This article looks at the perils and promises of standards-based instruction in urban environments. We begin with an outline of the rise of the current standards movement. Then turn to the con position which contends; states, schools and districts do not always implement standards-based ideals effectively, especially in urban settings where…

With the education spotlight shifting to secondary schools and conversations about dropout rates, high school redesign, and workforce readiness taking place in government agencies, schools, universities, businesses, and foundations across the country, teenagers have become a focus of serious policy discussion. It is imperative that the evolving…

We need a model that can guide middle school educators to implement multiple literacies (multiliteracies) so prevalent in today's global economy, but how can this be successfully accomplished in today's schools? As a result of content analyses, regular classroom observations, and interviews, the researchers document a framework for…

This exploratory study examined the range of gender-based achievement motivation patterns evident in a group of Australian final year high school students. Single, dual and multiple goal complexes were compared, enabling an evaluation of the relative impact of each of the goals on these patterns, as well as their relationships with academic…

The marginalization of business writing as a discipline has been traced to a lack of research and to the fact that many in the field teach in business departments that do not value the work of scholars in English studies. One way out of this position may be an act of disciplinary border crossing--aligning the field of business writing with…

This article examines the experiences of advanced students and of graduates in a nontraditional MA in professional writing program to discover how faculty may assure student success in professional writing occupations. The study investigates the knowledge domains and habits of mind that foster student success in writing. The research is the…

The attitudes and behaviour of 1040 pupils aged 12-14 years have been measured at the beginning and end of the school year with a battery of attitude, motivation and personality tests in an investigation of the differential effects of group work compared to whole-class learning. A total of 44 secondary teachers of English, mathematics and science…

The Seattle Public Schools serve one of the most diverse student bodies in the nation. The school system's enrollment represents many racial and ethnic groups and includes students from around the world who come to Seattle speaking many languages and families who came to the city generations ago. The challenge facing Seattle and all other major…

It is argued that mastery learning is one explanation for the documented differences in mathematics achievement between Japanese and American students. Given its emphasis on mastery at one stage before moving on to the next stage, and the potential accumulated benefits of this approach over time, mastery learning appears to be very similar to what…

This manual presents activities designed to encourage speaking in elementary and secondary school French language classes at the novice and intermediate proficiency levels. Following guidelines outlined in the Utah "Foreign Language Mastery Curriculum Guide," each of the activities is identified according to the topic, level, and…

This paper reviews the literature on mastery learning theory and reports its successful application since 1987 with mainstreamed special education students at one elementary school in Missouri. The methodology, originally developed by Benjamin Bloom, involves formative evaluation after initial instruction followed by either corrective activities…

John Carroll's concept of mastery learning (ML) is described, and an ML model which can be used by directors of music-performing groups is presented. According to Carroll, any student, when given direction and time to follow that direction, can move along a time line from a state of inability to a state of ability. Tasks defined in behavioral…

A teacher in gifted education implemented and evaluated a 9-week practicum intervention designed to: (1) produce computer literacy materials that would enable fourth and fifth graders to meet minimal standards for computer literacy in Florida; and (2) produce corresponding in-service materials for teachers. A teacher's manual was developed from…

The development of an instructional package for use with selected readings in a cultural anthropology course at the College of Marin is outlined in this paper. Introductory material indicates that an effort was made to create a learning package based on formal objectives spanning the readings in the course text, to respond to student needs, and to…

A guide to behavioral objectives for elementary school mathematics published in the Assyrian language contains the complete sequence of objectives for the first four levels, covering kindergarten and grade 1. The levels include the average number of objectives the student should cover in a specific time period. The program gives the child the…