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This report was developed in response to the conflicts that have arisen over the mission of the community college. Critics of community colleges claim that the colleges have become unfocused and lost their way in an attempt to be all things to all people, while advocates state that the colleges play a broad, but essential, educational, social, and economic role in society. The paper is intended to clarify some of the underlying assumptions and suggest a framework for analyzing the optimal set of missions for the colleges. Descriptions of the current arguments about the missions of community colleges are presented, including the collegiate or academic function, vocational preparation, economic development activities, remediation, and community service. The authors then assert that integrating several of these functions at a single institution benefits the colleges by allowing them to take advantage of possible complementarities and economies of scope. Specific advantages may include improved coordination between degree programs and customized training, cross-registration among students, and improved competitiveness. However, these functions are in conflict if they are based on insufficient resources or are not properly integrated. Each institution needs to decide how to focus its efforts within a framework of comprehensiveness. Contains 46 references. (CAK)

The gulf between published descriptions of curriculum and the actual experience of students reveals lapses in the intentional pursuit of planned outcomes in many colleges. Few institutions follow a clear path in their curricular planning from overall mission through general education goals, to course design, to assessing learning outcomes. Most students experience a set of disparate requirements without evident connections of clear intentions. Many faculty members teach without clear strategies in pedagogy of knowledge of the institutional or departmental goals their courses should address. Systematic outcomes assessment may help institutions clarify goals and organize curriculum and pedagogy more completely. In addition to the problems of goals, curricula, and educational intentionality, there are problems associated with transfer of students between institutions. The Association of American Colleges and Universities is working to address problems of state-level requirements and goal clarification. At present, institutions are urged to make clear the intentions of their own curricula and to assess student outcomes thoroughly in terms of these intentions. (Author/SLD)

One of the few independent black schools in New England is Paige Academy, a school that is largely based on an African-centered pedagogy. Founded in 1975, the school was initially established as a day care center, and later expanded to include an elementary school, while retaining its infant and toddler day care. The Paige Academy now enrolls 150 students. Students take a variety of courses, including computer technology, English, history, social studies, and science. Another important aspect of Paige Academy is its emphasis on nutrition. The school uses an algae-based supplement and a vegetarian diet to improve the quality of children's nutrition and academic performance. In this interview Angela Paige Cook and Joe Cook, founders (with five other educators) of the academy discuss the establishment and development of the school and the ways in which they have been able to ensure that students at the Academy receive a quality education. These educators think that self-esteem is the main ingredient in preparing students to conquer challenges. Parents are required to participate and the school's teachers make home visits. The Paige Academy's educational philosophy is influenced by the Nguzo Saba, the seven principles of Kwanza. The emphasis is African-centered and multicultural, with three languages spoken daily (English, French, and Spanish). The vision of the educators at the Paige Academy is to make an impact on the African American and urban communities through their model of education in which the community decides what the standards ought to be. (SLD)

Like other major school districts throughout the country, the New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE) has shifted its focus over the last decade from holding high schools accountable for graduation rates to holding them accountable for rates of college and career readiness. There are two major challenges facing both research and policy related to accountability for postsecondary outcomes, however. First, we know relatively little about the conditions under which students are successful in getting college and career ready. Second, we do not yet know in the New York City context to what extent school-level differences in college-going rates are the function of compositional differences--that is, differences in the students' backgrounds and experiences prior to high school--or the function of real differences in school policy and practice. Using an extensive longitudinal database from The New York City Partnership for College Readiness and Success, we employ a variance-partitioning approach to take up these questions. We find, similar to much of the previous literature on school effects, that the bulk of the variation in rates of four-year enrollment is within, rather than between schools, and that compositional effects account for much of the between-school variation. Yet we also find two markers of college-going academic culture that do significantly contribute to the remaining between-school variation: high teacher expectations and access to a college preparatory curriculum. This study also introduces two additional school-level control variables that have not been employed in the national literature on school effects--size and selectivity--and discusses their potential usefulness to the field.

As part of a larger comparison of the school-to-work transition in Switzerland and Great Britain, instruction in mathematics, science, and practical subjects (industrial arts and home economics) in the two countries was compared by two methods: site visits to English and Swiss schools by teams of English teachers and inspectors and analyses of the performance of samples of English and Swiss students on the International Assessment of Educational Progress (IAEP). Of the English and Swiss pupils selected on a representative basis, 47% and 80% participated, respectively. The Swiss students scored significantly higher on the IAEP than the British students did. Although some English students met standards as high as those observed in Switzerland, Swiss students generally appeared to be 1-2 years ahead of their English counterparts. The observed differences between English and Swiss students' levels of achievement were attributed partly to differences in the teaching styles and syllabus content observed in the two countries and partly to the excellence of Swiss primary school teachers. Emphasis on pupils' active involvement in the learning process was greater in Switzerland. (Contains 78 footnotes. Appended is information on a Swiss experiment in comprehensive schooling.) (MN)

The relationship between school characteristics and labor market outcomes was examined through a literature review and an econometric analysis of the effects of various characteristics of the schooling experience on students' labor market performance after high school. Data from the National Center on Education Statistics' longitudinal survey of students (High School and Beyond 1980), were subjected to a number of regressions using two different models. It was discovered that schools make a difference in the labor market performance of those graduates who enter the labor market directly after high school. Some particular characteristics were identified as affecting earnings; however, the aggregation of the school characteristics assembled did not decisively explain differences in the job market performance. Attending a school where up-to-date local job listings were available and information on finding a job was provided, higher family income, higher school test scores, and participation in academic education were all linked with higher postschool earnings, whereas per-pupil expenditure, class size, teacher salaries, and teacher experience were not. (Appended are the following: summary of relevant studies; sources/definitions of variables; means and standard deviations for variables used in the regressions; and the two models.) (MN)

Information and communication technologies (ICT) are being utilized extensively in education and have become an essential aspect of both formal and informal learning worldwide. Related to their widespread availability and use in education, it is suggested that ICT hold tremendous promise for society at large, and in particular, in shaping social and economic development. What then motivates ICT usage in education, in particular? Is education anticipated to produce better users and consumers of ICT for the 21st century? Or, are ICT expected to improve the quality of education for all members of society? Perhaps it is both. This paper argues for a new intentional ICT approach in which a relevant, sensible, and coherent curriculum guides the appropriate and defensible use of ICT for educational quality improvement. This approach focuses on the value of ICT to curricula efforts for educational improvement. The paper seeks to explore concentrations of discourse, research, policy, and practice that occur around ICT in education. Lubin uses the curriculum as a lens and sensitizing concept to explore in a critical manner how ICT are implicated in educational quality improvement. A critical analysis of the current discussions and practices involving ICT may serve to interrupt more common enthusiasm with respect to these innovations and may contribute to the emergence of a balanced collective discussion of their development and implementation in the field of education. A bibliography is included.

Revisions occurring in preparation programs for educational leaders have come about in response to pressures from the larger reform agenda bearing on administrators, calls for improvement in educational leadership, and demands for change in administrator preparation programs. To review the types of revisions being made in these programs, questionnaires completed by 74 of 108 randomly selected chairpersons in departments of educational leadership were analyzed. In general, department chairpersons felt that pressures from the reform movement exerted moderate influence over the way they prepared administrators. Slight to moderate alterations were occurring in student recruitment and selection, course content and clinical experiences, teaching and monitoring student progress, university-school relations, and departmental structure and alterations. The moderate intensity and mixed focus of program revisions may be attributed to the absence of a motive for change. Results from comparing program revisions in University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA) member institutions and non-UCEA institutions are presented in an appendix. Two tables of results are given. (47 references) (EJS)

Few efforts have been made to inject teachers' voices into discussions on school restructuring. Qualitative, in-depth interviews were conducted with 14 teachers to ascertain what the "average" teacher thinks about restructuring. The majority of interviewees held positive perceptions about restructuring, but opinions differed on the feasibility of changing schools. Hopes for interdisciplinary curriculums integrated across time and subject matter and for school climates that fostered a sense of unity were widespread. Teachers also expressed desires for more freedom to teach what they think is best and additional support personnel. Almost all teachers felt that more social and academic benefits would be available to students as a result of restructuring. The interview questionnaire is appended. (26 references) (EJS)

A magnet school has four essential ingredients: a distinctive curriculum; a unique district purpose for voluntary desegregation; an opportunity for school choice; and access to students beyond a district attendance zone. Most magnet schools have one of five types of curricular themes: the fine, applied, or performing arts; the sciences; social studies occupations; general academics; and traditional and fundamental schools. In a 1983 study of 45 magnet schools, 2 out of 3 had enrollments that were racially and ethnically representative of their districts, while the third provided a substantial mix of students by minority subgroups. A 1990 study showed that only one-fifth of magnets practiced selectivity in their admission of students on criteria other than race or ethnicity. Reading achievement data gathered on 32 of the magnets in the 1983 study showed that 26 magnets equaled or exceeded the mean scores for their districts. Well-developed and locally supported magnets can accomplish policy aims that include contributing to a district's attainment of full racial and ethnic equity. If practitioners seek to start up or improve upon magnets in their districts, their considerations should include whether or not district decision makers are committed to quality desegregated education. Notes on studies selected for use in this report are provided. (10 references) (EJS)

What are the key contents related to democratic life in the curricula of civic and citizenship education in Latin American countries? What values and dimensions are most emphasized? This document summarizes the results of a comparative analysis of civic/citizenship curricula for primary and secondary education in six Latin American countries (Colombia, Chile, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Mexico and Paraguay) that participated in the International Civic and Citizenship Study (ICCS-2009) conducted by International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). The document comprises four parts. The first section takes stock of the state of democratic belief in the region, drawing upon the most significant opinion studies of the past decade, so as to offer broader meaning bases for curriculum analysis and, more generally, for educational work in the field of citizenship. The second section describes the organizational (or structural) characteristics of the curricula of the six countries and presents a framework of categories for their comparative analysis. The subsequent section describes and analyses the contents of the six curricula examined and how they deal with the values, institutions and citizenship relations in their civic (political) and civil (coexistence) dimensions. On the basis of the most significant findings, the closing section includes some reflections regarding curriculum development with regard to citizenship. A list of the official curriculum documents of the six countries included in the analysis is provided in an annex. A bibliography is included.

Innovation is essential for the education sector. The ways in which curriculum decision making is organised reflects different implicit approaches on how educational systems pertain to promote innovation in education. Curriculum holds an outstanding place when seeking to promote innovation in education, as it reflects the vision for education by indicating knowledge, skills and values to be taught to students. It may express not only "what" should be taught to students, but also "how" the students should be taught. Curriculum innovations can include new subjects, combinations of old subjects or cross-cutting learning objectives. They may also take a form of new content, concepts, sequencing, time allocation or pedagogy. This paper characterises two contrasted approaches to curriculum decision making and bringing about innovations in education. At one extreme, a prescriptive central curriculum implicitly places the initiative for educational innovations at the level of the central administration. This approach provides strong incentives for schools and teachers to adapt innovations that would not otherwise take place. Innovations, supported by policy measures and informed by research, are brought within the reach of all schools and teachers in an equitable manner. The challenge is then to accommodate local needs and ensure the commitment to and implementation of innovations by schools and teachers. At the other extreme, decentralised curriculum decision making provides schools--and perhaps even teachers--with room to create their own educational innovations. This approach allows for experimentation relevant to individual students and local communities. Innovations are meant to spread through horizontal networks of schools and teachers. The challenge is then to provide incentives for individual schools and teachers to innovate or adapt innovations and ensure that they have equal capacity to do so. The paper provides an overview of various possible approaches linking curriculum policy to educational innovation, it shows that OECD countries can mix these approaches and it discusses elements that can affect those innovations in reality. Focusing on public lower-secondary education, it draws on various OECD and UNESCO data. First, the paper suggests that OECD education systems differ clearly when looking at formal curriculum decision making, although no system relies on a purely central or school-based approach to curriculum innovations. Second, several elements can reduce the "innovation power" of the central curriculum and the "innovation flexibility" of the decentralised curriculum. Third, stakeholders--such as experts, teachers and parents--are able to influence curriculum innovations differently at central and school levels. Innovations in central-level curriculum appear to have widespread possibilities to rely on expert knowledge with consultation with practitioners, parents and the wider public. School level curriculum innovations appear to build mainly on principals and teachers' knowledge with an indirect influence from experts and parents. Annexed are: (1) Emerging Curriculum Themes in OECD Countries; (2) Approaches to Bringing About Competence-Based Curriculum; (3) Central Level Curriculum in OECD Countries; (4) Details on the Implicit Approaches to Curriculum Innovations; and (5) Roles of Parents in Decision Making on Education Policy. (Contains 13 tables, 4 charts, 5 boxes and 20 notes.)

This working paper describes some of the ideas underpinning NZCER's Future-Focused Issues (FFI) project. There is a variety of ways to interpret what it means to take a "future focus" in education. This paper explains why the FFI project has focused primarily on concepts specifically mentioned in relation to "future focus" in "The New Zealand Curriculum": sustainability, enterprise, globalisation and citizenship. It introduces the notion of "wicked problems"--challenges characteristic of the 21st century that intertwine future-focused issues--and what these may mean for society and education. Finally, it outlines what we have learned in our studies of education in relation to the FFIs. Appended are: (1) Previous NZCER projects that the future-focused issues project draws on; and (2) Previous NZCER projects that the future-focused issues project draws on. (Contains 3 figures, 2 tables and 9 footnotes.)

The current debates on the purpose and role of education are linked to social imaginaries which should be convening and achievable. At the core of these imaginaries is the construction of a more just society. Increasingly, education is viewed as a necessary condition for such visions to be achievable. However, this situation is concomitant with the spreading of citizens' strong distrust in governments' capacity to shape and implement long-term educational policies, and in the effectiveness of the education system to respond to contemporary challenges and problems. The quality of education is often questioned, especially as it is increasingly measured by the results of national and international assessments. The traditional organization of the teaching and learning process and content are increasingly perceived as outdated with regards to the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values (the "competences") needed to live in an ever-changing world and a century that is filled with uncertainties, but also opportunities. The functioning of the school system is increasingly questioned by international and national assessments that tend to take the place of the curriculum in the teaching and learning process (Savolainen & Halinen 2009) and "make judgements" about its effectiveness. In a context characterized by serious concerns and incessant claims, giving a convincing purpose to education and learning must become a priority in the effort to redefine the ultimate goals pursued by national societies. It is also essential that the renewed significance given to education and learning raises the enthusiasm of teachers, families, and communities, and encourages students to engage in their learning. Within this conceptual framework, the curriculum can be considered as a means to providing content and coherence to education policies. This framework can also help strengthen the links between education policy and curriculum reform, and provide a more effective response to the expectations and demands of youth and society. A bibliography is included.

This paper discusses issues related to the teaching and assessment of 21st century skills and competencies in OECD countries drawing on the findings of a questionnaire study and other relevant background material such as white papers or curriculum documents. Although all OECD countries were invited to participate in the questionnaire survey, responses were received from seventeen countries or regions, and the paper focuses primarily on this group. The paper presents a short discussion of the importance and relevance of 21st century skills and competencies in the current policy debate and the definitions and conceptual frameworks that have been used in the literature, and proposes a new three-dimensional framework, consisting of the dimensions of information, communication and ethics and social impact. The findings of the questionnaire survey show that most countries or regions cover 21st century skills and competencies in their regulations, guidelines or recommendations for compulsory education. However, there are few specific definitions of these skills and competencies at national or regional level and virtually no clear formative or summative assessment policies for these skills. The only evaluation regarding their teaching is often left to external inspectors as part of their whole school audits. Similarly there are few teacher training programmes that target the teaching or development of 21st century skills, although there exist several teacher training initiatives that focus on developing teachers' ICT pedagogical skills, most of them optional. The paper discusses the implications of these findings especially with regard to the particular role of ICT in the development of these skills and competencies, and issues related to assessment practices and teacher training. (Contains 6 footnotes.)