Curriculum and Instruction

Congress will consider a proposal to spend $2.35 billion for K-12 reading initiatives once served by Reading First and other efforts.

Making public schools all that they can be will take more than today’s superficial prescriptions, writes educational psychologist James Farwell. It will take real commitment and a clear-headed vision.

Five science education advocates argue that the country can no longer afford to ignore that the period from kindergarten through 4th grade is "a peak window of opportunity for teaching basic science concepts."

The Arizona Senate Bill 1309, the "Parents Bill of Rights," which requires parental consent before their child can receive any sexual education in school takes effect Thursday.

Toddlers are learning German, Spanish, Chinese, Swedish in 'immersion' preschools.

Seven leading civil rights groups are urging U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to dismantle core pieces of his education plan, including Race to the Top.

On Aug. 2, the state Board of Education will consider this major shift in how California's public schools teach reading when it votes on a controversial set of national Common Core Standards. If proponents prevail, California will join the majority of states in adopting the first nationwide standards for public education.

Concern over the Gulf oil spill will increase both students' and the public’s interest in science education, writes Siemens Foundation President Jeniffer Harper-Taylor, but that interest must be met with creative efforts to bolster science teaching.

The state board's vote is seen as a tipping point in the effort to set common guidelines for what students learn in school.

A Fordham Institute review says that the common core standards are an improvement over teaching guidelines now used in 33 states.

Supporters say the state would be the first to require study of environmental literacy in order to get a high school diploma.