Displaying 1-6 of 6 results
Report
10.24.2003
Accountability & Testing, School Finance, Charter Schools

The State Testing Program for Ohio and How It Works: A Primer for Charter Schools

Amy Germuth

With the passage of the politics-governance Act (NCLB), states have had to adjust their accountability systems to comply with federal law. As a result, in the summer of 2003 Ohio's Governor Taft signed House Bill 3, which dramatically changed the state's assessment system and what it means for charter schools. This report helps charter school leaders coordinate their testing and data reporting procedures to meet state and federal guidelines, in the hope that all students might surpass Ohio's academic expectations.

Report
8.1.2003
Curriculum & Instruction

Terrorists, Despots, and Democracy: What Our Children Need to Know

Richard Rodriguez, Kenneth R. Weinstein, Victor Davis Hanson, Walter Russell Mead

This new report from the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation includes the voices of 29 political leaders, education practitioners, and cultural analysts who discuss what schools should teach about U.S. history, American ideals, and American civic life in the wake of 9/11, the war on terror, and the liberation of Iraq.

Report
8.1.2003
Curriculum & Instruction

Where Did Social Studies Go Wrong?

Kathleen Porter-Magee, James Leming, Lucien Ellington

This new report from the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation consists of penetrating critiques by renegade social studies educators who fault the regnant teaching methods and curricular ideas of their field and suggest how it can be reformed. While nearly everyone recognizes that American students don't know much about history and civics, these analysts probe the causes of this ignorance-and lay primary responsibility at the feet of the social studies 'establishment' to which they belong.

Report
8.1.2003
Curriculum & Instruction

Six Questions to Ask on Back to School Night

A good, well-organized social studies curriculum seeks to teach students the key events, issues, and people in America's past, how our government works, our rights and responsibilities as citizens, and how our predecessors fought to defend democracy. How can parents tell whether their children are getting such a curriculum in school?one that is rich in historical content and provides a solid base for future learning? The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation suggests asking teachers and principals these six questions on back to school night.

Report
2.1.2003
Curriculum & Instruction

The Best of Both Worlds: Blending History and Geography in the K-12 Curriculum

David W. Saxe, David J. Rutherford, Richard G. Boehm

Geography plays a crucial role in shaping history, and the study of history provides an important context for students learning geography, but teachers rarely take advantage of the complementary nature of these subjects. This report shows how the study of U.S. history can be enriched by blending geography into the curriculum. The centerpiece is an innovative curriculum framework in which each historical period is supplemented and enriched by the introduction of relevant geography.

Report
1.1.2003
Accountability & Testing

Can Failing Schools be Fixed?

Ronald C. Brady

Will the sanctions for failing schools laid out in the politics-governance Act (NCLB) succeed in turning those schools around? This report draws on the results of previous efforts to overhaul failing schools to provide a glimpse at what may be expected from NCLB-style interventions. The results: no intervention strategy has a success rate greater than 50%, so policymakers are urged to consider additional options for children trapped in failing schools.