Mathematics curriculum documentation currently presents important information and messages for New Zealand teachers. Mathematical processes are not explicitly set out but embedded in different locations and there are multiple sources of proxy official curriculum information for the primary school. This article identifies and discusses examples of…

Curriculum plays an important role in ensuring continuity and progression from early childhood education and care (ECEC) to primary education. The alignment of curricula and standards across these settings shapes children's early experiences with education systems, with implications for children's relationships and engagement in both ECEC and…

This paper explores the challenges for teachers in positioning them as independent curriculum makers. History teachers in New Zealand have recently entered uncharted territory with the abandonment of prescribed topics for history and a new-found authority to determine the selection of historical knowledge taught to their senior secondary students.…

The revised New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) was introduced in 2007 and seen as an opportunity for schools and communities to work together to provide a curriculum that reflected local needs. The NZC identifies learning areas providing students with the foundation on which they can develop and later specialise. It would be expected that this broad…

"An International Study in Competency Education: Postcards from Abroad" seeks to highlight components of competency education in international practice, to inform US policymakers and decision makers seeking to implement high-quality competency pathways at the state or local level. Other countries are studying our innovations, and we are…

This article provides an analysis of the rise of 'scientific management' and 'social efficiency' theories in the early 1900s, traces their impact on the structure and administration of education systems, and critically analyses their contribution to the emergence of a new orthodoxy--outcomes-based education (OBE) approaches to school curriculum…

For many years computing in New Zealand schools was focused on teaching students how to use computers, and there was little opportunity for students to learn about programming and computer science as formal subjects. In this article we review a series of initiatives that occurred from 2007 to 2009 that led to programming and computer science being…

In New Zealand the polytechnic sector embraces a range of post-compulsory education fields. Fields as diverse as nursing, business, social work and English as a Second Language (ESL) may co-exist on polytechnic campuses and are subject to similar curriculum documentation processes. The common competency-based framework and discourse of such…

The recently elected National Government has proceeded, under urgency, to pass the Education (National Standards) Amendment Bill, legislation that seeks to provide specific information for both schools and parents about how well every primary and intermediate school student (Years 1 to 8) is progressing in literacy and numeracy compared with other…

Looks at the Thomas Report of 1943 and its subsequent outcome, and suggests some of the factors that need to be considered in future attempts to reform the schools. (Published by the New Zealand Council for Educational Research, Education House, 178-182 Willis Street, Wellington, New Zealand.) (Author)

The recent structural reforms in New Zealand education have enabled the liberalisation of upper secondary school curricula to the point where schools can devise programmes that lead to nationally recognised vocational qualifications. Strategies include close relationships with further education providers whereby instructional materials or direct…

Discusses geography teaching, past and present, by focusing on ideas of Russian anarchist, Peter Kropotkin, and then describing Forms 5 to 7 of the New Zealand syllabus. Reviews the syllabus stressing that it is successful in providing ways to organize knowledge, but is less so on research as an orderly intellectual activity. (CMK)

The issue of developing a new framework of industry programs for vocational education in the United States was examined in a study of the current status of programmatic structures nationally and among the 50 states. The following are among the topics that were explored: (1) the rationale for a new programmatic framework in the context of changing…

This book, which is designed primarily for undergraduate and graduate students of education, contains 12 papers devoted the New Labour's policies for schools in the United Kingdom. "Introduction" (Jim Docking) presents an overview of the book's contents and lists questions to help evaluate the effectiveness of New Labour's educational…