The physical education curriculum in the state of South Carolina is representative of a trend towards increasing instruction in health-related fitness concepts. In 1994 the South Carolina state legislature mandated that the required physical education course in high school include one semester of lifetime fitness and one semester of personal…

Despite small steps of progress, issues of legitimacy and worth are still barriers inhibiting systemic change in physical education. Even with the call for reform in physical education (Rink, 1993), few comprehensive school reform efforts have included physical education, for at least two reasons. First, physical education is not considered a core…

The new emphasis on performance-based assessment holds much promise for assessment in physical education, particularly for the assessment of motor skills. Physical educators want to know if students can perform motor skills and use those motor skills in game and activity settings. However, the viability of performance-based assessment as a formal…

The purpose of this chapter is to synthesize the results of the studies presented in this monograph and to discuss the implications of those results. The chapter is divided into four sections. In the first section state level assessment as a reform mechanism for high school physical education is discussed in terms of the South Carolina experience.…

A retired professor of English education recalls the challenge her student teachers faced at urban junior high school with reading norms two years below average. The student teachers based their instructional program on the particular characteristics of their students' lives and homes, rather than on formal learning theories, and brought the…

Teacher education programs should be based on a developmental process that individualizes professional learning and continues long enough to produce well-qualified professionals. This process could enable a carefully selected individual to become initially qualified enough to survive the early pressures and to serve for many years as a truly…

A reflection on the contributions of college presidents John Dewey and Alexander Meiklejohn to higher education highlights the 1950's progressive movement which encouraged social and educational reform and sought divergent ideas and opinions. (CB)

Northern Arizona University's introductory coursework for prospective teachers was revised from a survey-type covering of various education topics to a field-experience-based course focusing on four areas of teaching as a career choice: motivation, rewards, commitment, and skills. (CB)

A pedagogical strategy is described for teaching undergraduates educational philosophy. The strategy is based on the need to increase the amount of classroom time devoted to development of students' analytical skills and facilitate students' generation of written statements of educational philosophy. (CB)

The State University of New York at Albany offers a 24- credit-hour sequence leading to provisional and permanent certification to teach academic subjects in secondary schools. Courses cover the teaching/learning process, school and society, computer literacy, substance abuse education, and instructional methods. (CB)

North Carolina State University's Middle Years Education Degree Program offers eight courses specifically designed for the middle years, preparing prospective teachers in language arts, social studies, mathematics, or science. Course goals, content, rationale, instructional methods, materials, and evaluation are described. (CB)

A review of the development and innovation of testing at the higher education level focuses on Ralph Tyler's testing emphasis on the educational process and the objectives of instruction, a precursor to the current trend of integrating formative evaluation into the curriculum development process. (CB)

A student of the University of Chicago's Measurement, Evaluation, and Statistical Analysis Program reflects upon Benjamin S. Bloom's professional and personal educational contributions, including mastery learning, educational equity, and educational excellence. (CB)

The University of Pittsburgh's Social Studies Seminar and School Practicum introductory courses for prospective secondary school social studies teachers incorporate both practicum and seminar activities to foster reflective teaching that emphasizes the school context, as opposed to the classroom experience, of teaching. (CB)

Bowling Green State University's College of Education and Allied Professions incorporated a general secondary education teaching methods course, for all teacher candidates, consisting of seminar sessions which establish a strong theoretical and conceptual base for teaching skills and provide examples of teaching behaviors essential to effective…