Curriculum Issues


Feature Writer Articles in Curriculum Issues

 		How to Fix America's Schools
American education is losing momentum to other countries. How can this declining situation be fixed?
Michigan Tougher Standards
Rigor and Relevance is the latest buzz phrase in education. It makes a great banner but how is it playing in real life? Michigan knows.
Hands-On Science More Effective
Nations that surpass the U.S. in science teach students by a different method. They don't teach out of a book -- the method is hands-on.
School Proficiencies Inconsistent
With No Child Left Behind mandates, each state sets levels of proficiency. Some are high and some are very low. Where does your state fall?
Not Ready For College
How many students are actually prepared to do college work? The ACT Inc. president says only 34 percent have the skills to be successful.
College Remedial Math Increasing
Students are not doing better in math even after taking advanced classes in high school. Learn how it is possible to need remediation after taking advanced classes.
Learning and Technology
A new federal study gives us a surprising answer. Find out what the results were after a major two-year study using computer software for reading and math.
Vocational High Schools
What would happen if students in your high school could exchange rigorous graduation requirements preparing them for college for career paths in high school?
Chinese: The New Super Language
The Chinese economy is becoming one of the strongest forces on the planet. Successful businessmen of the future will need to be fluent in Chinese.
Advanced Placement Scrutinized
The College Board is beginning to question whether all AP classes have enough rigor. Scores are dropping. Teachers of the classes are being subjected to audits.
Hot Jobs: Skilled Workers
Technical colleges, community colleges, junior colleges. Whatever they are labeled, the graduating students are in demand now more than ever before.
Becoming An American
It was my privilege to accompany a family member through the citizenship process this month. It is an amazing and emotional experience.
Effective Science Labs
What makes one science lab better than another? One Boston school thinks labs should be a primary learning tool and not a secondary amenity.
New H. S. Subject: Filmmaking
High schools traditionally offer construction, auto mechanics, and graphic design as alternative classes. But, teaching students to make films?
Teachers and Business Cooperate
Ben Zion Hershberg of the Courier-Journal in Louisville, Kentucky writes about teachers going on field trips.
Boys and School
It is a fact that boys struggle more academically than girls. Educational statistics support this statement. The mystery is why this is happening.
Dropouts Give Reasons
Some high schools have a 40% and even 50% drop out rate. Find out what students give as the reasons for quitting school.
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Contributing Articles in Curriculum Issues

 		Understanding the Career Pathways Program
Career Pathways provides educators with a program to help students identify how their interests and abilities can become a career.
Destroying Hidden Curriculum
Why is there a significant achievement gap amongst minority children? One major issue causing certain children to be left behind: Hidden Curriculum.
Using Movies in the Classroom
Using movies in the classroom can be an effective way for teachers to engage students in course material if teachers take some important precautions.
Book Banning From the Bible to Blubber
Schools across America employ reading teams to make choices for the best literature available to students, but do they always choose wisely?
Service Learning Projects in Higher Education
Implementing service learning projects in higher education not only gives students valuable "real world" experiences but also helps organizations in the local community.
The Research Paper as Science Experiment
Thinking about research-based writing as a kind of science experiment can help students in science, technology, engineering, and math gain confidence as writers.
Experiential Education
Experiential education is defined, simply, as learning by doing. Experiential learning activities can help students better learn and retain course concepts.
Death to the Research Paper
The research paper is a tradition in many college classes. Teachers should consider other ways of preparing students to do research that are more engaging and relevant.
The Importance of a Liberal Arts Education
Liberal arts courses are typically prerequisites for later studies, and though they may not directly apply to a future degree area, are vitally important for education.
Social Emotional Standards in the K-12 Classroom
Promoting social emotional learning at all levels enriches content and skills instruction, meets state mandates, and helps students become caring, compassionate adults.
College Writing Encourages Enhanced Learning
Research shows that college students who write a lot of papers increase their learning capacity and maximize their ability to be effective thinkers in a complex world.
Readicide by Educator Kelly Gallagher
Teacher Kelly Gallagher takes No Child Left Behind to task, says schools are killing reading, and tells his readers what to do about it in his new book. Read the review.
Why Kids Need Recess
New studies on recess show that children actually receive great benefits from a little playtime every day.
Patchwork Lesson Plans
For the unprepared teacher, showing a movie in class or deciding to discuss "current events" may be a daily lifeline, but such activities undermine curricular goals.
Grading and Reading Student Papers
The temptation to skim student papers may lead to higher incidents of cheating and plagiarism and may damage the academic reputation of the teacher.
Improve the Memory for Higher Exam Grades
The short term memory remembers everything - temporarily. The long term memory will keep recalling indefinitely. How does one get the information from one to the other?
A Quick Glimpse of Heterogeneous Grouped Classes
Every classroom has its own dynamics. In a heterogeneous grouped class, there are strategies on how to work with and form a strong mixed level learning environment.
High School Summer Reading Programs
Schools need to develop summer reading programs that are realistic and conform to subject areas goals and outcomes.
Education Mashups for the 21st Century
Educators have long instructed on a basis of separating subjects. A new concept, mashing, allows for synergy and creative thinking across multiple disciplines.
Putting Together a Student Research Team
Undergraduate assignments increasingly involve group research projects. Here's how to maximise the effectiveness of a group project by choosing the right members.
Charter Schools for Refugee Children in USA
Charter schools in Minnesota with an ethnic focus have a positive impact on African & Hmong refugee children's learning, and support assimilation into American culture.
Teaching Religion in Public High Schools
Incorporating religion classes on the high school level may answer those critics advocating a values based curriculum while introducing students to global perspectives.
Grade Inflation in High Schools
Both grade inflation that produces an abnormal number of superior scores as well as restructuring testing mechanisms to avoid failure percentages harms the process.
Using End of Course Evaluations in High School
The great danger of high school end of course evaluations rests in subjective questions and comments that do more to intimidate teachers rather than producing good facts.
Different Approaches to Teaching Reading
Teachers have to pull out every trick in their bag if they hope to teach their students how to read well. Children learn in different ways and need different approaches.
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