Principals must attend to eight curricular issues in their role as instructional leader: amount of content; extent of academic focus on coursework; focus and sequence of courses; breadth versus depth of content; differential access to knowledge; homework as an extension of content; curricular alignment; and quality of course objectives. Includes…

Have you developed mini-course programs, only to have them sputter and die or merge with the routine curriculum? The guarantee for success is a continuation of inservice and evaluation, says this author. (Editor)

In recent years, different researchers and research agencies, teacher associations, national education organizations, and the U.S. Department of Education have published lists of the characteristics of effective professional development to guide school leaders in their improvement efforts. This study analyzed 13 of the better known of these lists…

This writer questions some of the basic conventions of foreign language teaching in this country. As an alternative approach, he suggests an exploratory concept for grades 5-8. (Editor)

Critiques college admission requirements, pointing out that entrance tests determine what is taught in high school curriculum. For testing to be effective, colleges and high schools must specify the content of college preparatory curriculum. (MD)

Funded by the National Science Foundation, the International Technology Education Association's Technology for All Americans Project is developing content standards. TfAAP's goal is to promote excellence in technology education by defining technology's domain, advocating technology study, and creating standards. The program's development,…

Four systems for computer-assisted instruction are explained and compared here: the PLATO, the TICCIT, the TRS 80, and the Apple II. (JM)

Describes a high school course in intercultural communication designed for the pilot program at a magnet school for international studies. Emphasizes learning skills rather than information, using an experiential approach. (DCS)

Takes a systems approach to designing classroom instruction, providing models for program and course syllabuses, as well as for instructional units. Included are checklists for designing the three levels of instruction: the program, the course, and the instructional unit. (JW)