Claims that, in the rush to reform schools in response to criticism, certain aspects of curriculum development and instructional improvement are being ignored. Discusses six resulting problematic aspects of school reform and concludes that decisions concerning reform are casually and quickly made and that a comprehensive conceptual framework is…

Itemizes several concerns for schools as they attempt to meet mandated assessment procedures in mathematics. Areas which are discussed include the amount of paper work, pupil transfer, parental involvement, staff changes, unmotivated pupils, pupil overload, storage space and the need for moderation. (PK)

Reviews results from a national survey of curriculum development practices. Most school districts prefer homegrown teacher-developed curriculums, but local control requires expensive long-term teacher participation in conflict with budget conscious school boards' need to maintain cost controls. Includes sample survey questionnaire, four tables,…

Argues that comprehensive arts education includes multiple art forms learning, skills development, critical analysis, historic context, and expression opportunities. Its future may be in partnerships between arts educators and arts institutions. Examines past and current partnership successes and concludes that partnerships can ensure future…

The study showed that graduate study has a positive impact on the professional practice of teachers. Participants said that they felt more knowledgeable, more confident, and more analytical about their own and others' viewpoints and more aware of the importance of their own role in curriculum decision-making. (RM)

To probe the association of reading achievement with factors in learning, the scores of 2,890 13-year-old students from a National Assessment of Educational Progress sample were regressed on 24 indexes of the factors, singly and as a set. Achievement showed diminishing or eventually negative returns to eight time variables. (Author/BS)

This article discusses four basic types of cost analysis methods in educational evaluation. The results of a national survey of all evaluation units in state departments of education are reported. Evidence on the amount and types of cost analysis activities done for evaluation purposes in state education agencies is provided. (DWH)

This reaction paper stresses the importance of matching the qualitatively different types of educational decisions with appropriate types of tests. Reading instruction is used to illustrate that while standardized tests are helpful for student classification and program accountability, they are hazardous to instructional process decisions which…

Asserts that program evaluation can identify weaknesses in a community college's curriculum and ways to overcome these weaknesses. Discusses reasons for program evaluation, state-level evaluation efforts in Florida, and two examples of campus program evaluation plans. Offers a curriculum planning model for the 1980's. (AYC)

This chapter describes the implementation and lessons learned from the conduct of three field experiments in education. All three evaluation designs used randomized assignment. Results showed even under very adverse and unstable conditions, randomized designs can be maintained. (LMO)

U. S. students are poorly prepared regarding map skills and the general field of geography. Research suggests that significant improvement can and should be made in map and globe teaching programs. Sources that describe what to cover at different age and grade levels and that recommend teaching ideas are discussed. (RM)

Describes the cornerstones of Ron Edmonds's advocacy on behalf of school children: commitment to equality, a belief in the educability of all, and the schools' responsibility for actively promoting equality and educability. Sees a continuing need for greater system-wide responsibility and for the development of output measures of school…

Presents information gained from a time-on-task study of one school district that suggests that school districts can improve their decisions about scheduling, instructional techniques, and student achievement through similar investigations. (FL)

Great Britain's changeover to comprehensive schools has been called one of its most significant developments in secondary education. A description and comparison of four studies which evaluated secondary students' academic performance under this comprehensive system shows that there is an overriding need for more and better information concerning…

This report is the sixth analysis of state reports conducted by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) to examine the extent to which states publicly report information about students with disabilities in statewide assessments. Descriptions of statewide testing systems are presented and examined as to whether these systems included…