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The article presents the author's personal collection of artifacts which relates to instructional objectives in the U.S. These include used practice sheets from the classic book on instructional objectives by Robert Mager, a blue and gold bumper sticker which reads "Help Stamp Out Nonbehavioral Objectives!," and an original filmstrip entitled "Educational Objectives." With his years of experience in instructional objectives, the author asserts the necessity of operationality in education. He thinks that proposals for instructional objectives make teachers generate instructions in classroom rather than be a selector on the instructional goals.

The article discusses the comparison of the proposed Mathematics curriculum administered by the Mathematics Curriculum Committee, as part of educational changes in the U.S. Gordon Mackenzie, an author, has observed that the curriculum change process undergo a series of phases, beginning with criticism of the old program and ending in implementation of a newly selected program. He conceptualized the phases in terms of six variables or determiners of the curriculum. These determiners include teachers and students for whom selection will be made, the content, methods, and materials involved in the proposal, and the element of time. After examining the possible effects of the proposed curriculum on each of the six determiners, the proposal with the most desirable profile will be selected.

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.

In this article the author discusses the creation of a system that allowed her to intervene with students struggling with her 11th grade curriculum. The author describes a system of "red flags" that gave her early warning of a student headed for academic difficulty. The article offers three case studies of students assisted in this manner: a student disrupted by difficulties at home, an uncooperative and disengaged girl, and a student in severe academic trouble. In all cases the subjects responded to acceleration and remediation.

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 paper reports on emerging educational experiments that blend various programs that make social responsibility a core element of the curriculum and school culture. Young people in the U.S. are expressing a sense of powerlessness to affect constructive social or political change. Teachers must model the values and principles of care, justice, empowerment, community and social responsibility for their students. To help students see problems holistically, Jay Forrester and others at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have been working with teachers in Brattleboro, Vermont, to integrate system dynamics into the curriculum. Community building means finding ways in which the community can affirm its members and acknowledge its own accomplishments. Community building and developing a sense of social responsibility demand basic social skills such as communication, cooperation, conflict management and perspective taking. Efforts such as Resolving Conflict Creatively Program, sponsored by New York City and Educators for Social Responsibility are improving students' conflict resolution skills. The form community service takes matters less than whether children see it as important and choose it for themselves. A number of schools and school districts have initiated comprehensive schoolwide and districtwide initiatives to educate for social responsibility.

The paper investigates the techniques adopted by various schools in the U.S. on community building. At Central Park East Secondary School in Harlem, New York City, every student is attached to an advisor. These advisors become the point of contact for students and parents with the school. Thayer Junior/Senior High School in Winchester, New Hampshire, has a similar advisory system. Throughout their Thayer careers, students will have only two advisors in six years--one for the two years of junior high, one for the four years of high school. The purpose of advisory at Thayer is the same as Central Park East's: to connect every young person with the school. At Chauncey Elementary in Ohio, students develop a sense of community through their Primary Forum. In their efforts to create a genuine community, each of these schools makes the time and space for every child to find a meaningful role in the classroom and school. To build community among young people these schools discover ways to create a common history for them in the school--Central Park East's and Thayer's advisories, Chauncey's Primary Forum and the multi-aged and heterogeneous groups in Hubbard Woods. Schools with a civic mission open their doors to the world around them. At Fratney Elementary in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to organize the curriculum, teachers use schoolwide themes that connect the school to its neighborhoods.

The article focuses on the efforts in the U.S. to make citizenship education in the schools more meaningful and relevant. Conventional citizenship education has lost its relevance, thus curriculum content and teaching methods need to be improved. Learning opportunities outside the formal classroom walls should be tapped. Students should be exposed to actual situations where their skills in resolving conflicts can be put to test. Cognitive and affective objectives must go hand in hand in teaching the subject.

Examines the computer curriculum in the U.S. Curriculum facets that can be seen as commonplace to all organizations of teaching and learning experiences; Discussion on curriculum and technology.

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 an account of the author's visit to the U.S. to attend conventions on international cooperation in education. The author made her first visit to the U.S. in November 1965 when she attended the Annual Convention of the National Council of Teachers of English. After this, she went on a whistlestop tour, coast to coast, in which, in just under three weeks visited Chicago, Madison, Illinois, Oregon, San Francisco, Washington, Delaware, and New York. In the autumn of 1966 the author spent a whole month at Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, at a seminar on the teaching of English. The author's another visit to the United States was in the spring of 1967. In 1965, she had seen a number of the Curriculum Development centers of the Federal Project English and had come away with a number of impressions of the drive in the teaching of English toward a new academicism in revolt against the intellectual thinness of the "life-adjustment" period--a new academicism which emphasized the body of knowledge that can be subsumed under the subject heading of "English."

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.

A knowledge of all the resources at our disposal, planning to insure their readiness for use, and adaptation to needs of learners are three of the guides to use of materials in this article by Thelma Thorne, assistant professor of Home Economics Education at Washington State College, Pullman. Miss Thorne gives practical suggestions for the guidance of supervisors, in their capacity as resource persons, and classroom teachers as they work directly with children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the pamphlet "What Popular Magazines Say About Education," by William Van Til in the U.S. The pamphlet is designed to help educational writers to be known to the public. This booklet contains summary of the opinion of several writers in 334 magazines and editorials. Most of these writers focused their works on the development of liberal education curriculum. Proposals like using films, radio and field trips to enrich communication skills were proposed. In addition, the writers applied present and past literature in their work.

Emphasizes the important task that lies ahead for the curriculum developers for a pluralistic society in the U.S. Multicultural curriculum utilizing a cultural perspective; Schools' responsibility in setting the stage for conserving the country's resources; Use of the living use philosophy in teaching.

Reports on the approach developed by school administrators in Aurora, Colorado to monitor the implementation of the curriculum. Process of the curriculum development; Implementation of the process; Outcome of the process.

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.

Focuses on the development of an ethics course at the Ethel Walker School in Simsbury, Connecticut. Subjects discussed; Evaluation system; Required discussions in papers written by students; Reactions to the course. INSET: Suggestions for teaching ethics..

Presents an update on trends in the English language curriculum in the U.S. as of December 1983. Use of computers in language arts education; Status of the test-curriculum gap; Commission established for reading educators.

The article presents information on teachers unions, teacher accountability, and curriculum in the U.S. as of October 2013. The author also looks at the role of teachers organizations including the U.S. National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), in addition to educational reform and test-based accountability systems.

The article addresses the anxieties felt by many third graders in U.S. education. It focuses on increased academic demands in the third grade, emphasizing anxiety caused by end-of-grade (EOG) exams. Other aspects of third grade curricula are addressed including independent reading, core content learning, formalized writing assignments, and standardized testing. The authors present examples of how educational collaboration can help students succeed in the third grade, focusing on the use of teacher teams at Hilburn Drive Elementary School and other schools in the Wake County Public Schools district in North Carolina. Other topics include school outreach, tutoring programs, and student instruction on test-taking.

The article discusses the condition of education in the world. According to the author, school disengagement is a major problem in education worldwide. Many countries in the world suffered the problem including, Hong Kong and Pakistan, which has a literacy rate below 50 percent. Also, South Africa is the country where violent crimes are threatening the students on their way to and from school. However, the education system in Finland is considered successful because it offers a free education from nursery through university and their teachers are well paid. In addition, Australia and the U.S. are also successful in engaging young people at risk of leaving school by integrating arts into the curriculum and service learning.

The article explores the influence of test result expectations on overall education practices in U.S. schools, as of 2007. The authors refute certain "myths," which they state are inconsistent with both research and common sense and support misconceptions about the need for a broad curriculum. The myths include: that arts, recess, physical education, and second languages are frills; that a standardized curriculum is essential to student success; that teaching critical thinking and social consciousness is political; that a student's failure to learn results from deficient aptitude or parental failure; and that ability grouping is the most effective setting for student learning. They follow with suggested strategies for engaging children in social and intellectual aspects of school.

The article explores the various facets of teaching in U.S. schools, comparing the needed blend of strong curriculum, presentation, energy, and interest, for example, to the blend of sounds, traditions, techniques, and theories that make up jazz music. The authors present four elements of quality teaching: curriculum that engages learners at the appropriate developmental age, personal connections with students, differentiated instruction or connecting content to the person learning it, and assessment for the purpose of learning. An example of quality teaching is provided through the description of a 9th-grade biology class, in which the teacher is attuned to both individuals and ideas, curriculum is centered on a search for meaning, and assessment informs the process.

The article presents information on the "High Schools That Work" model of blending career and college-preparatory education in U.S. schools. The author suggests that offering all students the same challenges and opportunities that often are offered to only the "best" students could result in increased student engagement and preparedness for success after graduation. The Southern Regional Education Board has been implementing the Schools that Work model for 20 years, as of 2007. It uses 10 key practices, including a rigorous program of study, application of content to real-world problems, emphasis on mathematics, science, literacy, and problem-solving, and interdisciplinary teaching teams.

The article discusses the concept of rigor in education, which is being championed by education reformers. Rigor is the lead component of the new three "Rs" in education, joining relevance and relationships. School districts, in efforts to promote a more rigorous high school curriculum that can better prepare students for colleges, are mandating specific aspects of curricula. The authors discusses the "Big Picture" school reform design, which is committed to providing quality education for underserved urban students, and strategies that teachers can use to bring rigor to student work.

The author asserts that the content of the tests required by the U.S. No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) has become the focus of teaching and learning in public school classrooms throughout the nation. He explains that this is problematic in that states don't usually administer the kinds of tests that measure the skills and knowledge that would lead to quality education for every public school student, and as a result, many of the tests that states have introduced under NCLB are leading instruction in the wrong direction. He explores the demands placed on the testing industry, issues surrounding insufficient state budgets, and problems resulting from tests that measure lower-order competencies, and he suggests steps towards correcting the problems of poor test quality.

This article presents information on the qualities a teacher should possess who are teaching poor and homeless students in the U.S. The best teachers never lose sight of the potential of students. Such teachers hold all they know, all they worry about, all they see of kids in thin jackets or dirty clothes and they continue to believe in the brilliance, creativity, and ability of all their students. There is no condescension or sentimentality in their work with these young people, but there is compassion for them. When teachers teach students who come from shelters across town or who walk to school from a temporary living arrangement with a relative nearby, they do not lower their expectations in terms of class participation or work. But they do show compassion and flexibility in helping such students succeed. Teachers need a relevant curriculum, a pedagogy that puts students' voices at the center of learning; time to listen to and guide students; and a safe place where issues central to students' lives can be explored respectfully. U.S. schools need committed and creative teachers who will find paths around the obstacles that prevent economically disadvantaged students from getting a rich, varied education. INSET: Strategoes for Teaching Economically Struggling Students.

Analyzes the impact of standardized achievement tests on curriculum and student achievement in the U.S. Findings of a research on state testing programs; Socioeconomic factors that influence achievement testing; Concept underlying achievement tests.

Discusses various suggestions for revising the curriculum of social studies in the U.S. as of January 1983. Recommendations of the Project SPAN report on social studies published by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development; Requisites for development of a local social studies curriculum that focuses on important concepts and skills; Precautions to be taken while revising the curriculum.

Looks at the efforts of the University of Hawaii through its Curriculum Research and Development Group to improve curriculum development. Comparison between the U.S. national projects in curriculum development and the Hawaii projects; Combination of writing and teaching roles; Teacher training.

Discusses the increased monitoring and dissemination capabilities of multidisciplinary thinking in the field of curriculum development in the U.S. that facilitate coherence and minimize confusion. Characteristics of society that emphasize on curriculum reform; Criticism of traditional disciplinary approach used by curriculum scholars.

Addresses the question of who owns the curriculum in a democratic society. Inclusion of the U.S. government's disbursement of educational funds; School administrator's retention of decision-making responsibilities; Teacher's view of the curriculum; Elements included in the student view of curriculum; Formation of citizen groups to deal with schools on issues related to the treatment of minorities and poor children.

Focuses on the role played by accountability in the improvement of curriculum development for secondary education in the U.S. Consideration of several theories of accountability; Characteristics of curriculum that define responsibilities of teachers and students.

Discusses how an empirical research model affect the adoption of curriculum platforms which reflect social change. Decker Walker's model to guide empirical research into the process of curriculum development; 'Platform' element of curriculum; Primacy of platform components in Walker's model of curriculum development.

Describes the development of a personalized competency-based doctoral program for curriculum leaders. Basis of further study and experiences; Definition utilized by the faculty; Features of the program.

The article offers news briefs related to education in United States as of April 1974. A report which recommends that the formal school-leaving age should drop to age 14 was issued by the National Commission on the Reform of Secondary Education. The American Institute of Research for the Center for Occupational Education of the U.S. Office of Education prepared a 390-page bulletin entitled "Career Education: A Curriculum Design and Instructional Objectives Catalogue." Moreover, a survey conducted by the National Education Association indicates that New York has the highest per pupil expenditure among the 50 states in U.S.

The article offers news briefs regarding the reinvention of the core curriculum being undertaken in U.S. educational system. A two-day conference with the theme "The Philosophy of Curriculum" has been conducted at Rockefeller University. Two voluntary alternative schools in Berkeley, California have been closed due to allegations that these schools are discriminatory and threatened to withhold funds. The Board of Education of the Denver Public Schools has authorized 175,000 dollars as funding for schools that suggest innovative programs.

Reports that U.S. schools need to change their curriculums to reflect the changes technology is making in the workplace. Evolution of computers and telecommunications; Impact of technological changes on occupational skills; Implications of technological advances for school curriculum and instructional practice.

The article discusses myths and truths about curriculum evaluation in the United States. The following are myths about curriculum evaluation: evaluation interferes with curriculum development; experimental designs are needed for effective evaluation; evaluators must help stipulate program objectives; and evaluation is only a long-term proposition. The following are truths about curriculum evaluation: evaluation and curriculum development are related; curriculum evaluation designs make take various forms; the aims and interests of curriculum developers and evaluators are in harmony; and program objectives should be as representative as possible.

The article discusses the state of planning and program budgeting systems (PPBS) in local school districts in the United States as of 1972. As of 1972, more than 1,000 school districts in 30 states have achieved uneven rates of success with program budgeting. However, as far as their achieving a complete PPBS is concerned, the jury is still out. PPBS is perhaps one of the least understood management science concepts in education. The major source of confusion is the tendency of many to equate program budgeting and PPBS. Problems exist because PPBS has not been portrayed adequately in terms of its instructional implications. The best way to correct this notion is for curriculum specialists to become familiar with PPBS and actively use it to their own advantage in instructional planning.

This article presents information about the current status of the National Assessment program sponsored by the Education Commission of the United States. The National Assessment begins with statements of curriculum objectives and builds a set of exercises to sample each of its major objectives. The purpose is to find out what children are learning. Hence, an important requirement is that the exercises represent what is being learned by the so-called slow learners and what is being learned by the more advanced, as well as what the average are learning. The contractors responsible for constructing the exercises directed that one-third of the exercises were to represent what the lowest third were learning, with one-third representing what the highest third were learning, and one-third representing what the average were learning. The National Assessment exercises demonstrate a technique to enable curriculum workers to appraise what children are learning in terms of the objectives of the curriculum.

The article focuses on educational programs for schools in the U.S. It is recommended that local school systems should consider ways in which the educational program can be improved in terms of providing quality education with equality in educational opportunity, adapting to the community and family living patterns and attaining optimum economic efficiency. It also wisely recommended that such planning be done by those who would be affected by the changes in the school schedule, including teachers, parents, students and other interested groups, and that the public be provided with adequate information about any proposed plan of change before it is adopted as mandatory. The idea of having summer school as a separate program has prevailed as an opportunity to make up required courses or to obtain remedial instruction, as enrichment or special classes for the gifted and as recreational activity. The summer also serves as a safe time to try out new ideas before they are introduced into the regular school program. Summer school is usually optional but sometimes the threat of failure is used to encourage attendance. One of the common plans for year-round education, the Eleven-Month Plan, is to increase the length of the school year to eleven months, leaving a one-month vacation.

This article presents information on Teacher Corps interns in the U.S. These interns are as angry, as militant, as critical as any group, which has seized larger headlines. Dissatisfied though they are, and distrustful of the educational establishment as they most readily admit, these Corpsmen are nonetheless hoping to initiate reform, both in the front lines of teaching and in the teacher preparatory institutions at the rear. These interns constitute a different breed of educator. Not infrequently disrespectful of authority, resentful of tradition, impatient with compromise, these young teachers appear quite out of place in the education classrooms and teachers' lounges across the nation. Or perhaps one should now say that there once was a time when they would have seemed out of place. The interns have a marked commonality; they all express a distinct disgust for educational training at the college level. Regardless of the regions in which they were trained, their comments were strikingly familiar. They echoed the concern "what relevance?" what relevance do these courses have to what is really happening? They seemed especially distressed that their classes differed little if any at all from the regular education courses. These interns wanted that special attention should be given to their Teacher Corps curriculum, several strongly objected that instead of changing the system to meet the needs, one is bent to fit the system.

The article discusses how the issue of racial integration in public schools affect curriculum development in the United States. The author cited various points in connection with the issue in discussion. First, integration of information and learners is invariably a curriculum planning process. Another point is that desegregation of racially imbalanced schools cannot be considered in itself as causing racial integration in schools. The author also argues that failure to follow up desegregation with curricular integration will create critical problems.

The article studies the responsibilities of school supervisors in United States urban school districts. According to the author, in a large school system two basic approaches to central supervision can be used. The first is to hold the entire system to a single approved approach to all instructional problems, and the second is to maintain a flexible and varied curriculum by helping individual schools and even individual teachers to make the fullest use of their own talent and resources. The importance of the role of supervisors in education is also discussed.

The article discusses on the issue related to the powerlessness and irrelevance of the role of school supervisors and curriculum staffs in 1968 in the U.S. Some researchers and education practitioners admitted that the role of supervisors was confusing and their performance were murky. On the other hand, curriculum workers were observed to be lacking on their confidence in terms of their roles and performances. The author emphasizes that supervisors during that period were powerless in dealing with the concerns of teachers.

This article focuses on the criteria for educational innovations in the U.S. Changes within any particular institution may be based on a chance factor, on a desire to change just to try something new, or on a pragmatic plan of action. The innovation initiated to improve on the status quo, either in process or product, is the key to the historical development of each area of man's endeavors, even in those fields as diversified as agriculture, industry, or education. The major criterion for innovation must be that it seeks to change what existed so that what is created is better for the society which it serves. Such innovations, to be pragmatic, must be based on a series of research and developmental procedures which in themselves form criteria from which to evaluate the change. Education encounters immediate difficulties when it attempts to define its objectives in terms of the needs of society. Certain objectives, such as the need to lower the illiteracy rate, can be clearly stated so that the question of innovation is concerned with identifiable areas of the curriculum. On the other hand, many of its objectives remain in necessarily ambiguous statements about preparing the child for adult citizenship and a meaningful life. It is difficult to specify the components for such objectives.

Presents the author's views on the importance of distinguishing clearly between the realms of curriculum and instruction in the United States. Corollary distinction between research in curriculum and research in instruction; Focus of the educational inquiry; Teaching examined as an independent variable; Outcome of the education; Gaps in our present technology of instructional research.