How are children to prepare for an era in which work can be outsourced anywhere in the world, university graduates compete with computers and robots for jobs, and in which any number of other, unforeseeable social and economic trends may transpire? Popular discourses on educational reform talk of the need for schools and colleges to produce more…

Objectives: Working under the constraints of external accountability policy, public school principals are faced with challenges in prioritizing educational goals. Using the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) data sets, this study examined the nature and sources of changes in principals' educational goal priorities in the era of accountability,…

The overall aim of the study was to gather evidence on effective policy reforms for broad competence development in school education, including better achievement of basic skills. The six key objectives are: Objective 1: To understand the key features of policy design and implementation of reforms for broad competence development and achievement…

How much does college matter for getting ahead in America? Having a postsecondary education--broadly defined as a credential beyond a high school diploma--continues to be one of the most important factors in getting a good job and advancing in the workforce. By one estimate, 64 percent of jobs in 2018 will require more than a high school diploma,…

As educators, government officials, and foundations leaders have embraced the agenda of dramatically increasing college success and credential completion, they have come to understand the need for better data on student outcomes to guide the improvement efforts of institutions, systems, and states. The data on degree completion and other final…

The adult world expects more of its youth than cognitive proficiency, and merely to use pious rhetoric to advocate return to basics does not solve the existing educational problems. (DS)

School board members can assist the change process in curriculum development by helping annually to set instructional goals through a variety of methods that could include management by objectives and community involvement. Board members can also help obtain community resources for career education, arts, and cultural programs. Another proper…

This article describes the back-to-basics and humanistic education movements and concludes that it is crucial to maintain the balance between the two, that both have intrinsic merit. The de-emphasis of either is an abdication of the responsibility schools assume and an injustice to the children they serve. (Author/KC)

This six-chapter monograph discusses the need for and the components of a holistic approach to education; that is, an education which teaches the student to function on the aesthetic and affective levels, as well as to master the behavioral objectives of traditional content area instruction. Chapter I presents a rationale for this holistic…

The back-to-basics movement will leave children ill prepared to deal with the complexities of the world. A look at man's development suggests that to improve learning we must ask the question: education for what purpose? Students learn when they understand the purpose of their actions. (Author/IRT)

Few nations can claim that education is not a source of conflict. Although education alone cannot overcome all social evils, two problems can be attacked through a redirection of educational policies. The problems of illiteracy and of providing a basic education to all are the objectives of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural…

The widespread availability of pocket electronic calculators raises issues with respect to some goals of the current curriculum and with regard to testing practices. (SD)

Discusses the disparities in allocating money for education, the influence of the dollar in making positive change, redressing inequities through the courts, and the road to reform. (Author/RK)

Changes instituted by a new superintendent in 1975 and credited with improving student achievement and the educational climate include establishment of measurable goals, a curriculum stressing basic instruction, staff development activities, a diagnostic testing program, differentiated courses offering remedial instruction, teacher redistribution,…

The effect of the use of hand-held calculators on the arithmetic curriculum is explored. (SD)