The Progress of Education Reform: Citizenship Education PDF - This issue of The Progress of Education Reform examines research on what constitutes citizenship education, how citizenship education contributes to the acquisition of 21st century skills and civic learning opportunity and achievement gaps. (Jennifer Piscatelli, Education Commission of the States, October 2010)...

Lessons from abroad: International review of primary languages - This report covers international research and developments in early language learning and focuses on the issues and challenges which are common to all education systems and need to be addressed if primary language teaching is to be a success. (CfBT Education Trust, Nov 2012)...

2012 Shape of the Nation Report - This report finds that although 74.5% of states require physical education in elementary through high school, most don't mandate a specific amount of instruction and nearly half allow waivers and substitutions. Publishers recommend elementary school children get 30 minutes a day and high school students get 45 minutes a day. (National Association for Sport and Physical Education, November 2012)...

HIV, Other STD, and Pregnancy Prevention Education in Public Secondary Schools - 45 States, 2008-2010 - This report summarizes a CDC study which indicated that, in 2010, the percentage of secondary schools teaching topics on HIV, other STD, and pregnancy prevention in a required course in grades 6-12 was significantly lower compared with 2008. The report concludes that secondary schools can increase efforts to teach all age-appropriate HIV, other STD, and pregnancy prevention topics to help reduce risk behaviors among students. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, April 2012)...

Untapped Potential: The Status of Middle School Science Education in California - This report summarizes new research that examines the status of science education in California’s middle school classrooms. The authors found that the state’s middle school students do not have the opportunities they need to participate in high-quality science learning experiences, because the conditions that would support such learning are rarely in place. However, the authors assert that California’s middle schools are, in many ways, well positioned to offer science instruction. (The Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning at WestEd., April 2012) ...

Achievement Effects of Four Early Elementary School Math Curricula: Findings for First and Second Graders - Many U.S. children start school with weak math skills and there are differences between students from different socioeconomic backgrounds—those from poor families lag behind those from affluent ones. These differences also grow over time, resulting in substantial differences in math achievement by the time students reach the fourth grade. The purpose of this large-scale, national study is to determine whether some early elementary school math curricula are more effective than others at improving student math achievement. (Institute of Education Sciences, October 2010)...

Surveys of Enacted Curriculum: A Guide for SEC Collaborative State and Local Coordinators - The Surveys of Enacted Curriculum (SEC) are a set of data-collection tools used with teachers of mathematics, science and English language arts to collect and report consistent data on current instructional practices and content being taught in classrooms. This guide discusses: (1) the history, development and findings to date of the SEC; (2) applications of the SEC in education; (3) available SEC tools and services; (4) the membership and benefits of the SEC collaborative; (5) the steps in planning a state or local SEC project; and (6) the steps in planning for SEC survey data collection. Available in the appendices are: (1) answers to frequently asked questions; (2) sample SEC charts, graphs and maps; (3) additional SEC services; (4) costs of SEC tools and services; and (5) a state or local SEC project planning template. (Council of Chief State School Officers and the SEC Collaborative, 2005)...

Data on Enacted Curriculum Study: Summary of Findings - This report is the culmination of a three-year research project designed to measure (1) the effects of the Data on Enacted Curriculum (DEC) professional development model in improving middle grades math and science instruction; (2) the extent of variation in instructional practices and content in middle grades math and science; and (3) how the DEC professional development model is being implemented at the school level in large urban districts. In Appendix C, beginning on page 81 (86 of 100), charts indicate the degree of disconnect between the content of classroom instruction and that of the state standards in specific skills and knowledge areas in math and science in the five participating urban districts. (Rolf K. Blank, Council of Chief State School Officers, 2004)...

Five Years of Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Education: Assessing the Impact - U.S. teens have the highest birth rate and one of the highest rates of sexually transmitted infections in the industrialized world. The debate on how best to address this issue pits those supporting comprehensive sex education programs against those supporting abstinence-only-until-marriage programs. This study evaluates 10 states’ abstinence-only programs to determine their short- and long-term effectiveness in delaying sexual activity among teens. The author reports that none of the programs show evidence of long-term impact on delaying sexual activity, and that they negatively impact youth’s willingness to use contraception. The report includes a chart illustrating the short- and long-term effects of the programs as well as information regarding each state's effort. (Debra Hauser, Advocates for Youth, 2004)...

Do Students Have Too Much Homework? - Claims that American students are staggering under greatly increased homework assignments are unfounded, according to this report, which states that U.S. high school students' homework load has been diminishing every year since 1987. The only increase has been among children age 6-8, 55% of whom had homework in 1997, as opposed to 34% in 1981. (The Brown Center on Education Policy, Brookings Institute, October 2003)...

NAEP Economics Assessment (Coming Soon) - The first-ever NAEP economics assessment is scheduled to be given in 2006 to students in 12th grade. The assessment framework, specifications and background variables are currently being developed. (National Center for Education Statistics, 2003) ...

No Geographer Left Behind: A Policy Guide to Geography Education and the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 - This paper traces the history of geography education in the U.S. from the 1980s to the present, and addresses the programs within the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) that can support geography, defined as a “core academic subject’ in the Act. Recommendations also are provided on how local, state and national leaders can make the most of the opportunities available in geography education, including creating an information campaign to familiarize geography teachers, school administrators and the Geography Alliance Network with NCLB and the opportunities it offers, improving the quality of geography teaching through development programs, and ensuring the continuation of such student assessments in geography as NAEP. (Ryan Daley, Geography Education National Implementation Project, May 2003)...

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP): Foreign Language - The first-ever NAEP assessment in foreign language will be pilot-tested in fall 2003 and administered in fall 2004, reporting 12th-graders' proficiency in Spanish on a nationwide level. This page provides further information about the content, methods and goals of the assessment. (National Center for Education Statistics, 2002)...