Focus on: Curriculum & Teachers
Education Week’s 2010 series on the issues, trends, and research into curriculum and teaching.
- Federal Standards Organizers Leave English Proficiency to StatesThe two national groups leading the effort plan to leave it up to states to craft their own English-proficiency standards.Federal Common-Standards Draft Excludes ELL ProficiencyThe two national groups leading the effort plan to leave it up to states to craft their own English-proficiency standards.Teaching Profession Union Plan for Revising ESEA Differs From Obama BlueprintThe teachers' union says its blueprint for renewing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act offers a fresh approach to the law.Teaching N.Y.C. School Built Around Unorthodox Use of TimeA small public high school structures educators’ roles and schedules so that students—and teachers—have more time to learn.Standards Core Knowledge to Link Curriculum to Core StandardsSatisfied with the standards crafted by the multistate initiative, the foundation will make free its content-focused K-8 sequence.Science Web Connects K-12 Students With ScientistsUniversities and science organizations have launched initiatives to make advanced scientific work seem less intimidating and more appealing.Federal 'Striving Readers' Tough to MeasureStriving Readers, which the Obama administration wants to expand, has not shown impressive student-achievement results so far.Budget & Finance California Faces a Curriculum CrisisExtensive changes to the state’s curriculum policies have raised concerns that educators will not have the guidance to pick the best texts.Teaching Profession Unions Set Sights on High-Profile Charter-Network SchoolsTeachers have formed collective bargaining units in schools run by some of the best-known charter school management organizations.Teaching Profession Pensions Blamed for Costing Schools New TalentAs baby-boomers inch closer to retirement and the economy continues to sputter, there are renewed worries about pension-fund liabilities cropping up across the nation.Federal Great Depression a Timely Class TopicBecause of the parallels teachers are able to draw between the current economic crisis and the Depression, students can see history is relevant.Federal Professionals Enrich Classroom Lessons With ExpertiseSome schools have long tapped into a corps of professionals in the arts, math, science, and history as a way of enriching the curriculum and engaging students in activities that bring the content to life.Equity & Diversity Native American History, Culture Gaining Traction in State CurriculaA growing number of states make American Indian history and culture a formal part of what all students should learn.Teaching Historic Election and New Tech Tools Yield Promising Vistas for LearningJust as the candidates have learned to use novel technology tools to reach young people during this year’s presidential campaign, teachers are turning to electronic resources to capture students’ interest in the election.Federal Networking Teachers Coaxing Colleagues to Use TechnologyThe Discovery Educator Network offers hundreds of webinars, blogs, meetings, and workshops to help explain and show how various devices and applications work and ways to adapt them to the curriculum.Curriculum Districts and Partners Coordinate on Arts EducationChicago relies on partnerships with local organizations and support from private funders to keep arts education going in the face of budgetary and curricular constraints.Federal National-Board Teachers Found to Be EffectiveNational Research Council, however, turns up little evidence, to suggest credential has transformed field.School Climate & Safety Districts Take Action to Stem Violence Aimed at TeachersExperts caution that reliable and up-to-date statistics on student violence against teachers can be hard to acquire. National and district data show a drop in such violence over the past decade.Curriculum Letter to the Editor Clearing Up Possible Confusion About Urban Debate LeaguesThe author contends that a recent Education Week article mischaracterizes urban debate leagues' work.Federal Leagues Revive Debate in City SchoolsThe urban demise of debate leagues closed off a training ground for careers in law, business, and public service and a distinctive outlet for mouthy and some mousy kids who didn't necessarily take well to classroom society.Federal Flagging Economy Propels Financial EducationConcerns about the foundering economy are helping to highlight the need to improve students’ understanding of money matters.Teaching Profession Districts Discharge Unwanted Faculty Through ‘Buyouts’Some teachers, under a professional cloud, are paid to leave their jobs. It's a fact little examined in schools or policy circles, and mostly unknown to the public.School Climate & Safety Ed. Schools Beef Up Classroom-Management TrainingSome colleges of education have in recent years increased their focus on training aspiring educators to handle disruptive students.Curriculum Foreign-Languages Acquisition a Vital Part of District’s MissionThe 8,000-student Glastonbury school district outside Hartford, Conn., is now viewed as a model for meeting the demand for graduates with language skills and an understanding of other countries and cultures.Federal Federal Rule Yields Hope for ScienceProponents of science education expect that the law mandating science tests could compel schools to carve out more time for the subject.Teaching Profession Policies Allow Districts to Cut Corners With SubstitutesThe majority of states don’t require substitutes to have more than a high school diploma.