In July and August 2003, five top UK universities offered a range of three-week summer schools to "gifted and talented" 11-16-year-olds. This initiative, heavily subsidized by the UK Government, who wish to push "the cream of the nation's pupils forward", used school holiday time to bring together nominated children from all…

The model of the Big Bang is an integral part of the national curricula in England and Wales. Previous work (e.g. Baxter 1989) has shown that pupils often come into education with many and varied prior misconceptions emanating from both internal and external sources. Whilst virtually all of these misconceptions can be remedied, there will remain…

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…

This paper sets China's education of English majors within the changing global and national context. It examines the impact of accelerating globalisation and the rise of global English, the adjustment of China's English language policy, the growth of the education of English majors and the challenges faced by this sector of education. To adapt to…

This paper explores the Westernization of academic quality within the Papua New Guinea higher education system and the hybridity of the university sector where different actors force knowledge to be created for the needs of a small, formal economy, rather than for the development needs of the country. The country has yet to find a system that best…

In this discussion on the feasibility of establishing a "National" curriculum for physical education, it is pointed out that it would first be necessary to reach an agreement on the overall goals or objectives of physical education. Consensus would have to be obtained on the primary focus of such a curriculum and a realistic set of desired…

As historians, we know that "factual" information should never be uncritically accepted. And yet, too often, that is exactly what we do with the maps we use to locate ourselves and our students. Evelyn Sweerts and Marie-Claire Cavanagh, who now work in a European School in Brussels but until recently worked in English schools, have…

In England and Wales, a National Curriculum initiated in 1988 was designed to ensure that all schools provided a curriculum which represented different areas of knowledge. The past 20 years has increasingly seen more emphasis on the link between the financial amounts spent on education and subsequent return on this money. The impact of the…

Describes current provision of early childhood education in Australia, focusing on the South Australian curriculum, standards, and accountability framework. Argues that educational quality is relative to a particular culture, dependent on one's understanding of optimal child development, of societal priorities, and of the resources available to…

Uses findings of a national longitudinal study to examine the changing role of secondary principals in England and Wales. Explains the United Kingdom's education system, outlines the principal's role within the context of unprecedented educational change, and discusses strategies for coping with changes and balancing roles as educators and…

Describes a program to train English teachers to prepare for Great Britain's National Curriculum. (PRA)

Outlines ways that the core skills recommended by the British Secretary of State can be integrated into the economics A/AS level syllabi. Identifies and discusses these skills in the context of curriculum development. Discusses the implications for the first national examination in 1996. (NL)

Summarizes the principal arguments and recommendations in the report "Beyond 2000: Science Education for the Future," funded by the Nuffield Foundation. Presents a new vision of science education and offers 10 recommendations for change. (DDR)

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)

Reviews 100 years of history and focuses on the relationship between socially controversial biological issues and the decision-making procedures in the construction of the national curriculum. Contains 39 references. (DDR)