Describes the levels at which young people in France can work for qualifications in technical fields, ranging from relatively straightforward trades to the highest levels of technology. Evaluates trends in vocational/technical and technological education in postwar France and discusses the relationship between national prosperity and high…

Discusses steps necessary to running small schools on a more business-like basis, including quality control, product (student) evaluation, production process monitoring, establishment of standards, improved recruitment, market research, and sales promotion. (MH)

Affirming the basic value of the emphasis in much recent literature on the need for increased school effectiveness, the author argues that more attention should be given to the problem of "school climate" and to a resolution of the tension between state-mandated uniformity and school-level autonomy. (JBM)

The Department of Education has undertaken an ambitious effort to develop statewide occupational skill standards. The standards in this document are for welding programs and are designed to clearly state what the student should know and be able to do upon completion of an advanced high-school program. The writing team determined that any statewide…

This policy brief examines several questions regarding the impact of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) on students with disabilities, including: What are the benefits of the law? What are the unintended consequences? Does NCLB conflict with the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA)? In addition, the author conducted an…

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) are two of the nation's most important federal laws relating to the education of children. While NCLB seeks to improve the education of all children--with an emphasis on children from low-income families--IDEA focuses on the individual child and seeks to…

Two-thirds of schoolchildren in America attend class in states with mediocre (or worse) expectations for what their students should learn. That's just one of the findings of Fordham's The State of State Standards 2006, which evaluates state academic standards. The average state grade is a "C-minus"--the same as six years earlier, even…

Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS), a Standards-Based test, provides educators and the public with valuable information regarding the progress of Arizona's students toward mastering Arizona's reading, writing and mathematics Standards. This specific test, Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards Dual Purpose Assessment (AIMS DPA) is…

This California examination teacher guide provides essential information and preparation guidelines for teachers and serves as an instructional aid in the classroom. The guide deals with the disciplines of economics, government/civics, and United States history. Each discipline area is divided into five main sections: (1) "Test Content"…

In this social studies and language arts interdisciplinary unit for 8th or 11th grade, students are required to take on the persona of a Populist or a Progressive. The unit is designed to create a dialogue between two similar movements in late 19th and early 20th century U.S. history. Students work in small groups to research and present their…

In response to campus crime schools across the United States have instituted rigorous dress codes, and, in some cases, have required students to wear uniforms to school. The president of the local school board has received petitions from several groups wishing to speak at the next school board meeting. The president's political survival rests upon…

This report describes activities and achievements of a project that developed and evaluated the Demand Writing Instructional Model (DWIM), a comprehensive writing program for students with learning disabilities (LD) and low-performing students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds in inclusive general education classrooms. The…

A highly practical resource for special educators and classroom teachers, this book provides specific instructional guidance illustrated with vignettes, examples, and sample lesson plans. Every chapter is grounded in research and addresses the nuts and bolts of teaching math to students who are not adequately prepared for the challenging middle…

This document is comprised of three publications of the early childhood section of the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education: (1) prekindergarten mathematics standards; (2) a teacher's guide for early mathematics; and (3) a parent's handbook for early mathematics. The standards, developed by a broad-based group of individuals…

The Reconstruction Era in U.S. history is an important time because the nation was trying to put itself back together after the tragic and devastating Civil War. Families had been ripped apart, and the Confederate States that had seceded needed to be brought back into the United States. Hard feelings, distrust, and hatred were the dominant…