Showing papers on "Curriculum published in 1992"

Student engagement and achievement in American secondary schools

Abstract: In 1985 the federal government funded two 5-year centres to conduct research on effective schools. "Student Engagement and Achievement in American Secondary Schools" presents the findings of one of these studies, as carried out by the National Center of Effective Secondary Schools located at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Editor Fred M. Newmann and the other contributors to this study examine existing research, detail their own findings, and propose concrete strategies for improving students' achievement in secondary schools. The range of topics discussed include: the significance and sources of student engagement; taking students seriously; higher-order thinking and prospects for classroom thoughtfulness; building new programmes for students at risk; cultivating teacher engagement; and putting schools in perspective. A conclusion by Newmann rounds out the book and asks the question, "What have we learned about how to enhance student engagement and achievement in American secondary schools?" Chapter authors include Adam Gamoran, Susie D. Lamborn, Karen Seashore Louis, and Gary G. Wehlage. This book should be useful for anyone interested in helping secondary school students be successful, including researchers, curriculum and instruction supervisors, secondary school principals, and pre- and in-service teachers.

A Post-Modern Perspective on Curriculum

Abstract: In this book on the post-modern perspective on the curriculum, the author asserts that the post-modern model of organic change is not necessarily linear, uniform, measured and determined, but is one of emergence and growth, made possible by interaction, transaction, disequilibrium and consequent equilibrium. Transformation, not a set course, the book argues, should be the rule, and open-endedness is an essential feature of the post-modern framework. In the book, the author envisages a curriculum in which the teacher's role is not causal, but transformative. The curriculum is not the race course, but the journey itself; metaphors can be more useful than logic in generating dialogue in the community; and educative purpose, planning and evaluation is flexible and focused on process, not product.

Assessing the Thinking Curriculum: New Tools for Educational Reform

Abstract: In America, educational reform and testing are intimately linked. Test scores signal the need for reform, as evidenced by the attention paid to declining scores on college entrance exams and standardized tests, to Americans’ weak performances on international comparisons, and to the percentages of students failing certain kinds of items on our national assessments. Tests are also widely viewed as instruments for educational improvement. Calls for better performance by American schools are almost always accompanied by increases in the amounts of testing done in the schools. New tests, or more active scrutiny of tests already in place, are frequently prescribed, both as a source of information for a concerned public and as a form of “quality control” and an incentive to better performance by educators and students. This link between testing and efforts at educational reform is not new—it has been a feature of efforts to improve American schools since at least the end of the nineteenth century (D. P. Resnick 1982). In each new round of reform, testing theory and practice have been refined and elaborated. Tests are so ubiquitous in this country’s educational life, however, and the test instruments we use are often so technically elegant, that it is difficult to imagine proceeding in a different way. Complaints about testing and tests, from those who claim that tests block opportunities for certain social groups and those who point to the limited range of human competence assessed by the tests, bubble up whenever the amount and visibility of testing increase. These complaints sometimes lead to modifications of tests, but there is rarely sustained or widespread consideration of the possibility that the very idea of using test technology as it has developed over the past century may be inimical to the real goals of educational reform.

School-based substance abuse prevention: a review of the state of the art in curriculum, 1980–1990

Abstract: Substance use prevention studies published between 1980 and 1990 are reviewed for content, methodology and behavioral outcomes. Studies were classified based on the inclusion of 12 content areas: Information, Decision Making, Pledges, Values Clarification, Goal Setting, Stress Management, Self-Esteem, Resistance Skills Training, Life Skills Training, Norm Setting, Assistance and Alternatives. Six groups of programs (Information/Values Clarification, Affective Education, Social Influence, Comprehensive, Alternatives and Incomplete programs) are identified. Reports are analyzed for two major threats to validity, selection bias and statistical power. Program groups generally have similar selection biases but have important differences in statistical power. Comprehensive and Social Influence programs are found to be most successful in preventing the onset of substance use.

Research as a guide for curriculum development: An example from introductory electricity. Part I: Investigation of student understanding

Abstract: This is the first of two closely related articles that together describe how results from research can be used as a guide for curriculum development This first article shows how the investigation of student understanding of electric circuits by the Physics Education Group has contributed to the building of a research base The second article describes how the group has drawn on this resource both in developing a curriculum for laboratory‐based instruction and in adapting this curriculum to fit the constraints of a traditional introductory course Also discussed is how, in turn, development and implementation of the curriculum have enriched the research base

The Right to Learn

Abstract: The concept that any person, who wishes to assume the role of being a student, has a right to learning opportunities is presented and discussed. Disadvantageous situations involving students occur regularly in Pharmaceutical education. Proactive policies aid procedures need to be developed and implemented to provide advantares in those instances where students already are placed at a disadvantage. Providing ethical and cross-cultural experiences in the curriculum, and in the educational institution as a whole, are imperative more important, our values and beliefs regarding the interrelated, yet distinct, notions of higher education, professional license, and occupational employmint need to be clarified and understood by those involved in the educational process.

Analyzing the curriculum

Abstract: Part 1 Curriculum documentation and origins: concepts and purposes of curriculum study situating the curriculum theoretical perspectives on curriculum. Part 2 The curriculum proper: curriculum purpose and content - conflicting perspectives curriculum organization - conflicting perspectives. Part 3 The curriculum in use: curriculum implementation - basic concepts curriculum implementation - conflicting perspectives curriculum evaluation - basic concepts curriculum evaluation - conflicting perspectives. Part 4 Curriculum critique: re-examination and critique.

The Theory of Inquiry: Dewey's Legacy to Education

Abstract: (1992). The Theory of Inquiry: Dewey's Legacy to Education. Curriculum Inquiry: Vol. 22, No. 2, pp. 119-139.

The Effects of Problem-Based Learning On Problem Solving

Abstract: Problem-based instruction is designed to provide students with a guided experience in solving an ill-structured problem. All learning in problem-based instruction stems from students initial questions about a problem situation. Currently used in medical school programs, problem-based curriculum has not been tested at the high school level. Science, Society and the Future (SSF) is an experimental problem-based course for gifted high school students. In the interdisciplinary course, students examine the meaning and impact of current science issues (the effect of electromagnetic fields on childhood leukemia, the health care system). In this study, SSF students and a group of comparison students were tested to determine changes in their spontaneous use of problem-solving steps as they consider an ill-structured problem. Results show some significant changes for the SSF group not observed in the comparison group.

Breaking the structuralist barrier. Literacy and numeracy with fluency.

Abstract: Behavior analysis is an example of a selection science, and behavioral programs that follow the tenets of selectionism, long advocated by B. F. Skinner, can have a large impact on social problems. This article describes the characteristics of selection sciences and their application in the Morningside Model of Generative Instruction, which addresses both adult literacy and children's learning and attention problems. School curricula are analyzed for their key component elements and underlying tool skills. Teaching procedures then establish and build these key components to fluency. New and complex repertoires then emerge with little or no instruction, producing curriculum leaps that allow students to make rapid academic advancement. Children typically gain more than two grade levels per school year, and adults advance two grades per month.

Successful school improvement : the implementation perspective and beyond

Abstract: Successful school improvement and the implementation perspective the implementation of microcomputers in schools the school district and curriculum implementation the role of the principal and school improvement staff development, innovations and institutional development beyond implementation.

Research as a guide for curriculum development: An example from introductory electricity. Part II: Design of instructional strategies

Abstract: This is the second of two closely related articles that together describe how results from research can be used as a guide for curriculum development. The first article shows how the investigation of student understanding of electric circuits by the Physics Education Group has contributed to the building of a research base. This second article describes how the group has drawn on this resource both in developing a curriculum for laboratory‐based instruction and in adapting this curriculum to fit the constraints of a traditional introductory course. Also discussed is how, in turn, development and implementation of the curriculum have enriched the research base.

The Effects of High School Curriculum on Education and Labor Market Outcomes

Abstract: There is much public discussion but almost no evidence on the effects of high school curriculum on postsecondary education and on success in the labor market. I use the large variation in curriculum across US high schools to identify the effects on wages and educational attainment of specific courses of study. The main finding is that the return to additional courses in academic subject is small. One cannot account for the value of a year of high school with estimates of the value of the courses taken by the typical student during the year.

Curriculum-Based Oral Reading Fluency Norms for Students in Grades 2 through 5.

Abstract: Theteachercol/ects a I-minute timedsampling ofa student's oral reading. Three th ird-grade students are seated across a table from their tea cher, ready to read aloud. Lizzey goes fir st, reading the first paragraph of the story slowly, deliberately, and accurately. Isaac reads the next two paragraphs rapidly but makes several errors, which the teacher corrects. Leah reads the rest of the page smoothly and quickly. She makes one error but immediately corrects herself. As the students read, the teacher monitors their performance. Among the things sh e watch es for is the accuracy with which the children read, as well as their rate. Thi s combination of accuracy and rate is kn own as oral reading fluency (ORF). It is expressed as \"words correct per minute.\" Fluency is an important skill to measure because it is considered a mark of a skilled reader. In general, less fluent readers have poorer comprehension (Carn ine, Silbert, & Kameenui, 1990). Teachers know that it is important to observe both accuracy and rate. When rate alone is considered, a student reading 100words per minute with no errors appears to have the same proficiency as a student reading 100 words per minute with many errors. When only accuracy is considered, two students, both making five errors on a passage, may appear to have the sa1J1e skill level, whereas one may have taken more than 3 minutes to complete the pa ssage while the other read it in less than 1 minute. ORF is superior to both rate and accuracy alone, because it differentiates both kinds of students. Assessments of oral read ing fluency are used by teachers and specialists to make important classroom decisions includ ing the following: • Screening and determining eligibility of studen ts for special programs (Marston, Mirkin, & Deno, 1984). • Setting instructional goals and objectives (Deno, 1986; Deno & Fuchs, 1987). • Plac ing students into instructional group s (Wes son , Vierthaler, & Haubr ich, 1989). • Monitoring academic progress toward achievement of goals and objectives (Fuchs & Fuchs, 1986). • Making ne cessary adjustments to or changes in instruct ion (Fuchs, Deno, & Mirkin, 1984). Placement and monitoring decisions require individually referenced information in which a studen t's performance of a skill is measured over time and the results of prior efforts are compared to current performance (Tindal & Marston, 1990). Other decisions such as screening, determining program eligibility, and setting instructional goals and objectives requ ire peer-referenced in formation involving comparisons with comparable peers (Dena, 1985). In these cases, performance standards are necessary so that teachers will know what is an \"average\" or \"typical\" performance to guide their decision making.

Teacher Participation in School Decision Making: Assessing Willingness to Participate:

Abstract: Increasing teacher involvement in school decision making ranks among the most promising educational reform strategies. Yet empirical data about the conditions under which teachers will actually participate, if given the opportunity, are quite limited. This article explores the organizational and psychological antecedents to teachers’ willingness to participate in personnel, curriculum and instruction, staff development, and general administrative decisions. Findings reveal that teachers vary in their willingness to participate in different decisions and that teacher-principal working relationships exert the greatest significant influence on willingness to participate across decision areas. Findings also suggest that willingness to participate may turn on reconciling competing professional beliefs and working relationships.

A History of American Music Education

Abstract: Part 1 Foreword Part 2 Part I: The Western Heritage Chapter 3 The Ancient Jewish Tradition Chapter 4 The Age of Antiquity Chapter 5 Music Education from the Early Christian Era to the Reformation Part 6 Part II: The New World: America Chapter 7 Early Music Education in the New World Chapter 8 The New England Roots of American Music Education Part 9 Part III: Early American Education Chapter 10 Education for A New Democracy: Building a Nation Chapter 11 The Pestalozzian Education Reform Movement Chapter 12 The Beginnings of Music in American Schools Part 13 Part IV: The Growth of Music Education Chapter 14 Music Education in an Industrializing America Chapter 15 The Development of Professional Education Organizations Chapter 16 The Beginning of the Music Educators National Conference Chapter 17 The Broadening Music Curriculum Chapter 18 The Music Educators National Conference Matures Part 19 Part V: Music Education after 1950 Chapter 20 American Education after 1950 Chapter 21 Government, Foundation, and Not-for-Profit Support for Arts Education Chapter 22 New Foundations of Music Education Chapter 23 New Curricular Foundations of Music Education Chapter 24 The Twenty-first Century Chapter 25 Reflections

Introduction to Early Childhood Education

Abstract: INTRODUCTION TO EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION, 7th Edition, provides a comprehensive overview of early childhood education that is solidly based on current research and theories. Grounded in constructivist theory but also covering other perspectives, the book focuses on developmentally appropriate practices for infants and toddlers, preschoolers, early elementary schoolchildren, and children with disabilities. The majority of the text examines curriculum and the fostering of creativity as well as physical, cognitive, language, and social development--every facet of early childhood education is examined and explained This edition has been extensively revised and includes standards (both DAP and NAEYC) and accountability in the field of early childhood education, an expanded emphasis on working with children from diverse backgrounds, the latest brain-based research, and discussions of the role of families and forms of parent communication. With a strong emphasis on defining the components of high-quality early childhood programs, along with completely updated references, examples from practitioners, and new video offerings, this book is the most comprehensive resource available.

Changing assessments : alternative views of aptitude, achievement and instruction

Abstract: Rethinking Aptitude, Achievement, and Instruction: Cognitive Science Research and the Framing of Assessment Policy.- Assessing the Thinking Curriculum: New Tools for Educational Reform.- Assessment in Context: The Alternative to Standardized Testing.- Interactive Learning Environments: A New Look at Assessment and Instruction.- CAT: A Program of Comprehensive Abilities Testing.- Commentary: Understanding What We Measure and Measuring What We Understand.- Commentary: What Policy Makers Who Mandate Tests Should Know About the New Psychology of Intellectual Ability and Learning.

Compliant Cognition: The Misalliance of Management and Instructional Goals in Current School Reform

Abstract: We examine the social context of current school reform efforts, focusing specifically on the interrelated areas of management and instruction. We maintain that in order to reform schools significantly, we must consider the various constructions of students in the popular culture and educational community and their implication for school management policies. We believe that the intended modern school curriculum, which is designed to produce self-motivated, active learners, is seriously undermined by classroom management policies that encourage, if not demand, simple obedience. We advocate that a curriculum that seeks to promote problem solving and meaningful learning must be aligned with an authoritative management system that increasingly allows students to operate as self-regulated and risk-taking learners. We note, however, that the analysis of management systems is only a small part of a set of complex and interrelated factors (e.g., testing policies, in-service mandates, curriculum content) that shoul...

Gender Differences in Adolescents' Attitudes Toward School Physical Education

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to identify and examine the potential determinants of male and female adolescents' attitudes toward school physical education. Students (N=4SS), randomly selected from four large metropolitan schools, were asked to comment on their school physical education experience from kindergarten through Grade 10. A systematic content analysis was used to categorize these responses. Three main questions were addressed: What factors in the K-10 physical education experience of male/female students contribute to the development of positive/nega tive attitudes toward physical education? Are these factors different for males and females? Are they different for students electing to take school physical education? Five main determinants of attitude were identified in ranked order: curriculum content, teacher behavior, class atmosphere, student self-perceptions, and facilities. Overall, male and female students identified the same determinants in the same order of priority. Adolescence is usually defined as the period of transition from childhood to adult status, a time ripe with possibilities to become a fully functional and capable individual. It is a time when personal limits are explored and lifetime attitudes and patterns of living begin to be established. For this reason there is current concem about the low levels of fitness among adolescents and their attitudes toward physical activity, as these factors are considered to be crucial in the development of a healthy and active adult lifestyle. Research has indicated a dramatic drop in fitness levels and an increase in health problems during the adolescent years (Bailey, Mirwald, Faulkner, Fairbum, & Owen, 1982; King, Robertson, & Warren, 1985). This infonnation has influenced many countries' govemments to launch major initiatives to increase the physical activity and physical fitness level of this segment of society (British Sports Council, 1989; Fitness Canada, 1988a; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1985). Such initiatives have included national conferences.

The Growing Disjunction Between Legal Education and the Legal Profession

Abstract: In the last analysis, the law is what the lawyers are. And the law and the lawyers are what the law schools make them. Felix Frankfurter' For some time now, I have been deeply concerned about the growing disjunction between legal education and the legal profession. I fear that our law schools and law firms are moving in opposite directions. The schools should be training ethical practitioners and producing scholarship that judges, legislators, and practitioners can use. The firms should be ensuring that associates and partners practice law in an ethical manner. But many law schools especially the so-called "elite" ones have abandoned their proper place, by emphasizing abstract theory at the expense of practical scholarship and pedagogy. Many law firms have also abandoned their place, by pursuing profit above all else. While the schools are moving toward pure theory, the firms are moving toward pure commerce, and the middle ground ethical practice has been deserted by both. This disjunction calls into question our status as an honorable profession.2 Over the past two decades, law and economics, law and literature, law and sociology, and various other "law and" movements have come to the fore in legal education. We also have seen a growth in critical

Learning-as-testing: A Heideggerian hermeneutical analysis of the lived experiences of students and teachers in nursing

Abstract: The Curriculum Revolution, a major call for reform, is underway in nursing education. To shape future research and to develop and test altemative approaches it is imperative to understand and critique current practices in nursing education. This article serves a dual purpose. It presents an interpre

Development of self‐directed learning behaviors in a partially teacher‐directed problem‐based learning curriculum

Abstract: Data from three sources (self‐reports of students, review of accreditation and program evaluation documents, and library circulation statistics) supported the hypothesis that students in a problem‐based learning (PBL) curriculum with significant teacher‐centered components nevertheless acquire behaviors reflecting self‐directed learning skills These PBL students exhibited differences in the extent to which their learning was self‐directed when compared to lecture‐based students The learning process and features of this partially teacher‐directed, PBL program that fostered the development of self‐directed learning are discussed Development of these skills depended on the curriculum's adherence to the use of student‐generated learning issues as a guide for defining content to be learned, but also on several other factors

The Schoolhome: Rethinking Schools for Changing Families

Abstract: A century ago, John Dewey remarked that when home changes radically, school must change as well. With home, family, and gender roles dramatically altered in recent years, we are faced with a difficult problem; in the lives of more and more American children, no one is home. "The Schoolhome" proposes a solution. Drawing selectively from reform movements of the past and relating them to the unique needs of today's parents and children, Jane Martin aims to present a philosophy of education that is responsive to America's changed and changing realities. As more and more parents enter the workforce, the historic role of the domestic sphere in the education and development of children is drastically reduced. Consequently, Martin advocates removing the barriers between the school and the home making school a metaphorical "home", a safe and nurturant environment that provides children with the experience of affection and connection otherwise missing, or inconsistent in their lives. In this proposition, the traditional schoolhouse where children are drilled in the three Rs is transformed into a "schoolhome" where learning is animated by an ethic of social awareness. At a time when many school reformers are calling for a return to basics and lobbying for skills education and quick-fix initiatives, Martin urges us to reconsider the distinctive legacies of Dewey and Montessori and to conceive of a school that integrates the values of the home with those of social responsibility. With cultural diversity and gender equality among its explicit goals, the schoolhome expands upon Dewey's edict to educate the "whole child", seeking instead to educate all children in the culture's whole heritage. Martin challenges reformers to reclaim the founding father's vision of the nation as a domestic realm, and to imagine a learning environment whose curriculum and classroom practice reflect not merely an economic but a moral investment in the future of our children. More than a summons to action, this book is a call to rethink the assumptions we bring to the educational enterprise, and so, to act wisely.

The Success of College Students with Learning Disabilities: Factors Related to Educational Attainment

Abstract: This study reports on the educational attainment of 62 college students with learning disabilities as compared to a sample of 58 peers matched on gender and ACT composite score (+/- 1 point or exact match). All students were native English speakers and were enrolled as degree candidates in a small, competitive, private, midwestern college. Groups were compared on age, high school preparation and performance, college grades, GPA at the end of each year of study, graduation and academic failure rate, and time taken to complete degree. Factors that may have influenced outcomes are discussed as are implications for college admissions officers, college students with learning disabilities, service providers, and academic advisors.