Ensuring early literacy success is a wise investment because literacy skills are essential to success in all school subjects--literature, social sciences, natural science, and mathematics. There is a strong research base for how children learn to read, how to prevent failure, and how to intervene when reading difficulties occur. This issue of…

Demand for students with a solid foundation in science continues to grow. Also important, science education needs to ready citizens who do not pursue careers in science to handle dilemmas they will face in their lives, such as selecting treatments for diseases, evaluating messages about climate change, or using new technologies. Instruction that…

Calls for more school instructional time are coming from multiple quarters. Academic standards and frequent assessments have changed the nature, but not the length, of the instructional day. Schools find themselves "robbing Peter to pay Paul," taking time from the arts, recess, and physical education to give to reading and math, subjects that…

Today, mathematics education faces two major challenges: raising the floor by expanding achievement for all, and lifting the ceiling of achievement to better prepare future leaders in mathematics, as well as in science, engineering, and technology. Many students lack access to higher-level mathematics courses and teaching at all levels of…

From preschool parents to Pentagon chiefs, people are calling for more foreign language instruction. Factors driving the demand include China's economic growth, which has prompted the College Board to add Chinese to its list of Advanced Placement tests. Meanwhile, President George W. Bush, citing national security concerns, has called for the…