In recent years, American education has enthusiastically adopted the mantra of "college readiness for all." What's not to like about that? Frederick Hess says that although he considers college readiness an admirable goal, he has serious reservations about advocates, funders, and policymakers imposing this norm across all schools. His…

"Data-drive instruction can distort the way reading is taught, harming the students who need high-quality instruction the most," Susan B. Neuman concludes from her research team's two years of observation in nine low-income New York City schools. She describes how some students are reminded that they are "failures" every day by…

Education has a long-standing practice of turning worthwhile learning goals into lists of bits. One might even say that this practice is the original sin in curriculum design: take a complex whole, divide it into small pieces, string those together in a rigid sequence of instruction and testing, and call completion of this sequence…

Presents eight definitions of "policy" that are implied in the literature and, by applying these definitions in three policy arenas, notes their differential effects in terms of policy questions, data collected, data sources, methodology, and policy products. (MLF)

Sections from the book "Leadership" by James MacGregor Burns. (MLF)

In this interview, teaching models are rejected for their formulaic, inflexible approach to inculcating cognitive skills. Instead, teachers need to understand the logic of their subject matter and should master a set of pedagogical skills to use as necessary. Includes one reference. (MLH)

Review of several definitions of population education leads to the conclusion that the definition must be relevant to specific social and cultural goals. (GW)

The traditional way of studying history is unappealing to many students because they rarely perform the historian's tasks: defining essential questions, sorting through available source materials, determining topics, drawing conclusions, and presenting them persuasively. Teachers in two Rhode Island high schools have provided students with the…

Reflection is the practice of analyzing our actions, decisions, or products by focusing on the process for achieving them. This article describes three types of reflection (reflection-on-action, reflection-in-action, and reflection-for-action) and a workshop that helps teachers gain insight into beneficial teaching and learning practices. (MLH)

Defines "portfolio" as an intersection of instruction and assessment and presents guidelines for using portfolios in self-directed learning. Portfolio assessment offers students a concrete way to value their own work. A portfolio is separate from a student's cumulative folder, conveys the student's activities, may have multiple purposes, and…

Article evaluated the merits of career education and defined its purpose for the curriculum. (RK)

The strengths and weaknesses of the fields of curriculum development and instructional development are discussed in a father-and-son letter exchange. (MLF)

The problem of undefined content in career/consumer/economic education is not new. A way to sort out the relationships is to identify important concepts in each area. (Author/MLF)

Discusses specific learning strategy tactics for acquiring verbal knowledge basic to certain disciplines, procedural skills (reading, using language, and problem solving), and self-motivation techniques applicable to all types of learning situations. All three tactics are necessary for creating a well-structured knowledge base. Includes 21…