Taiwan's effort to provide a compulsory ninth grade education for its citizens has led to a 700 percent increase in the number of schools since 1950, reflecting a tremendous effort by the Taiwan government to provide public education, in their belief that an educated populace is the secret to a nation's success. While there is a noticeable lack of…

This paper is a survey of school-to-work transition issues as they have developed in Europe. It contains discussion about the activities, research, and programs of each of four important international organizations, with particular stress on the period after 1975. These organizations are the European Community, the Organisation for Economic…

Since 1985, a group of scholars has formed the School Expansion Workshop to examine empirical evidence for causal theories of school expansion. This book contains a collection of articles that are the result of the workshop's annual meetings. Specifically, the book asks, What forces are driving the spread of mass schooling? The preface, by Bruce…

The current textbook series used in the compulsory cycle's English instruction has been the subject of much criticism, including the suggestions that it is too structurally oriented, contains little interesting or motivating material, has little functional or communicative content, is not Jordanianized but has only a surface Jordanian element, is…

Based on the alleged growth in the number of families seeking unapproved alternative schooling arrangements, this paper reviews related state legislation and court litigation. Both home schooling and small, unapproved private schools are discussed. According to the paper, in virtually every state, enforcement of minimum standards for private…

Outlines a model of educational change in state school systems. Argues that the enactment of compulsory attendance marks the formal beginning of a state system and that then the newly-formed institution begins to undergo self-generating change. (KH)

The dominant position science education has been granted in Britain's National Curriculum is challenged. It is argued that, far from increasing the need to know science, developments in technology actually reduce the need. It is suggested that efforts to direct school science education toward broader environmental issues are doomed to failure. (KR)

Scholar Ivan Illich discusses his educational experiences, the people who influenced his views regarding education, his proposal for "deschooling" society, and how he has concluded that compulsory schooling is a form of social control that creates a class society with many more school failures and dropouts than successes. (LP)

Examines the relationship between centralization and public education. Suggests that compulsory schooling is key to the increasingly centralized and "managed" nature of society and that the nationalization of schooling has undermined individual rights to liberty and democracy. Advocates that communities be responsible for their children and for…

Discusses the various definitions of home education and how the term can give rise to misinterpretations. Covers recent changes to legislation and policy relating to home education in some European countries, such as France and Ireland. Argues that governments should conduct well reasoned, objective research before considering measures to limit…

Most states require compulsory attendance of students through age 16. Challenges to the compulsory attendance laws often derive from disputes between parents and school officials over home instruction. This paper reviews prominent court cases that address legal issues pertaining to home schooling. The landmark case of "Pierce v. Society of…

Argues that high schools may deal with serious academic and disciplinary problems by legitimizing student withdrawal while ensuring the possibility of reentry. Contends that compulsory education without high academic standards undermines the educational system. Uses the example of George and Ira Gershwin to support an elective dropout program. (AF)

In May 1990, the Ministry of National Education announced its Education Renewal Strategy (ERS) for education in South Africa to seek short- and medium-term managerial solutions for some of the nation's most pressing educational needs. This ERS advances five major policy recommendations for a future education model: (1) race should not be a factor…

The five essays in this book criticize the "deadening heart" of compulsory state schooling, described as a series of assumptions and structures that stamp out the self-knowledge, curiosity, concentration and solitude essential to learning--a system wherein education and schooling are mutually exclusive terms. The book argues that between schooling…

Under Allied influence following World War II, the Japanese educational system was reorganized on a 6-3-3 basis, with the first 9 years compulsory. The lower secondary curriculum established in 1947 included many compulsory subjects--Japanese, Social Studies, Mathematics, Science, Music, Drawing and Fine Arts, Physical Education, and Vocational…