Competency education is attracting significant interest as a promising way to help meet our national priority of ensuring that all young people are ready for college and careers. In competency-based schools, students advance at different rates, based on their ability to demonstrate mastery of learning objectives. Teachers provide customized…

The Paideia School Model was inspired by philosopher Mortimer Adler's belief in a high-quality, single-track, liberal arts education to prepare students for work, citizenship, and lifelong learning. This article describes how Chattanooga (Tennessee) parents and educators worked to develop and implement a holistic, rigorous Paideia curriculum. (MLH)

There are enormous differences in a child's ability to learn and perform movement skills. The mastery learning model matches student needs to quality and quantity of teaching. This article summarizes findings from mastery learning research in the cognitive domain and offers suggestions for applications of the mastery strategy. (DF)

Providing children with a variety of play materials at different levels of challenge and in a variety of interest areas responds to children's individual differences and needs in the classroom. In this book excerpt, the author lists materials for play in the categories social and fantasy; exploration and mastery; music, art, and movement; and…

An inservice workshop program for elementary school teachers in Israel helps them in coping with students of diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds. Program topics include discussion of: individual differences, pluralistic views of education, tests and measurement methodology, and new instructional strategies. Emphasis is placed on values…

Maine's gubernatorially appointed Commission on Secondary Education produced eight overarching observations and six core principles governing learning climate, teacher expectations, differentiated instruction, assessment, democratic engagement, and program coherency. This new vision challenges schools and communities to rethink how they assess,…