In order to achieve the expectations for children's learning stipulated by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, greater attention needs to be given to child care policy and funding. This report details a study examining strategies in seven states that have integrated early education program standards in child care, by directly tying standards to…

This collection of papers focuses on the preparation of teachers by university-based education programs. The papers are: "The STEPS That Support P-12 Learning and Achievement" (Diana Rigden), which describes the Standards-based Teacher Education Project (STEP) for improving student learning; "The Responsibility for Assessing Beginning Teachers"…

This book offers advice on arranging classrooms, diagnosing student behavior, and responding to students' emotional needs, examining intellectual, emotional, and physical challenges students face and providing strategies which help teachers create communities of learners, design classrooms, diagnose student behavior, and respond to student needs.…

This publication discusses education reform and the movement toward standards and assessments and its impact on students with disabilities. It is designed to provide parents with information about changes in assessment and graduation criteria, and assist parents in investigating the changes happening in their districts and states. Different…

This analysis of a survey of state directors of special education concerning special education outcomes highlights the following findings: (1) more students with disabilities are participating in statewide testing and states are better at documenting actual numbers participating; (2) high stakes attached to school or district performance and lack…

This paper positions action research within the wider field of teacher education, raising problematic issues inherent in the process of institutionalizing this form of teacher research. The paper also offers a self-study of the researcher's own practice. It considers teacher education in its broad sense as a continuum of ongoing professional…

Early Childhood Research and Practice (ECRP), a peer-reviewed, Internet-only journal sponsored by the ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education (ERIC/EECE), covers topics related to the development, care, and education of children from birth to approximately age 8. ECRP emphasizes articles reporting on practice-related…

This paper describes teacher professional development through field-based education within the expected standards of the teaching profession, drawing from research and experience with current trends and practices in teacher education and student learning. Today's teachers must be prepared to play a more vital role in diverse 21st-century schools.…

The Grad Rule 101 Web site is designed to help college and university faculty with instructional support relative to enhancing preservice teachers' knowledge, skills, and dispositions of the Minnesota Graduation Standards. It uses a variety of tasks that allow preservice teachers to become familiar with the structure, requirements, and…

This paper focuses on standards-based teacher licensure in Alaska. Section 1, "Introduction," examines the history of schooling in the United States, noting different periods of reform. Section 2, "School Reform Since 'A Nation at Risk,'" discusses how that report shifted the focus for reform. Section 3, "Education…

This review of state higher education assessment policies sought to test assumptions and conclusions reached during an initial phase of the study, to explore the dynamics of the process by which assessment becomes a state-level issue or concern, and to better understand the multifaceted relationship between state assessment policy and the…

This publication shares highlights from the Eisenhower Professional Development Evaluation Conference, also introducing the upcoming Improving America's Schools (IAS) Conferences. The Eisenhower conference focused on improving content knowledge and instructional practice through effective professional development. The IAS conference will examine…

This publication synthesizes recent research about standards-based education. It is intended to inform efforts to improve low-performing schools and create or sustain standards- based, high-performing learning communities. The five chapters are: (1) "Literacy for All Children" (aspects of literacy, reading, writing, and exemplary literacy teachers…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is the nation's only ongoing survey of what students know and can do in various academic subject areas. This report summarizes the results of the 1998 NAEP civics assessment for the nation. The results are based on an assessment of students at grade 4, grade 8, and grade 12. Students'…

The 1998 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) civics assessment contained a combination of multiple-choice and open-ended questions. Each student participating in the assessment received two 25-minute sections of questions. Most civics questions measured both knowledge and intellectual skills. In addition, some questions measured…