A recent Thomas B. Fordham Foundation report rated California Mathematical Standards first among the states and ahead of Japan. There was nothing in the midcentury precollegiate mathematics curriculum that is irrelevant today or not required by competent schools. A national mathematics curriculum is reflected in the nation's standardized testing.…

The national curriculum in Japan is termed the Course of Study, the revised version of which was implemented in 2000 for kindergarten, or nursery schools, and since 2002 for elementary or primary schools. The Course of Study for Science specifies content only in broad terms, placing the greatest emphasis on process, learning to learn and…

In revising their kindergarten curriculum, Japanese educators have adapted Western ideas of creativity and expression. Explains that this is especially visible in the goal of "expression" in the current kindergarten curriculum. Provides details on the new curriculum's aims, specifically in relation to the use of Japanese paper and…

Compares the Japanese educational system with that in England. Discusses the structure of school levels and examinations, the curriculum, and informal educational practices and cultural expectations. Notes the place of science study in the Japanese system. (Author/WRM)

Discusses current problems with English-language education in Japan. Highlights the new features that the Japanese Ministry of Education is planning, including the compulsory study hours for all students at all levels. (Author/VWL)

This book is a collection of works that explore the implications of a national U.S. curriculum through the study of Japanese education. It consists of 10 chapters: (1) "The Development of the Course of Study and the Structure of Educational Reform in Japan" (Hiroshi Azuma); (2) "Setting National Standards: Educational Reform, Social…

Analyzed the sixth and seventh national curricula of Korea and middle school English textbooks that were adopted on the basis of both curriculums to critically compare the differences between the two the curriculums. Also compares Korean curricula with those of Japanese, considering the situation concerning English education is similar in Japan…

This study examined how textbooks from England, Japan, Sweden, and the United States portray America's role in World War II. Analysis of the central story lines revealed that historical information purveyed to students in different nations varies considerably. Accordingly, U.S. textbooks emphasize the significant and pre-eminent role that the…

Japan's Central Council on Education was established in 1987 and charged with recommending changes in the national curriculum. Expected changes within the next five years include reducing the school week to five days, introducing a program for gifted and talented students, providing more full-time counselors, improving and integrating…

Compares provision for and the practice of craft education in England (and Wales) and Japan. Focuses on craft within the national curriculum subject of art at the lower secondary level, and on art teachers' perceptions of its educational value and the factors impacting delivery of craft education. (Contains 34 references.) (Author/SV)

Japan has often been criticized for allegedly teaching its schoolchildren about the history of Imperial Japan 1895-1945 in selective and misleading ways. Is this criticism justified, and how does it compare with the record of another former colonial power in East Asia: England? International criticism of history teaching in England has been…

The 2002 restructuring of the national curriculum in all Japanese public elementary and secondary schools includes a reduction and reallocation of instructional hours, and the addition of a new "integrated studies" course, with an emphasis on more individualized, cross-curricular thematic projects. This reform comes at a time when a…

Japan's educational system, in particular its K-12 schools, remains one of the very best in the world. This digest provides an overview of the following topics: (1) Japanese educational achievements; (2) the structure of K-12 education in Japan; (3) the K-12 curriculum, with an emphasis on social studies education; (4) educational reform in Japan;…

Most American visitors to Japanese senior high schools have observed only the very best public academic schools in the nation. Two-thirds of Japanese students attend other schools. This book presents findings of a case study that focused on the 12th-grade experience in a Japanese public general high school. The data were supplemented by visits to…

As the second volume of a seven-volume series, this book describes curriculum development as three interrelated processes: planning, enacting, and evaluating. Curriculum development is a dynamic process that happens among learners and teachers in the classroom. In this volume, readers will encounter teachers, curriculum developers, and…