| A Nation at Risk | A 1983 federal report that characterized U.S. schools as mediocre, putting the nation at risk of losing economic and technological ground to other countries. The report called for renewed emphasis on core academic subjects and ushered in the era of "back-to-basics" education.
|
 |
|
|
| acculturation | The acquisition of the dominant culture's norms by a member of the nondominant culture. The nondominant culture typically loses its own culture, language, and sometimes religion in this process.
|
|
|
|
| Americanization | The acculturation of American norms and values.
|
|
|
|
| charter school | A school established by a charter between a local school board or a state government and a group of teachers, parents, and even businesses. A charter school is exempt from many state and local regulations. Designed to promote creative new schools, the charter represents legal permission to try new approaches to educate students. The first charter legislation was passed in Minnesota in 1991.
|
|
|
|
| distance learning | Courses, programs, and training provided to students over long distances through television, the Internet, and other technologies.
|
|
|
|
| Edison Schools | An educational company that contracts with local school districts, promising to improve student achievement while making a profit in the process.
|
|
|
|
| five-factor theory of effective schools | A theory, developed through school effectiveness research, that emphasizes five factors: effective leadership, monitoring student progress, safety, a clear vision, and high expectations.
|
|
|
|
| full service school | Schools that provide a network of social services from nutrition and health care to parental education and transportation, all designed to support the comprehensive educational needs of children.
|
|
|
|
| homeschooling | A growing trend (but a longtime practice) of parents educating their children at home, for religious or philosophical reasons.
|
|
|
|
| magnet school | A specialized school open to all students in a district on a competitive or lottery basis. It provides a method of drawing children away from segregated neighborhood schools while affording unique educational specialties, such as science, math, and the performing arts.
|
|
|
|
| merit pay | A salary system that periodically evaluates teacher performance and uses these evaluations in determining salary.
|
|
|
|
| norm-referenced tests | Tests that compare individual students with others in a designated norm group.
|
|
|
|
| objective-referenced tests | Tests that measure whether students have mastered a designated body of knowledge rather than how they compare with other students in a norm group.
|
|
|
|
| open enrollment | The practice of permitting students to attend the school of their choice within their school system. It is sometimes associated with magnet schools and desegregation efforts.
|
|
|
|
| privatization | The movement toward increased private sector, for-profit involvement in the management of public agencies, including schools.
|
|
|
|
| Reconstructionists | A view of education as a way to improve the quality of life, to reduce the chances of conflict, and to create a more humane world. Also called social reconstructionism.
|
|
|
|
| service credit | By volunteering in a variety of community settings, from nursing homes to child care facilities, students are encouraged to develop a sense of community and meet what is now a high school graduation requirement in some states.
|
|
|
|
| Tenure | A system of employment in which teachers, having served a probationary period, acquire an expectancy of continued employment. The majority of states have tenure laws.
|
|
|
|
| virtual schools | A type of distance education offered through the Internet. Virtual schools provide asynchronous learning and may offer specialized courses not typically found in traditional schools.
|
|
|
|
| voucher | A coupon, issued by the government, representing money targeted for schools. In a voucher system, parents use educational vouchers to "shop" for a school. Schools receive part or all of their per-pupil funding from these vouchers. In theory, good schools would thrive and poor ones would close for lack of students.
|