Standardization is one of the defining aspects of modern life, its presence so pervasive that it is usually taken for granted. However cumbersome, onerous, or simply puzzling certain standards may be, their fundamental purpose in streamlining procedures, regulating behaviors, and predicting results is rarely questioned. Indeed, the invisibility of infrastructure and the imperative of standardizing processes signify their absolute necessity. Increasingly, however, social scientists are beginning to examine the origins and effects of the standards that underpin the technology and practices of everyday life. Standards and Their Stories explores how we interact with the network of standards that shape our lives in ways both obvious and invisible. The main chapters analyze standardization in biomedical research, government bureaucracies, the insurance industry, labor markets, and computer technology, providing detailed accounts of the invention of "standard humans" for medical testing and life insurance actuarial tables, the imposition of chronological age as a biographical determinant, the accepted means of determining labor productivity, the creation of international standards for the preservation and access of metadata, and the global consequences of "ASCII imperialism" and the use of English as the lingua franca of the Internet. Accompanying these in-depth critiques are a series of examples that depict an almost infinite variety of standards, from the controversies surrounding the European Union's supposed regulation of banana curvature to the minimum health requirements for immigrants at Ellis Island, conflicting (and ever-increasing) food portion sizes, and the impact of standardized punishment metrics like "Three Strikes" laws. The volume begins with a pioneering essay from Susan Leigh Star and Martha Lampland on the nature of standards in everyday life that brings together strands from the several fields represented in the book. In an appendix, the editors provide a guide for teaching courses in this emerging interdisciplinary field, which they term "infrastructure studies," making Standards and Their Stories ideal for scholars, students, and those curious about why coffins are becoming wider, for instance, or why the Financial Accounting Standards Board refused to classify September 11 as an "extraordinary" event.

This book investigates standards as the recipes that shape not only the physical world, but human social interactions. The author outlines the history of formal standards and describes how modern science came to be associated with the moral-technical project of standardization of both people and things. The author also explores how standards are intimately connected to power, empowering some but disempowering others.

This book answers how openness became the defining principle of the information age, examining the history of information networks.

Susan Ohanian recounts her quest to make sense of the Standards educational movement.

This book provides practical strategies for how to implement core ideas for the classroom, school, and home communities. All students can be college and career ready scholars-reading, writing, speaking, listening, and using language in real world ways. This book answers all your questions about how to master core teaching and core learning. And it's all about what you, your students, and their families can do right now to become Core Ready.

"We believe that our educational system must guarantee a learning environment in which all children can learn and achieve their own kind of individually configured excellence -- an environment that nurtures their unique talents and creativity; understands, respects, and incorporates the diversity of their experiences into the learning process; and cultivates their personal commitment to enduring habits of life-long learning." From http://www.ccsso.org INTASC 1992, Preamble INTASC was formed to ensure that all our P-12 students have the same base of knowledge and also that all teachers must meet the same standards for licensing. Recent reform such as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 have brought the standards movement to the public eye. This book was written to provide what is often the missing piece of teacher preparation coursework-real-life experiences. Written in ten chapters with twenty cases, this supplementary methods text provides problem-based learning opportunities involving the use of authentic dilemmas and concerns. The cases are open-ended and require critical thinking skills and analysis by the student. A theme of the book is that teachers are human beings who are confronted with all the problems of daily life. Readers of this text are urged to read and analyze the case stories, not only with an eye to finding educational solutions, but also with a keen awareness of how the strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, and lingering concerns of each teacher affect their daily performance. What we must remember is that while standards may serve as practical guidelines, it is individuals who are accountable for carrying out ethically good actions. This text aims to educate a new generation of teachers in how to find solutions to varying problems and make reflective decisions, and in so doing achieve their goal of educating their class to meet the standards of today.

"This is an era of extraordinary promise and support for addressing the needs of California’s English learners. That’s why this book, The California ELD Standards Companion, is so important. It’s exactly the kind of bridge teachers need between standards and what it looks like in the classroom." —LAURIE OLSEN, Strategic Adviser, The Sobrato Early Academic Language (SEAL) Initiative Just for California teachers! California teachers: you’re going to love this! Here at last is that single teaching resource for making the critical link between our ELD Standards and the CCSS ELA Standards. Standard by standard, you’ll quickly discover how to integrate language development into your day-to-day content instruction, armed with an insider’s understanding of how best to support our many English learners. Modeled after Jim Burke’s Common Core series, this Grades 6-8 volume of The California ELD Standards Companion is every bit "that version of the standards you wish you had" because it’s just so easy to digest and apply. It’s all here: Horizontal and vertical views reveal how each ELD Standard changes and progresses grade by grade and proficiency level by proficiency level. What the Student Does Sections, also scannable by grade and proficiency level, unpack in student-friendly language what meeting a standard looks like in practice. CCSS ELA Standards are displayed side by side with California’s ELD Standards so you can appreciate the purposeful alignment between the two as the basis for remodeling instructional practice. What the Teacher Does Sections provide specific instructional guidance by grade band, including student prompts and tips for differentiation across proficiency level. A dedicated vocabulary section offers a quick-reference glossary of key words and phrases as they are used within each ELD Standard. Each section concludes with a vignette from the California ELA/ELD Framework to illustrate exemplary standards-based instruction. Thanks to the ELD Standards, we are now free to teach our ELs the way we knew best all along: language and content taught hand in hand across the school day. Lean on Ivannia Soto and Linda Carstens’ California ELD Standards Companion as your one-stop guide for delivering that excellent education our ELs so deeply deserve.