Maintains that educational theorists have long advocated integrated, multidisciplinary curriculum development and instruction. Argues that the arts must maintain their integrity in the curriculum and be taught for their own sake, rather than serving as aids to instruction in other disciplines. (CFR)

A survey of 43 intensive English-as-a-Second-Language programs in higher education institutions resulted in a scheme for classifying innovative policies and practices in these categories: curriculum development; personnel; technology; policy and planning; community and campus liaison; faculty development; student placement and evaluation;…

Presents a model of empirically supported instructional strategies for optimizing the mainstreaming of mildly handicapped students. Argues that such a model must account for the actual characteristics of mainstreamed students rather than the categorical designation applied to such students. The model is described within an overall model of…

Asserts that the growing interest in multicultural and global education is encouraging teachers to search for new ways to teach history. Describes the use of historical fiction in a sixth-grade, interdisciplinary, multicultural unit on World War II. Includes an annotated bibliography of 33 recommended books. (CFR)

Provides a concise overview of geography education in Germany from the 18th century to the present.Outlines concerns that include the incorporation of the old East German school system and employment problems for German youth. Tables summarize geography curricula throughout different periods. (MJP)

The English-only initiatives sweeping the United States are mainstreaming English language learners into content-area classes designed for native or fluent English speakers, with little, if any, English as a second language (ESL) support. This spells trouble for the ever-growing population of Latinos because ESL teachers are not likely to have the…

The new Science and Technology Curriculum Framework recently issued in Taiwan advocates the teaching of integrated science and technology with greater emphasis on basic skills. Science teachers are not used to teach in this way, they need different abilities and skills in order to do so. Using various effective professional development strategies,…

New software tools for data analysis provide rich opportunities for representing and understanding data. However, little research has been done on how learners use these tools to think about data, nor how that affects teaching. This paper describes several ways that learners use new software tools to deal with variability in analyzing data,…

The Second International Conference on Educational Data Mining (EDM2009) was held at the University of Cordoba, Spain, on July 1-3, 2009. EDM brings together researchers from computer science, education, psychology, psychometrics, and statistics to analyze large data sets to answer educational research questions. The increase in instrumented…

This paper discusses a framework for education policy, from early childhood through post-secondary education, along with major reform ideas consistent with that framework. We present evidence showing that education is critical to broad-based economic growth. Investments in education yield large returns to both society and the individual.…

This report examines the types of professional development necessary to implement successful online learning initiatives. The potential for schools utilizing online learning is tremendous: schools can develop new distribution methods to enable equity and access for all students, they can provide high quality content for all students and they can…

As part of its mission, the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) is committed to the development of the community of researchers who work in the area of assessment both nationally and internationally. The association also has a commitment to provide policymakers with the types of data and analyses that will…

This report describes the efforts of eight elementary and middle schools in seven states to involve families and communities in ways that have significant impact on students' learning. Through a process called Parent-Teacher Action Research (PTAR), teams of parents and teachers, principals, and facilitators at each school closely examined their…

Selected papers on second language acquisition and instruction from the University of Wisconsin at Madison symposium include the following: "Learning and Teaching: The Necessary Intersection" (Susan M. Gass); "Reenvisioning the Second Language Classroom: A Vygotskian Approach" (Linda Schinke-Llano); "The FOCAL SKILLS…

Targeting the elementary school-age child, 5 to 12 years old, this book sets forth an integrated approach to developing classroom experiences, supporting a holistic curriculum intended to stimulate learning and social and emotional gains. The integrated approach has at its hub a child-centered classroom where students' individual needs form the…