Furthering the "Kappan" phonics debate, the author claims that her research results were misunderstood by critic Marie Carbo and that evidence concerning phonics' instructional benefits is cumulative, particularly for children at risk. Based on 80 years' empirical and theoretical support, Carbo's "no conclusion" stance is unsupportable. Includes…

Inexpensive and easy to implement, cooperative learning shifts the achievement burden from the teacher to all individuals in the classroom. Cooperative learning can prove particularly useful for Native American students, who are already fairly well advanced at sharing, working in groups, and independent reasoning when entering school. Includes…

Discusses principles to guide policy development for early childhood programs. Argues for an early childhood "ecosystem" that integrates early childhood and child care services. Discusses federal legislation and urges communities to accept responsibility for providing comprehensive academic, health, social, nutrition, and transportation services…

As teenagers mature, they seek to move away from the adult community's normative pressures. A 10-year survey of adolescents in 10 communities found more congruence than conflict between parent and adolescent world views. Seattle, Washington's innovative youth charter offers an ideal way to map out adult and adolescent roles. Includes nine…

The continuing interest in standardized testing alternatives suggests that the make-a-better-mousetrap mentality still flourishes in education and employment assessment circles. Some promising new testing technologies might broaden the range of human talents assessed. However, educators must refuse to accept bondage to any single technology, no…

Standarized, multiple-choice tests have become the major criterion for a wide range of school decisions affecting student placement, curriculum format, and teaching style. Improved assessment will not reform education. The more insightful and powerful the assessment tool, the more damage is caused by its misuse. Includes 70 references. (MLH)

Despite being unremittingly attacked over the past decade, the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) continues to thrive. The growth in SAT use has been stimulated by its critics and by Educational Testing Service and College Board promotional campaigns. The SAT is still erroneously used to summarize the quality of incoming classes and colleges. Includes…

Educators' confusion over uses of standardized tests is akin to mistaking pulse rate for the total effect of a health regimen. Using authentic standards and tests to judge intellectual ability is labor-intensive and time-consuming. What students need is a test with more sophisticated criteria for judging performance. Includes 37 references. (MLH)

Despite teachers' most valiant efforts, the taught and the experienced curricula are not always the same. Most tests are inappropriate measures of the experienced curriculum. A Vermont elementary school has been assembling classroom activity data to help educators understand how children process the curriculum. Helpful assessment activities are…

Elementary teachers often spend so much time on reading, writing, and mathematics that science gets short shrift. Since science instruction is weak, testing is disappointing. This article suggests ways to improve large-scale and teacher-controlled science assessments. A sidebar lists questions to ask about tests. Includes 12 references. (MLH)

In the current educational reform movement, schools have become the new scapegoat for the American economy's increasing failure to compete in the world market. The Bush Administration needs to articulate a vision linking public education to democratic imperatives, rather than the marketplace's narrow demands. Education for empowerment should be a…

The current press for higher academic standards is matched by intensified public interest in the cocurriculum, particularly athletics. While some researchers tout the benefits of extracurricular activities, others are less sanguine. At best, results are mixed and even irrelevant to crucial issues, such as equity in participation, challenging…

If education is to halt the ever-swinging pendulum and make significant progress in student achievement, it must first change the ground rules for selecting, implementing, evaluating, and institutionalizing innovations like Hunter's model. This article proposes steps for providing an infrastructure capable of promoting lasting and beneficial…

Separatists and Fundamentalists share common goals: to establish true religious neutrality in the schools and to eliminate the stranglehold of the American Civil Religion. Since schools cannot separate themselves entirely from religious issues, the solution may be to include more courses in comparative religion and philosophy. Includes 13…

Discusses two areas (the socialization of new teachers and curriculum improvement) that might help urban teachers improve educational quality for urban students. Teachers new to urban schools need experienced professionals' help. The cultural deficit curriculum model must yield to a more challenging, meaningful approach. Includes 27 references.…