Analyzes 22 skill standards pilot projects to determine whether a strong focus on business needs thwarts education reform. Findings indicate that the majority of standards appear to clash with the goals of broader education reform, although a small number of the projects could have positive results. (GR)

Highlights the influence of mathematics curriculums on educational research and mathematics education improvement and the new rise of change and activity that is dwarfing that of the "new math era." Criteria for papers being submitted to this special issue on mathematics education are listed. (GR)

Evaluates the ways in which empirical research supports the use of technology and technology-intensive mathematics curricula as catalysts for the mathematics education reform movement. It describes the theories, principles, and issues that influence the role of this technological revolution and discusses the ways in which technology influences the…

Documents some of the changes that have taken place in secondary school mathematics curriculum. Examines the reasons for the changes in thinking that have brought applications of mathematics from a position of relative nonexistence in the 1960s to one of major importance in the 1990s. (GR)

Examines the relations between research about processes of learning and thinking and educational practices that attempt to achieve that aim. Three research perspectives, behaviorist, cognitive, and situative, that characterize thinking and learning to think differently are discussed. It argues that the situative perspective can provide a framework…

Examines the growing influence and developments of other country's mathematics education and reform efforts on U.S. efforts at improving mathematics education. Specifically, it discusses those reform efforts and materials currently in use in the United States that were guided by research and reform in the Netherlands. (GR)

Describes the characteristics that must exist for a secondary school curriculum to be successful with all students and the crucial elements needed for its implementation. An example of one such program, the Interactive Mathematics Program, is discussed along with the program's outcomes, some political consequences of the activity, and the…

Presents a case study of a comprehensive reform-oriented curricula, Math Trailblazers, for the widescale improvement of elementary school mathematics. Curriculum materials are examined within the context of the meaning of integrating math and science, its potential advantages and disadvantages, and the difficulties in writing and implementing…

Examines teacher decision making portrayed in the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Professional Teaching Standards in choosing worthwhile mathematical tasks, orchestrating and monitoring classroom discourse, creating an environment for learning, and analyzing one's practice. The philosophical orientation and set of teaching commitments…

Examines the loss of confidence in the educational system in juxtaposition with recent indicators showing growing confidence in the value of public schools. Explores ways of reconciling the conflicting evidence and argues the need for more sophisticated definition of public confidence in education. (GR)

Explores how fifth- and eighth-grade schoolchildren picture the past by asking them to project themselves into historical roles and to illustrate specific historical figures. Results reveal boys and girls differed across task and historical role as well as in their depictions. Discusses what these findings say regarding students' beliefs about…

Examines how college faculty members perceive their current involvement in schools, colleges, and departments of education (SCDEs) missions; their current and desired promotion criteria; and the relationship between their mission involvement and promotion criteria. Findings focus on the discrepancies found, the public trust in SCDEs, and the need…

Discusses initial attempts at improving the U.S. educational system and what was discovered when several secondary schools used Ted Sizer's ideas for school reform as embodied by the Coalition of Essential Schools. Reveals Coalition principles work best in schools with simple structures, where student learning is given precedence, the principals…

Compared students' identification with school relative to academic achievement and classroom participation among 1,335 White and African American students. Results found that African American and female students had higher levels of identification than did White and male students, respectively, but their positive feelings were not attributable to…

A survey of all 41 U.S. schools and colleges of pharmacy offering social/administrative sciences graduate programs found a substantial increase in the number of programs and participants, and expected completions. Fellows were most apt to secure an industry post upon program completion; PhD graduates were most apt to accept a position with the…