to structure a professional development plan, maintain expertise and evaluate competency. Self-evaluation…

Explores changes in teacher knowledge through curriculum reform in the middle grades. Summarizes middle school reforms across the core subject areas, how some of the recently developed mathematics curricula have been used to improve student learning and enhance teachers' content knowledge, and analyzes responses from teacher interviews on one such…

Suggests that long-term project and performance-based tasks that meet the standards described in the Israeli English curriculum are the key to reviving students' interest in the English classroom. Provides a sample project and assessment rubrics. (Author/VWL)