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The author shares his perspective on the fundamentals of expository writing criteria for high school students. He asserts that while style, fluency, tone, and correct grammar are certainly important in writing, content has value as well, but across the U.S. even the most prestigious writing workshops for teachers generally bypass substance to focus on style. However, students must know facts, dates, and the viewpoints of various experts and authors to write their college term papers. It is suggested that writing about oneself can be the work of genius, but limiting high school students to thinking and writing almost entirely about themselves can lead them to believe that they don't need to seek information about anything outside of their own feelings and experiences.

Presents information on developments in the field of education in the U.S. Information on consultative services in elementary curriculum development provided by the Ohio Department of Education, to local communities upon request; Report that the Arkansas Department of Education is projecting a program looking toward the preparation of personnel and statutory provision for their employment; Features of the Regents Plan for Postwar Education; Launch of a camp by public schools in Ithaca, New York, based principally on the need for child care outside the homes of parents working in Ithaca industries.

The article addresses the use and purposes of assessment in U.S. education in the early 21st century. The author notes that historically schools have used assessment to highlight student differences and rank students by achievement; he adds that, in 2007, schools are using assessment information to help students meet standards. The author believes that educators must address student confidence and motivation as well as potential, and he suggests using assessment for learning rather than using it only to verify learning. He explains that assessment for learning involves sharing information with students, discussing goals, and providing descriptive feedback to improve performance. He provides descriptive scenarios and suggestions for professional development.

Identifies areas of progress and unresolved problems in achieving educational equality for Hispanic students in the U.S. Statistics on Hispanic enrollment in elementary and secondary education; Perception among Hispanic educators on Spanish-speaking children; Cause of the appeal of a special kind of education.

The article reports news briefs related to education in 1946 in the U.S. The long range curriculum study program in Minneapolis, Minnesota, was directed by Walter A. Anderson. The Department of Education in Maine has conducted a robust curriculum program development. The State Teachers College in Towson, Maryland has studied for a program that would improve teaching through a greater understanding of teachers.

Presents news related to education in the U.S. Willingness of Syracuse University to provide eleventh- and twelfth-year (junior and senior high school) courses for World War II veterans if the New York State Department of Education requests it to render such service; Visit of Clifford P. Archer of the University of Minnesota, now a Major in the Special Service Section of the U. S. Army Service Forces, to Australian schools; Approval of a plan for the production of an outline course of study for the elementary schools by the Curriculum Council of the Kansas City.

The article addresses U.S. high school students' preparedness for higher education. In 2004 approximately two-thirds of U.S. high school graduates continuing on to college, but research shows that only about one-third of students graduating high school in 1998 earned a college degree in four years. The National Research Councils suggests that gaps in education, potentially causing college students problems, include inability to draw inferences, interpret results, conduct research, and generally think deeply about subjects. The author suggests four strategies to help close the learning gap: aligning high school curriculum with college expectations, developing high-quality syllabi in all courses, implementing senior seminars, and adding missing content to high school courses.

The author explains that the commonly accepted fundamental traits of writing which have moved into the lexicon of teachers and students in the U.S. represent a language that empowers them to communicate about qualities of writing: ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency, conventions, and presentation. The terms are used consistently to build understanding of what good writing looks like and to help students generate exceptional texts. However, she asserts that there are many teachers who misunderstand them. For example, many believe the traits represent a writing curriculum, exist independently of the writing process, or constitute a program that can be adopted, rather than a method. In the article, she seeks to clarify what she calls the five trait myths.

Focuses on the professional development school (PDS), a partnership formed by teacher education programs and prekindergarten-12 schools in the U.S. Aim of PDS; Focus of PDS; Information on several PDS activities; Component of teacher education programs; Effects of professional development schools on student and teacher learning; Benefits of PDS pooling resources.

The author discusses an approach to educational change that reframes innovation from something implemented in classroom to something that grows out of them. He cites the difference between innovation-from-above and innovation-from-below. He also discusses the idea that innovations trickle down from research to practice which became a model for education innovation in the U.S., as well as its limitations.

In the article, the author discusses the effectiveness of her "We Are America Project" to hear the stories of students about being American and allow them to learn the history of Americans' fight for justice and equity. Also cited is her seminar on American diversity through the use of landmark U.S. federal laws and Supreme Court cases.

Presents news and developments relevant to teaching and education in the U.S. compiled as of November 1982. Improvement of reading comprehension; Social studies; Communication skills; Styles of teaching and learning.

Examines key issues relevant to school administration in the U.S. Role of school administrators; Accountability of individual administrators; Aspects of team management in schools; Implications for education.

The article reports developments in education in the U.S. The Missouri's Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs had reported a very high percentage of teenagers taking drugs for sociability and relaxation purposes. The Chicago high schools introduced the consumer education as part of the secondary school regular curriculum. West High School biology students of Jerry Schenbrener are conducting experiments on the effects of the 10 commonly used mouthwash.

The article focuses on educational training programs for schools in the U.S. It is proposed that schools, while accepting a minimum number of training responsibilities, should take as their major purpose one of involving students in activities which have no preset objectives, but which meet other specified criteria. Regardless of the underlying bases on which curricula are selected for inclusion in a program, a major problem is that of justifying the activities children are asked to experience. It is the training paradigm perfected during both World Wars and utilized extensively in the armed forces and in industry to prepare persons for specific responsibilities. The ultimate training program is the research-based IPI model used experimentally in a few schools throughout the country. This observation is not meant to fault teachers as a group but merely to observe that in terms of the ways schools are organized. While carrying out a program composed of such activities, a teacher must perform many important and difficult tasks, but the functions seem less perfunctory and more challenging than those carried out under the training regimen.

The article presents the educational programs aiming to develop the concept of innovation in several levels of education in the United States. The program called "Technology for Children Program" implemented in Trenton, New Jersey aims to design a learning environment for children where they are given a chance to interact with various learning materials. Stout State University and Ohio State University developed the "American Industries Projects" which focuses on educating junior high school students about general education through industrial arts. Also included among the programs discussed is San Francisco State College's "Programs of the Center for Technological Education".

The article focuses on the role that guidance play in American education. Guidance is the systematic, professional process of helping the individual through educative and interpretive procedures to gain a better understanding of his own characteristics and potentialities and to relate himself more satisfactorily to social requirements and opportunities, in accord with social and moral values. Presence of a professional organization, called the American Personnel and Guidance Association (APGA) attests further to the rapid expansion of guidance. The APGA consists of eight divisional organizations, the largest of which is the American School Counselor Association with a membership of nearly 10,000. Guidance can best be defined as the services available to each student to facilitate his academic success in school; to help him better understand his strengths and limitations; to identify his interests; to aid him in planning for and attaining realistic goals. The emphasis is always on the individual, even when students meet in groups for guidance purposes.

The article presents the author's views on how the purpose of educational programs has changed over the years. Despite significant improvements in educational programs, there has been little change in the essential structure of schools in the U.S. The purpose of education has changed from that of producing a literate society to that of producing a learning society. Textbooks, tests, and other such items have become the basis for program planning in the U.S. Although research techniques and experimental programs show promise of success, opportunities and attempts to demonstrate their usefulness are still limited.

This article focuses on recent education curriculum development in the U.S. With so many curriculum development projects spawning throughout the U.S., the local curriculum director and the school administrator certainly find it increasingly difficult to keep up-to-date and to decide which developments offer possibilities for their school system. The leadership of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) is well aware of the significance of the task of curriculum decision making in this era of rapid educational change, and of the problem of helping curriculum workers keep abreast of new developments. In the fall of 1961 the Executive Committee of ASCD appointed a new commission. The object of this commission was to establish closer relationship to curriculum projects now under way sponsored by various groups and foundations, to establish liaison with these projects, and to define some standards for evaluating the projects in ways that would be helpful to members of ASCD who must make decisions for use of all or parts of the projects in local school systems. In considering membership for this commission the Executive Committee of ASCD decided that it should be made up of generalists, public school curriculum people who deal with curriculum day by day, and specialists in subject fields.

Presents information related to teachers in the United states. Information that it was not until World War II that the U.S. recognized the need to utilize all of its citizens; Need for manpower at home and abroad which made it imperative that the U.S. utilize each individual to his utmost; Claim that in the period that followed World War II many forces have worked tirelessly to make the U.S. dream a reality; Information on Human Relations Councils created by cities and school systems across the country.

The author advocates for U.S. teachers to have responsibility for their professional development, with administrators providing support by creating a culture in which professional improvement is expected and by assuring time and money are available. The author, an elementary school principal, explains how he worked with teachers to prioritize professional development, and how the teachers took responsibility for budgeting and managing the training. He credits teachers with creative solutions such as sharing learning and planning during paper-bag lunch meetings, swapping responsibilities to lessen the cost of substitute teachers and take advantage of underutilized skills among the staff, and working with paraprofessionals to support the staff in new ways.

The article focuses on the regional education service centers in Texas. The 59th legislature of Texas, which authorized the state board of education to establish media centers, paved the way for the establishment of the regional centers. Twenty regions in Texas were assigned a center by the state board of education. Each center have different patterns of operation although some areas of operation are similar. They have services that cater to the needs of the students. Some of the services of the centers are educational planning, media services, and data processing. Some centers have programs that are only applicable in their regions.

Presents the author's views on the teacher education programs in the U.S. schools. Characteristics of an ideal humane program; Selection of students entering teacher preparation; Role of the public school personnel in education; Need for greater individualization of instruction in teacher education.

Presents news briefs related to education in the U.S. Preparation of guide for teachers dealing with twelve groups of basic mathematical concepts by the Wilmette Public Schools in Illinois; Reference to students in Chicago, Illinois, who has enrolled in after-school program; Information on six school-community councils in Nashville; Recommendation by secondary school English teachers of the Helena Public Schools.

The article presents information about the developments related to education in the U.S. The schools of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, have recently completed an evaluation conducted by a series of committees of teachers and administrators. Three phases were included: a survey of school equipment and buildings, a review of theories and methods of instruction now in use and a study of the part that the schools play in the life of the entire community. University School, Ohio State University, conducted a farm camp for 25 school girls in Lorain County, Ohio, last summer. It was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Members of the elementary school supervisory staff in York, Pennsylvania with the encouragement of their superintendent have gone quietly about the matter of improving human relationships in school and community during the past six years. Recent legislative action has added a twelfth grade to the South Carolina School System. The need for reorganization led to the acceptance of a proposal for a long-term program of curriculum improvement known as the Twelve Year School Program.

Presents news related to education in the U.S. Information on a socio-economic study made by the Georgia State Department of Education; Engagement of Samuel Everett, director of the Junior Red Cross in southeastern Pennsylvania, in curriculum development studies; Program of individualized instruction in reading.

The article deals with the impact of computers on U.S. education. The common curriculum in the average U.S. schools was originally developed to meet the requirements of an industrial economy. Employees in such economy were required to develop basic skills, to be prompt, to work on routine and repetitious tasks and to follow instructions. As that economy developed, the requirements of the workforce also evolved. In this regard, the education sector suggested the addition of new courses such as the inclusion of algebra and information technology in the curriculum of U.S. schools.

The article discusses the evolution in U.S. education from the exclusion of students with disabilities to inclusive education. It discusses the significance of the legislation the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), exclusion and inclusion by race and gender, and the concept of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL).

The article discusses the significance of the concept of neurodiversity in special education in the U.S. It explains the term as defined by journalist Harvey Blume and activist Judy Singer, the differences between neurodiversity and contemporary special education approaches, and states that neurodiversity advocates are expanding efforts beyond focusing on students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to include students with attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

The article evaluates several educational reports about using data effectively including "Good Measures for Good Schools," from the Center for Public Education, "Forum Curriculum for Improving Education Data: A Resource for Local Education Agencies," by the National Forum on Education Statistics, and "Tapping Into the Power of Longitudinal Data: A Guide for School Leaders," by the Data Quality Campaign in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals.

The article presents information on the importance of recess time in U.S. schools. According to a National Center for Education Statistics 2007 survey, 40 percents of U.S. elementary schools have eliminated some recess time in favor of additional academic time to prepare students for benchmark tests. The author argues that research has proven that students are more attentive and less restless after a recess, and also that recall improves when learning is presented in short periods. Also, supervised free time allows students to practice social relationships, practice conflict resolution, and engage in physical exercise.

Discusses qualitative science education programs in schools in the U.S. Views of students on physical science education; Information on the physics programs at Henry Gunn High School in Palo Alto, California; Rate of enrollments in schools offering more qualitative physical science courses.

The article presents information on teaching math and science vocabulary in the U.S. The authors look at the U.S. Common Core State Standards, and academic vocabulary. The article also discusses effective vocabulary instruction techniques, including morphemes, repetition, and visual representations.

Reviews of articles of note, published in the journal "Educational Leadership" during 2012-2013, are presented including "Seven Keys to Effective Feedback," written by Grant Wiggins, "The Common Core Ate My Baby and Other Urban Legends," by Timothy Shanahan, and "The Basics of Blended Instruction," by Catlin R. Tucker.

The author discusses the 2012 implementation of U.S. educational framework the Common Core State Standards, and compares communication between schools and state governments with prior efforts at educational change. Issues such as curriculum revision, educational tests, and teacher development are discussed, as well as state efforts to build digital libraries of educational materials. Educational publishers such as Pearson, a 2012 survey by advocacy group Center on Education Policy, and funding for CCSS implementation are also mentioned.

The article discusses the difference between college preparation and job training in U.S. high schools. The authors, educators from the Educational Policy Improvement Center at the University of Oregon, discuss the importance of communications skills, technological proficiency, and problem solving. Polytech High School in Woodside, Delaware and Sammamish Senior High School in Bellevue, Washington are given as examples of mixing college and career education. The authors recommend that secondary schools encourage students to pursue college and careers by raising standards to college entry level or career requirements, partnering with postsecondary schools or local businesses, and providing students with fundamental knowledge and targeting specific skills to each student's interests.

The article focuses on the genre-with-purpose approach, highlighting different reading processes each genre, and argues that students should be taught these processes. The author suggests that reading is genre-specific because it is approached differently depending on the material, like an email, textbook or magazine article. According to the author, schools in the U.S. mistakenly teach the general writing process independently from the general reading process. The article suggests strategies that teachers can use to incorporate genre study, or the concept of learning genre features, such as encouraging students to read and write for real-world reasons, teaching reading features, and teaching genre-specific strategies so that students can understand how to read genres differently.

An article discussing changes in educational policy following the U.S. government's education stimulus package is presented. Examining legislation such as the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the author notes a shift from traditional quality-based teacher assessments such as number of degrees held, to more holistic assessments which address a number of factors in measuring teacher effectiveness, including meeting student needs and increasing student success rates. Seven key obstacles facing education reform, including shortcomings with traditional assessment tools and tests, and teacher assessments which fail to account for circumstances the teachers cannot control, such as facility problems and access to computers, are also included.

The article discusses the achievement gap in U.S. education between minority and Caucasian children and between poor and rich children. The author considers the effectiveness of several intervention methods, including early childhood education programs like Head Start at preparing minority children for school, charter schools, and whole school interventions at the K-12 education level. Other topics include the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP), mentoring in education, and the benefits of using smaller scale interventions to help students.

The article presents suggestions from schools that won the Education Trust's Dispelling the Myth award about ways to decrease the achievement gap in U.S. schools among minority and low-income students. School principal Elain Thompson talks about academic success belonging to the entire school, not only to students, teachers, and administrators. Former principal Molly Bensinger-Lacy comments on teacher expectations as her key to success. Other suggestions include the importance of performing inspections so principals can directly oversee their schools, educational accountability, tenacity, providing support to teachers, and using measurements of student achievement effectively.

In this article the author examines elements of mastery learning. The discipline is defined as an instructional approach developed by educator Benjamin S. Bloom that incorporates feedback, the corrective process, and congruence among learning components. A number of topics are addressed including the the impact of mastery learning on the Response to Intervention teaching method, the use of diagnostic pre-assessment and pre-teaching, and the importance of of high-quality, group-based initial instruction.

The author discusses the direction of school reform, cautioning against over-simplification and politicization. He discusses an inner-city first-grade classroom in which the teacher has integrated literature, hands-on science and writing, based on the book "A House for Hermit Crab" by Eric Carle. He notes that merit pay incentives would not motivate this teacher, nor would test scores capture the intellectual excitement of the children in her classroom. He notes a National Science Foundation teacher training workshop, attended by this teacher, which immersed teachers in science and helped them to integrate it into their classrooms. He suggests that the resources being spent on testing be directed towards such teacher development training. He calls it the human capital model.