Discusses how three states are implementing the Goals 2000: Educate America Act, focusing on Massachusetts' Common Core of Learning, Delaware's First Schools in the First State pilot curriculum project, and Oregon's Initial Mastery and Advanced Mastery certificates. Notes that one of the aims of Goals 2000 is to make states true laboratories of…

This report presents information on Colorado's child care needs and on the services provided by the Colorado Office of Resource and Referral Agencies (COORA). The report presents a brief account of recent research on brain development and implications for child care providers. Recent findings indicate that only 6 percent of Colorado's licensed…

This booklet provides technical assistance for those interested in the collaboration process for early childhood programs and is based on the experiences of Collaborative Partnerships in Florida. Section 1 of the document describes the collaborative grant process in Florida with the goal of improving early childhood services and outlines eight key…

This document is the U.S. Department of Education's first report to Congress on the Goals 2000: Educate America Act. It includes a brief history of the 1994 law, a description of how states and school districts are using their Goals 2000 money, a look at how the program is helping to reshape the department's technical-assistance effort, and a…

A historic change is taking place in American education with the development of voluntary national standards that will identify what all students should know and be able to do in order to live and work in the twenty-first century. Content standards will define what students should know and be able to do, and performance standards will identify the…

This document details the progress made toward achieving the eight National Education Goals. The Goals 2000: Educate America Act marked its first year with school-improvement plans in 47 states and $85 million in the hands of state and local school districts. The publication contains: (1) a list of the National Education Goals; (2) a description…

On the surface, it appears that it should be quite simple to identify the characteristics of a child who is ready for school and then to assess whether or not any given child has these characteristics. But readiness is a difficult construct and one that has been the topic of great debate. Assessment of readiness is even more challenging. Policies…

The Board on Testing and Assessment of the National Research Council convened a workshop in 1994 to help policymakers and others better understand the complex issues emerging from the standards-based educational reform movement. This bulletin synthesizes the workshop discussions. It is organized around four major themes that emerged from the…

Discusses the implementation of information technologies and advanced telecommunications in Wisconsin. Highlights include an Internet dial access program; a statewide union catalog, WISCAT; the World Wide Web home page for the Department of Public Instruction; the Educational Technology Board; and Goals 2000 Technology Planning. (LRW)

Three pieces of education legislation that the federal government enacted in 1994 are interlocking and designed to support a systemic approach to state and local educational improvement. The Goals 2000: Educate America Act, School-to-Work Opportunities Act (STWOA), and Improving America's Schools Act (IASA) offer an opportunity to move from a…

This document discusses educational assessment and accountability in current educational reform efforts and the implications for students with disabilities. A preface addresses common educational reforms, new laws promoting education reform, and how today's reforms fit with special education. The paper then describes three types of assessment:…

New technology can help schools and communities create high-performance learning environments where all students reach high standards. To be effective, technology must be used as an integral part of the school's learning environment, rather than as an isolated laboratory practice or for mindless drill. Six examples are given of the effective use…

An interview with Steve Barnett, the recently appointed assistant deputy minister, finance and administration, in the Ministry of Education for British Columbia, focuses on the involvement the Canadian federal government has in public education in Canada. Comments on specific aspects of the Goals 2000 Act and how they relate to Canadian…

This document records the written and oral testimony of witnesses at a hearing on the Goals 2000: Educate America Act. The act has three main components: (1) to provide grants to states and local schools for comprehensive educational reform; (2) to promote the establishment of voluntary national education standards to assist states and local…

This report from the United States House of Representatives presents the complete amended version of the House bill to extend for 5 years the authorizations of appropriations for the programs under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The current reauthorization bill is known as the "Improving America's Schools Act." The first…