The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) of 2010 represent a new chapter in the 25-year history of standards-based reforms (SBR). The CCSS attempts to bring the system back to the principles of its founding--more rigorous, focused, academic content and performance expectations collectively embraced by the nation. The new standards depart…

Bryant University was originally a school for business majors and offered only a few mathematics courses. After becoming accredited by the New England Association of Colleges and Universities in the 1960s, the college was required to upgrade its offerings in the area of mathematics. In the 1970s, the department offerings were increased to include…

The United States has experienced several mass killings by firearms in the recent past, but none has stirred the passions of the nation's citizens like the killing of innocent schoolchildren in Newtown, Connecticut. Debates immediately began regarding proposed solutions for making students safer in schools. One recommendation for promoting…

NCSS Executive Director Susan Griffin was chair of the Task Force of Professional Organizations that worked with the Social Studies Assessment, Curriculum, and Instruction Collaborative (SSACI) of the Council of Chief State School Officers to initiate and guide the development of the "College, Career and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social…

The most recent research on college-student learning in the US by respected scholars such as Richard Arum, Josipa Roksa, and Ernest Pascarella suggests that the nation's means of ensuring academic standards in US colleges and universities are not working effectively. Like US K-12 education and health care, the US higher education system is…

This chapter describes a pedagogy for enlisting international diversity on campus to "shake up" understanding of self and other in a half Asian/half American international classroom. Results from the practice are presented, along with suggestions for future adaptations in a range of settings.

How do policymakers craft policies, particularly centered on the Common Core State Standards, to be more resilient and less likely to disintegrate during enactment? Researcher Jonathan Supovitz in "Slowing Entropy: Instructional Policy Design in New York City, 2011-12" examines the design of a New York City Department of Education policy…

Education Cities is a network of 28 city-based organizations in 22 cities united by one goal: increasing the number of great public schools. The members are nonprofits with deep ties to their communities. They invest in high-impact schools and nonprofits, organizations that recruit and champion talented teachers and principals, engage community…

Recent high school graduates continue to make up a significant number of postsecondary enrollees, begetting a clear focus by education leaders and state policymakers on strategies that support successful student transitions from high school to college. Of the nation's 3.3 million expected high school graduates for the 2014-15 academic year, a full…

This study explores the civic thinking heuristics that civic leaders use when pre-planning action. Across eight think-aloud protocols, findings suggest that three heuristics are employed. "Frame alignment" refers to the process of harmonizing personal beliefs and interests with the particulars of a civic action issue to find personal…

While the model of students and staff working in partnership to enhance university education is well-established internationally, it is still an emerging field in Australia where most of such initiatives involve only small numbers of students. This paper examines the opportunities and challenges for students-as-co-inquirers initiatives in…

Introduction: Education is a fundamental right for all children, including those with disability [UN (United Nations). 2013. General Assembly, 68th Session. "The Way Forward: A Disability-Inclusive Developmental Agenda Towards 2015 and Beyond: Report of the Secretary-General (A/68/95)". June 14. (Masthead). (2012 Readex microfiche).].…

The purpose of this short article is to review the findings from an instrumental case study that examines how a college president used what this article refers to as "frame alignment processes" to mobilize internal and external support for a college initiative--one that achieved success under the current president. Specifically, I…

The current Kenyan secondary English curriculum (2002) has adopted an integrated approach not only to teaching, but also to the assessment of English language and Literature. This re-organisation is meant to improve the standards of teaching and performance in English. However, national performance in integrated English has remained consistently…

There is a well-documented need for leadership personnel who are prepared at the doctoral level to fill special education faculty positions at institutions of higher education (IHEs) and train the next generation of teachers. The intersection of continued retirements of special education faculty, shortage of well-prepared special education faculty…