"Something in Common" is the first book to provide a detailed look at the groundbreaking Common Core State Standards and their potential to transform American education. This book tells the story of the unfolding political drama around the making of the Common Core State Standards for math and English language arts, which were adopted by…

Walk into any school in America and you will see adults who care deeply about their students and are doing the best they can every day to help students learn. But you will also see a high degree of variability among classrooms--much higher than in most other industrialized countries. Today we are asking schools to do something they have never done…

Dramatic changes in the higher education landscape and the recent recession have intensified the challenges students face in postsecondary enrollment and completion. In response, some states, communities, and institutions have developed "postsecondary opportunity programs (POPs)"--comprehensive college access and success programs…

"Learning Around the Clock: Benefits of Expanded Learning Opportunities for Older Youth" identifies and describes Expanded Learning Opportunities (ELOs) that improve academic performance, college and career preparation, social and emotional development, and health and wellness outcomes for underserved youth. The term "expanded learning…

This booklet focuses on effective mathematics teaching. Drawing on a wide range of research, it describes the kinds of pedagogical approaches that engage learners and lead to desirable outcomes. The aim of the booklet is to deepen the understanding of practitioners, teacher educators, and policy makers and assist them to optimize opportunities for…

Many countries have recently launched massive programs to promote nation-wide adult literacy, but while these efforts have been commendable, it has been observed that neo-literates who acquire literacy through such programs have great difficulty in retaining it; hence an urgent need to develop suitable programs of post-literacy and continuing…

Consisting of five sections, this paper presents the policy of the British Columbia (Canada) Ministry of Education regarding the organization of educational services for students through provincial curriculum and assessment programs. It also provides guidance to school and district personnel as they carry out their responsibilities to interpret…

Describes program designed to increase student attendance at San Jacinto (California) Unified School District (approximately 2,300 grade K-12 students) that includes goal setting, successive communications with students and parents, establishment of School Attendance Review Board, and student recognition/rewards. Reports average attendance…

The efforts of one family to change the pesticide policy of their school district are described. Stressed is the need to educate teachers, physicians, and students. (CW)

The development of an effective Integrated Pest Management program is discussed. Provided are the common goals and procedures involved in adopting an Integrated Pest Management program for schools. (CW)

This study reports on the Hong Kong education quality assurance and school monitoring system. Three research questions were addressed: (1) Who controls the quality of school education in Hong Kong? (2) What strategies are used in the Hong Kong school education quality assurance process? (3) Agenda for Future Research on quality assurance and…

Which factors promote student transfer from California Community Colleges (CCC) to baccalaureate-granting institutions? How do community college practices support this transition? Which student behaviors and characteristics particularly facilitate their movement to four-year colleges and universities? The Research and Planning Group for California…

This paper analyzes a systems approach for dealing with the disruptive behavior of at-risk students based on the principle that there is a shared responsibility among all school staff and that the methods employed should respond to the emotional and skill needs of the students. The approach has the following key components: (1) support by school…

A 2-year involvement to change the pesticide policy of the Oak Park, Illinois, schools is described. The new policy is discussed. (CW)

One way of supporting college instructors who wish to improve student assessment practices is to offer a framework for change that raises the public profile of assessment policy, acknowledges that there is room for improvement, and provides methodological and collegial support to help instructors formulate and address practical problems. A…