In "The Fifth Season," the Afro-futurist and speculative fiction writer N.K. Jemisin (2015) describes a world upended by massive climactic events that end typical seasonal cycles--introducing a fifth season of climatic emergency--and require a reorganization of society. As our planet Earth rapidly accelerates climatic change, educators…

Teachers take seriously that "teaching is a deeply human enterprise," yet they can be candidates of worry about standards (or, perhaps more accurately, standardized tests) and where it's taking them in terms of curriculum design. If in their planning they crank out lessons solely focused on goals that young people don't care much about,…

Sorting students into different tracks within a school correlates strongly with student race and economic status and predicts and contributes to student outcomes. Students in higher-level classes typically experience better teachers, curriculum, and achievement levels than peers in lower-level classes. Creating classrooms that support equity of…

Five short articles describe curriculum planning achievements in selected schools, including establishment of goals for a program for gifted and talented children; the use of learning charts, curriculum guides, and content lesson plans to make expectations public; establishment of subject area coordination; and two curriculum models. (MLF)

Describes the use of "essential moral questions and provocative propositions" to frame the design of curriculum units. Provides example from high school U.S. History course. (PKP)

Describes International Baccalaureate Organizations' Primary Years Program, an international educational curriculum for elementary school students. (PKP)

Describes how an elementary school in Konya, Turkey, used Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences to personalize students' learning experiences. Includes description of the initial effort; the curriculum structure consisting of three elements (core courses and activities, exploratories, and projects); and the benefits for students and…

Schmoker asserts that the kinds of skills students need to succeed in college--skills like clear thinking, effective writing, and the ability to analyze international and policy issues--are equally needed for non-college-bound youth. He maintains it is possible--and necessary--to provide an intellectually challenging and culturally enriching…

Describes place-based education, a curricular approach that encourages students to engage in solving local problems, stimulates a desire to learn, and helps students connect to their community. (PKP)

Over the past three years, the people of Arlington Heights worked together to define the learning outcomes essential for their students' success and redesign the curriculum to provide essential learning experiences. The principle of expanded opportunity led to restructuring the entire instructional support system, including grading and testing.…

Discusses four significant areas of gender differences that affect children's approach to formal education: psychosexuality, brain structure, developmental maturity, and academic achievement. Since young males lag in psychosocial development, teachers must learn to assess children's developmental abilities and plan suitable curricular activities…

Discusses the problem of content-area textbooks that are not matched with students reading levels. Describes how exemplary content-area teachers moderate the textbook mismatch problem and improve student learning by creating a multi-source, multileveled curriculum, providing student choice, and offering individualized instruction. (Contains 15…

The Global Youth Academy began as a low-cost, private school that taught global citizenship to its own students and foreign students recruited enroute. The school-on-wings formula is simple: build the curriculum into a tour, integrate academic and personal growth, and stress community service. The program succeeds academically while promoting…

Project Read, which began 10 years ago as a collaborative reading strategy, has evolved into the Inquiring School model. This model arose from the realization that critical literacy strategies and structures work equally well in kindergarten, sixth grade, peer coaching, or at faculty meetings. Key elements are improved classroom practice,…

Describes an interdisciplinary pilot program for ninth graders at Bronxville (New York) High School using three teachers (representing social studies, English, and art) to teach an ancient history unit. The varied learning activities were based on the Coalition for Essential Schools' driving forces: personalization, the student as worker,…