Schools in England are radically changing their organization and governance, casting aside the founding principle of the 1944 Education Act that education is a public service and abandoning the ideal of education as nurturing a sense of community. This book presents a portrait of a successful comprehensive school, between the years 1980 and 2000.…

It is difficult to know whether widening access to schools which provide a more academically oriented general education makes a difference to average educational achievement. We make use of reforms affecting admission to the "high ability" track in Northern Ireland, but not England. The comparison of educational outcomes between Northern…

The problems and future of university adult education and the importance of adult education to the educational and social progress of the United Kingdom provide the bases of this report. The Universities Council for Adult Education is currently made up of representatives from 39 colleges and universities in the United Kingdom. Following a…

The introduction of market-oriented practices in the English education system was accompanied by promises of greater equality and democracy. However, the compatibility of the latter with the market has been contested on moral, theoretical and methodological grounds. This study will explore the relevant debate focusing on two seminal points of the…

Discusses the characteristics of the Open University in terms of the nature of technology, technology education objectives, undergraduate teaching, and post experience courses. Indicates that inclusion of materials produced at Open University into teaching curricula is beneficial to the institution, both economically and academically. (CC)

In the spring of 1991 a two-part questionnaire was mailed to a nationwide sample of 100 uppersecondary teachers in England. Usable responses were received from 72 teachers. The purposes of this study were the following: (1) to describe the impact of the 1988 British Reform Act on Education; (2) to determine teacher perceptions in selected publicly…

The English education system is undergoing radical change initiated by central government. Extensive delegation of financial control to the school level has been paralleled by introduction of a national curriculum and open enrollment. This paper explains England's educational finance structure and the central government's interest in delegated…

The steps which led to the establishment of the Open University in Great Britain and the intentions of its founders are first described, with particular attention paid to the needs it was intended and not intended to meet. Following this is an examination of the evidence to date of the University's success in reaching its target student…

Gives a brief historical background of education in England and describes the effects of the Education Reform Act of 1988 to undermine the powers of local education authorities. Cites open enrollment, local management of schools, grant-maintained schools and city technology schools, teacher performance appraisals, and the national curriculum as…

Three essays are collected in this study of access to higher education in other countries: "Part-Time Undergraduate Studies in Ontario," by Robert M. Pike; "Access to Higher Education in England and Wales," by Naomi E. S. McIntosh; and "Strategies for a Broader Enrollment in Swedish Higher Education," by Urban…

A study evaluated the 83 basic skills open learning centers established in England and Wales to improve opportunities for adults and young people to improve essential basic skills. They were established in a variety of locations, ranging from further education colleges or adult education centers to libraries and shops. The most successful centers…