A report commissioned in 1983 by the National Commission on Excellence in Education which suggested that the nation’s education system was not reaching the standards of excellence and rigor necessary. It also opined that other problems with the U.S. education system placed the nation at risk of falling well behind

Another school model that promotes the concept of school choice is open enrollment, enabling students to attend any public school that has vacancies. Minnesota was the first state to introduce the concept of open enrollment in 1988 and was closely followed by some additional states. Today, the majority of American

Were established to attract students to attend a school other than their assigned neighborhood school. Not only did these schools offer a distinctive curriculum; many also offered a first-rate education based on innovative approaches to teaching. Given these educational opportunities, many parents were persuaded to choose magnet schools for their

The voucher program, in which school education vouchers allow parents to use federal funds for private tuition, has been toyed with since the 1950s. Many agree with the use of vouchers in theory, but practical problems make it difficult to implement their use. It’s tricky to come up with an

The process of educating children inside of your home, instead of relying on a traditional school environment. Homeschooling can be conducted by a parent, tutor, or online instructor. Discontent with traditional schools is the impetus for the popularity of homeschooling. The advent of the Internet has been one of the

Instruction is delivered in virtual schools without the need for a physical space or infrastructure because learning takes place primarily via technology. Virtual schools also offer everything available to students in physical schools, such as rules that must be followed, a teaching staff, organized field trips, and parent-teacher conferences. Although

Have emerged rapidly across the United States over the past two decades. These programs were precipitated by calls for changes in teacher education programs, as well as to relieve teacher shortages in certain subject areas and certain regions of the nation. All programs must meet state teacher education program standards

Is designed to ensure that students are learning, by comparing their current knowledge and skills against their previous knowledge and skills. In essence, this type of assessment focuses on student growth, rather than comparisons to other students or accomplishments of specific achievement levels. The value-added assessment provides an objective way

This occurs when a teacher does not adequately perform his or her supervisory duties, and as a result, a student is hurt. For example, a teacher leaves the classroom to drop something off at the office, and two students engage in a fight in the interim. The teacher is guilty

Serves as an individual evaluation system, and as a way to compare performance across a spectrum and populations. However, with so many different kinds of assessments for so many different organizations available (and often required) these days, it can sometimes be hard to keep the real purpose of assessing in