Archived: The Educational System in the United States ...

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The Educational System in the United States: Case Study Findings

National Institute on Student Achievement, Curriculum, and Assessment Office of Educational Research and Improvement U.S. Department of Education

Acknowledgments

The Case Study Project was directed by Harold Stevenson and co-directed by ShinYing Lee of the University of Michigan's Center for Human Growth and Development. From careful conceptual planning to the insightful feedback on multiple drafts of these chapters, their leadership has been inspirational and motivating. The project was administered by Roberta Nerison-Low, whose attention to the day-to-day management of a project unfolding on three continents made the entire endeavor possible.

We would like to thank Lois Peak of the National Center for Education Statistics at the U.S. Department of Education, who coordinated the Case Study Project with the other major studies in this collaborative effort. We would like to thank those at Westat, Inc., especially Trevor Williams and Nancy Caldwell, who provided administrative and organizational support. Our appreciation also goes to the members of the advisory panel who provided useful comments on the chapter drafts, including Robert LeVine and others. We also thank David Uttal and Kathleen Darling for providing us with knowledgeable assistance in the planning stages of the project. In addition, we would like to acknowledge and thank the individuals who researched and wrote the literature review of the topics slated to be investigated in the case studies in Japan, Germany and the United States. The contributing authors include Mark A. Ashwill, David Crystal, William C. Foraker, Chris Frasz, Andrew Fuligni, Barbara K. Hofer, Kazuo Kato, Wolfgang Mack, Carolyn A. McCarty, Mark Milotich, Ute Milotich, Naoko Moriyoshi, Roberta Nerison-Low, Heidi Schweingruber, and Douglas Trelfa.

Our greatest debt of gratitude is owed to all of the teachers, parents, students, and administrators who allowed us into their schools, their homes, and their lives and took the time to talk with us. Without their generous participation this project would have never come to fruition.

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Contents

Acknowledgments .........................................................................................

iii

Notes on Researchers and Authors .............................................................

xiii

Executive Summary .....................................................................................

xv

Chapter 1

Rationale for the Study ..................................... 1

By: Barbara Hofer

Introduction ...................................................................................................

1

Methodology ..................................................................................................

2

Structure of the United States School System ..............................................

4

Funding and Governance ..........................................................................

5

The Research Sites ........................................................................................

5

Selection of Schools ...................................................................................

6

Descriptions of Schools .................................................................................

6

Metro City Area Elementary Schools .........................................................

7

Metro City Area Junior High/Middle Schools ...........................................

8

Metro City Area Senior High Schools ........................................................

9

West City Area Schools .............................................................................

11

East City Area Schools ...............................................................................

11

Organization of the Volume ..........................................................................

12

National Standards .....................................................................................

12

Individual Differences ................................................................................

13

The Role of School in Adolescents' Lives .................................................

13

Teacher Participation and Teachers' Lives ...............................................

13

Chapter 2

The Development and Implementation of Education Standards in the United States ...... 15

By: Roberta Nerison-Low and Mark A. Ashwill

Introduction ...................................................................................................

15

Methodology ..............................................................................................

17

National-Level Initiatives ...............................................................................

19

National Education Goals ..........................................................................

19

National Standards .....................................................................................

21

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