Investigated how parents did homework with their third graders, noting socioemotional influences that occurred. Data from observations and interviews (including with teachers) indicated that everyday experiences with homework, as mediated by parents, provided opportunities for children to learn to cope with various difficulties and distractions…

Comments on the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics, examining the NCTM's intent when it decided to prepare the document; the anticipated use of the standards by teachers, schools, and states to change how mathematics is organized and taught; and the current process of…

Presents one mathematician's view of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics national standards documents, discussing their history and highlighting specific notions, examples, concepts, phrases, and uses/misuses of the standards. Differentiates among what the standards say, what people think they say, and what teachers do in the classroom…

Discusses various views regarding the fundamental premises of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' (NCTM) original standards documents, examining concerns expressed by key stakeholders and noting that one of the problems with the standards is that the essence of the subject is lost. Describes mathematics education reform, curriculum…

Addresses the development, content, and potential for implementation of nationally developed science education standards, including their adoption and effects at the state level, comparatively analyzing three sets of publications that provide national standards for science education. The role of assessment in setting standards is discussed.…

Examines the national standards for science education, noting they do not specify how to reach the goal of all students attaining scientific literacy. Presents what must be done to implement the standards successfully, discussing the size of systemic reform standards, ways to achieve scientific literacy, impediments to change, the need for…

Explores areas of agreement and disagreement in five articles on mathematics and science standards, highlighting active learning, teaching for understanding, and constructivism. The article notes that there is more than one right answer, but disagreement persists over applications, amateur problem solving, and the risk of junk math and science.…

Interviews with over 200 parents, educators, and students examined the impact of efforts by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to impose high school course standards. The article describes a growing national challenge to NCAA policies and procedures that have delayed or blocked many high school students from participating in…

Examines current debates about educational standards, accountability, and school reform from the perspective of Deci and Ryan's Self-Determination Theory. Research reveals various perils associated with rigid standards, narrow accountability, and tangible sanctions that can debase student and teacher motivation and performance. Alternative…

Beginning with the assumption that schools change reforms as much as reforms change schools, this paper argues that the judgment of a reform's success depends heavily on the criteria used to make the judgment. Criteria used by policymakers (effectiveness, popularity, and fidelity) and practitioners (adaptability and longevity) are identified and…

Investigated middle graders' understanding of the significance of distinct U.S. history events using interviews with fifth to eighth graders. Students noted steadily expanding rights and opportunities as a central theme in history but had difficulty incorporating some historical patterns and events into their image of progress. Most described…

Analyzes Charlotte Perkins Gilman's views on education as social nourishment, social parentage, and social motherhood, examining the strengths and limitations of the conceptions as metaphorical statements about education and discussing the incisive feminist insights her theory contains, the radical ramifications for the role of women in society,…

Presents results from the Hudson Institute's Charter Schools in Action, a two-year research project that evaluated the creation, operation, and impact of charter schools. The paper discusses the charter notion and examines accomplishments achieved and dilemmas confronted by various charter schools. The study concludes that charter schools are a…

Follows the progress of one preservice teacher during the early stages of struggling to shape her teaching career. Her growing self-knowledge as an educator, her image of teaching, and her beliefs are juxtaposed with literature on teaching and the expectations this literature holds for candidates like her. Barriers to the development of reflective…

Using data from a one-year field study of elementary and secondary social studies classes, the paper examines images of America actually being conveyed in elementary and secondary school classrooms, considering how schools are serving the purposes of Americanization and assimilation while the traditional study of America is being renegotiated and…