OVERVIEW
For centuries, generations of families have congregated in the same community or in the same general region of the country. Children grew up expecting to earn a living much like their fathers and mothers or other adults in their community. Any advanced skills they required beyond the three R's (Readin', Ritin' and Rithmatik) were determined by the local community and incorporated into the curriculum of the local schools. These advanced skills were taught to the up-and-coming generation so they could become a vital part of their community.
The last several decades has greatly expanded the bounds of the 'community' to almost anywhere in the country or anywhere in the world for that matter. Advances in transportation and communication has made the world a much smaller place then the world we knew as children. The skills our children need to realize parents' perpetual dream of 'their children having a better life' are no longer limited to those seen in the local area.
It is becoming more and more apparent that the education system of yesterday cannot adequately prepare students for life and work in the 21st Century. These concerns have prompted people across the country to take a hard look at our education system and to organize their efforts to chance the education system as we know it.
WHAT'S HAPPENING OUT THERE?
There are two major movements in recent years whose focus is to enhance the education of future generations. The 'Standards' movement focuses on educational content and raising the standards of traditional teaching and measurement means and methods. The 'Outcome Based Education' (OBE) movement is exploring new ways of designing education and changing the way we measure the effectiveness of education by focusing on results or outcomes.
STANDARDS MOVEMENT
ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ In September 1989, President Bush and the nation's governors called...