For educators, the content of the curriculum really is like oxygen: it is the necessary precondition for improving schools, closing the achievement gap, engaging parents, and preparing teachers. However, when educators take the content of the curriculum for granted, they lose opportunities to coordinate and collaborate. Good curriculum instruction…

Now more than ever, high-quality education for all is a public good that is essential for the good of the public. As the fate of individuals and nations is increasingly interdependent, the quest for access to an equitable, empowering education for all people has become a critical issue for the American nation as a whole. No society can thrive in a…

Spatial thinking--such as visualizing the earth rotating--is crucial to student success in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Since spatial thinking is associated with skill and interest in STEM fields (as well as in other areas, such as art, graphic design, and architecture), the immediate question is whether it can be…

Shows that the mathematics curricula used in the highest achieving countries are very similar and coherent. Using a visual comparison, this paper explains where the United States comes up short, noting that in the countries with the highest mathematics achievement, teachers have coherent guidelines (national curricula) and related tools and…

Summarizes the findings of the latest study by the American Federation of Teachers on the progress of the standards movement, focusing on standards, curriculum, assessments, and accountability. Discusses whether states have coherent standards-based systems in place and recommends mid-course corrections necessary to the success of the standards…

Examines the progress of standards reform, suggesting ways to fix what is wrong in education, including: holding elected officials and school officials accountable; supporting teachers in implementing state standards; providing quality curriculum; collaborating to remedy problems with testing; developing curriculum in partnership with key…

Until recently, schools in Poland have done little to discourage anti-Semitism and have not taught about the Holocaust nor explained why there are virtually no Jews in Poland. Curriculum modifications in the next school year will introduce the subject at the elementary-school level. (SLD)

Argues that elementary and middle school art education should not exclusively focus on creating art but should also include ample amounts of art history, criticism, and aesthetics. It introduces the Prairie Visions model for professional and curriculum planning and development. (GR)

The American Federation of Teachers has developed a series of documents to help educators develop appropriate achievement standards or to describe the standards of other countries. Ordering information is given for these documents and kits for setting standards in particular disciplines. (SLD)

With teachers' centers in Britain taking the lead, centers have been created in many other countries including the U.S. This movement may now provide teachers with the opportunity to take charge of the curricula they teach and of their own professional destiny. (Author/GC)

Reviews consequences of the shift in emphasis from content knowledge to pedagogical method within teacher education. Identifies three forms (propositional, case study, and strategic) in which knowledge about content, pedagogy, and curriculum may be organized. Describes implications for teacher education and examination process and content. (KH)

Examines the research on the central role of decoding in reading, concluding that the position that whole language proponents take in equating learning to read with learning to talk and their reduction of decoding to an incidental place in the curriculum are wrong. The authors argue for a balanced approach to reading instruction. (GR)

Offers suggestions for improving existing instructional materials found in widely used basal programs and a variety of strategies and engaging activities that teachers can use to help children master the alphabetic code. The authors argue against use of the drill method in reading instruction. (GR)

Discusses interdisciplinary studies and integrated learning within the classroom and uses an example of one such program to address questions concerning integrated issues. It is argued that the holistic approach requires students to be deeply immersed in disciplinary study, thus giving them access to powerful ways of viewing the world and its…

Argues that, no matter how good and well-intentioned new curriculum and assessment reforms are, they will fail unless there are real-world consequences that motivate students to work hard in school. Educational systems fail because what students want, i.e., college admissions, jobs, and job training, are disconnected from school work. (GLR)