The president of the National Council of Teachers of English recommends steps for a fundamental change in literacy education including teacher training programs, smaller classes, cross curriculum programs, long-range planning for improving English instruction, and de-emphasis of standardized test scores in favor of other measures of literacy. (MJL)

The response of the Music Educators National Conference to national task force reports includes support for efforts to improve educational quality and raise standards for college admission. This essay prescribes comprehensive arts instruction for college preparatory students by lengthening the school day if necessary to accommodate art courses.…

The director of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics reviews proposals for surmounting a crisis in mathematics education that were made in "An Agenda for Action: Recommendations for School Mathematics of the 1980's" and have been incorporated into recent task force reports. The need for national leadership is highlighted. (MJL)

Contending that art should be considered a component of basic education, the director of the National Art Education Association identifies some national task force reports' proposals for art education that have been neglected by media coverage. (MJL)

This essay by the president of the National Council on Foreign Language and International Studies cites figures revealing Americans' ignorance of foreign languages and basic facts concerning the rest of the world. A plan of action is outlined for schools. (MJL)

A crisis is observed in the educational gap, most severe in science and mathematics, between specialists and the majority of citizens. Problems discussed include declining enrollments, teacher supply and demand, student achievement, the effect of cumulative advantages on the science and engineering talent pool, and the appropriateness of existing…

The president of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance responds to national task force reports with some arguments for the importance of health and physical education courses, generally considering them complementary to academic learning. (MJL)

Arguing that vocational education has potentially an important role in raising all students' technological knowledge base and that work-bound students will be hurt by additional academic requirements, the director of the American Vocational Association expresses concern about recent national commission reports prescribing a classical academic…

With reference to Washington State's educational conditions and teacher training programs, this article analyzes causes of America's teacher shortage, characteristics of excellent teachers, how to train excellent teachers, and how to balance local statistics against national trends when making decisions about local educational institutions and…

This article proposes a formative appraisal system for improving classroom instruction that is characterized by a small number of teachers for each supervisor, cooperative goal setting, and the use of modeling techniques, low-inference observation instruments, and regular, timely feedback. Anticipated benefits include greater teacher…

A review of factors diminishing instructional time concludes with the estimate that less than 30 percent of the average school day is devoted to instruction. Rather than extending the school day or year, more efficient time management and reevaluation of the urgency of noninstructional activities are recommended. (MJL)

When improvements of secondary education are undertaken, local needs must first be evaluated. Basic problems to be considered include assessment of the curriculum and the educational objectives limiting it, preparatory programs for principals, and the imbalance of responsibilities and rewards for teachers. (MJL)

In contrast to recent reports that view the role of public education as transmitting an accumulated body of knowledge, theorists arguing that education should also develop students' creative and emotional side are cited. The conclusion is that teachers need to learn to use the affective domain to promote students' cognitive achievement. (MJL)

Contending that the recommendations of the Commission on Excellence in Education cannot apply to all schools, the author argues against requirements including computer science, foreign language, and additional mathematics and science courses for all students. The quality of United States education is concluded to be higher than recent publicity…

Principals can improve the academic climate of their schools by setting educational objectives and eliminating extracurricular programs hindering their realization. Recommendations include scheduling extracurricular activities outside the school day, minimizing noninstructional uses of class time, and restructuring administration to allow…