Since the United States has National Goals for Education, National Assessment of Educational Progress, a National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, a "National Initiative" in reading and the language arts, a National Commission on Excellence in Education, why not have a National Curriculum? Two questions arise: (1) does the…

The first paper, "Pupils--Panaceas and Pragmatism," provides background on computer-assisted instruction and national programs in Great Britain for introducing computers into the schools. The second paper (untitled) looks at the status of computers in education in Great Britain, the effects of the national curriculum on computer use, and…

In 1984 Australia's federal government decided to reactivate the Curriculum Development Centre, an agency abandoned in the early 1980's for political and economic reasons. This paper examines the context in which the center currently acts and the operations that it conducts. The paper first considers background issues related to national…

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…

A national curriculum in physical education for the elementary and secondary schools will not solve the problems prevalent in current physical education curricula. In terms of feasibility, it is not clear that a consensus could be reached among physical educators or that a national curriculum could change local programs, or that it could be…

This paper summarizes the results of a research project completed by three doctoral students enrolled in an advanced curriculum development course at the University of Southern Mississippi (Hattiesburg). The students used a mock trial format to consider reasons to support establishment of a national curriculum (concerning the American public's…

In 1989, England implemented the National Curriculum for state schools, which made prescriptive demands on teaching content and approach. This study discusses the requirements of and the controversies surrounding the National Curriculum, and the titles of books being promoted for student reading which reflect long-established children's fiction…

A study was conducted in England in 1990 to determine the impact of the l988 Education Act, which requires all primary school teachers of the 5-16 age group to pursue a common and detailed national curriculum in each subject. This legislation mirrors the trend within educational systems towards centrally determined goals with local responsibility…

Early childhood education in New Zealand includes the education of children from birth until entry into school. A national early childhood curriculum is expected to support the partnership between Maori people and the Crown established by the Treaty of Waitangi. This paper discusses the development of some national guidelines for early childhood…

This study examined the hypothesis that academic achievement affects different components of self-concept. Also investigated was the possible influence of nationality in modifying the relationship between academic achievement and self-concept, by comparing Slovenian and French subjects. The findings of two-factor (academic achievement x…

The experience of an elementary school implementing the Touchstones Program--an approach to assessment within the proposed National Curriculum (NC) in England--is described, after which teacher reaction to the NC and fundamental beliefs about the nature of education are considered. The Touchstones assessment consist of 10 cross-curricular group…

A program for national educational evaluation was established in Sweden in 1989. In 1992, a second data collection was carried out. The program is designed to serve national and local purposes of evaluation. One concept that has been emphasized strongly is an "explorative way of working." Evaluating an explorative way of working is a…

As part of the national assessment program in Sweden there have been two attempts to gain insight into students'"know-how" with knowledge. The first was a study conducted in 1992 that showed that students had not reached the goals established by the Swedish national curriculum for ninth graders with regard to an exploratory and critical…

The use of performance based evaluation on a national scale with 7-year-olds in the United Kingdom is described, and the impact of national assessment on teaching practice and implications of this type of assessment are considered. The national assessment program in the United Kingdom started in earnest in 1991 when all 7-year-olds were assessed…

Australian employers' appraisal and use of vocational education and training (VET) qualifications were examined through case studies of 15 small, medium, and large organizations in 8 of Australia's "old" and "new" economy industries. Data were collected through interviews with management/employer representatives, middle…