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2 The National Context
Pages 15-24

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From page 15...
... I n 1981 the newspaper Education Week published its first issue, two years before the National Commission on Excellence in Education released its report A Nation at Risk. In the April 22, 2009, issue, founding editor Ronald Wolk critically examined five basic assertions to show why the United States is still a "nation at risk." At the convocation, Kathy DiRanna, who began running an elementary science program in 1983 for 15
From page 16...
... .  Wolk's first assertion is The best way to improve student performance and close achievement gaps is to establish rigorous content standards and a core curriculum for all schools -- preferably on a national basis.
From page 17...
... And 69 percent agreed that it contributed to teacher burnout and to teachers leaving the field. Ideally, standards and research on the understanding of students guide the development of formative assessments, which in turn drive A major report released just prior to the convocation (National Research Council, 2009)
From page 18...
... . For additional information about treating teaching as a profession, see National Research Council (2000a)
From page 19...
... As with mandated learning, attitudes and For an additional perspective, see National Research Council (1998)
From page 20...
... This requires a rich curriculum that encourages students to do this kind of work.11 Finally, research is becoming available that demonstrates the efficacy of inquiry-based instruction (National Research Council, 2000a; Yoon et Additional information about research on high school dropouts is available from National Research Council (2001a) and National Research Council and Institute of Medicine (2003)
From page 21...
... docID=54990. 13 For additional information about this study, see National Academy of ­Engineering and National Research Council (2009)
From page 22...
... In the first scenario, which he described as the status quo, K-12 engineering education remains largely below the radar of educators, policy makers, and the public, and national K-12 STEM reform continues to focus on mathematics and science. In an innovation model, the number and size of K-12 engineering programs grow dramatically, so that they become more visible and popular with educators and policy makers.
From page 23...
... THE NATIONAL CONTEXT 23 Glossary of Education Terms Direct instruction -- instruction in which a teacher explicitly teaches a set of skills or knowledge base through lectures or demonstrations Formative assessment -- assessment that takes place during the learning or teaching process to gauge student progress and improve learning Inquiry-based learning -- a student-centered means of education in which stu dents seek answers to challenging questions with guidance from teachers and other resources Learning trajectory -- the conceptual and cognitive path by which learning might proceed Summative assessment -- assessment after the completion of learning activities to gauge the mastery of concepts or development of skills


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