While the law governing the definition of educational adequacy is still evolving, partial definitions can be gleaned from various state and federal laws and regulations prescribing standards for schools and from judicial interpretations of constitutional and statutory provisions. This document presents the results of such an analysis. After…

A tension exists between the goals of social education and the nature of the compulsory school system. Compulsory education was established late in the 19th century as a response to the trend toward an urban industrial society. The industrial world required workers who were punctual, attentive, and quiet; thus, compulsory education was seen as a…

Briefly explores differences between educational systems in Switzerland and the United States. Discusses 9 assumptions and 21 contradictions concerning shortcomings of compulsory public schooling in the United States. Suggests that schooling has moved away from intellectual development or skills training toward socializing students to become part…

Focuses on English-language education in the Swedish compulsory school, where the framework and foundation for the achievement of English fluency is established. Oral skills and practical aspects of English learning are emphasized in the compulsory school curriculum. (Author/VWL)

Two separate historical traditions have influenced Swedish literacy: the church and formal schooling. In answer to the challenge of the International Literacy Year 1990, Sweden has formed a national committee to address such issues as future literacy missions, support of international understanding, and stimulation of research. The National Board…

Suggests that modern schooling was founded on elitist principles and has resulted in making people dumber, weakening families, replacing religion, lowering incomes, reproducing the class structure by dividing children into classes that correlate closely with family income, and concentrating wealth and power in the hands of a small fraction of the…

Public schooling fails by educating students to become dependent thinkers; by providing irrelevant curricula; and by weakening social institutions such as family, community, and religion. On the other hand, public libraries give students the freedom to choose what they want to read, encourage critical thinking, and be nonjudgmental of students.…

The Dakar Framework for Action represents the most important international political commitment towards promoting Education for All. The Framework contains two gender-based goals. In Article 7 (ii) the participants commit themselves to eliminating "gender disparities in primary and secondary education by 2005". The second commitment is to achieve…

This book provides the international reader with an overview of education for children and young persons in Sweden and indicates trends likely to develop over the next 5 or 10 years. Its main concern is with municipal schooling, which today includes preschool education, the compulsory comprehensive schools for all children between the ages of 7…

This paper, the third in a series, explores some of the implications of compulsory education for public schools, private schools, and home instruction. Based on prior studies and on interviews with 120 education leaders in 15 states, the paper reviews compulsory education policies throughout the nation. It concludes with a recommendation that…

Traces current educational philosophy and practices to 19th-century philosophers who proposed the "mudsill theory," the notion that ordinary children could not be intellectually successful and must be coerced and prepared for work by compulsory schooling. Points to the success of relatively underschooled self-sufficient Lancaster Amish…

Public education is facing a crisis of major proportions, but the things that are basically wrong with schools are not those being emphasized in current proposals for change. This paper identifies two basic defects in the American system of public education: (1) there is too little attention to individual differences; and (2) there is too much…

Harmonized with UNICEF's efforts to reduce hazardous and exploitative forms of child labor, this compilation of key texts examines the area of child labor and basic education. The articles are organized into four main areas covering ideas, debates, evidence, and case studies. The first part provides some definitions of childhood, work,…

Educational innovation in Switzerland is discussed according to complexity and flexibility of educational policy, the amount and nature of innovations, and the place of Swiss educational innovations in international education. Areas in which innovations have occurred include school organization, course content, and teaching objectives and methods.…

This paper presents the state of current Swedish educational reform policy by describing the current state of Swedish education in compulsory comprehensive school (grades 1-9) and in higher education. The volume begins with a chapter on the external social factors affecting education. This is followed by chapters offering a general description of…