This study examined the impact of Scotland's national curriculum for students ages 5-14 on: teachers' constructs of their teaching, assumptions about students' learning, and interpretations of and accommodations for student differences. Observations and interviews indicated that teachers had not internalized distinctive curriculum features in…

Reports on the state of transition in governance in English primary schools following the Education Reform Act. Analyzes contemporary primary school practices and their antecedents, then considers a proposed national curriculum and associated assessment procedures. Focuses on the preparedness of teachers to implement changes in the classroom and…

Learning no longer takes place as effectively as it did before in most current Korean classrooms. Many teachers have voiced concerns about a notably reduced level of students' interest in and enthusiasm for learning school materials, lack of students' attention to their lectures, and lack of students' involvement in classroom activities. This…

The overarching aim of this research in the proposal was the following: In a number of early childhood centres and early years school classrooms that have already begun to explore in this area, to investigate effective pedagogy designed to develop five learning competencies over time. This project was developed in response to curriculum reform in…

Among the provisions of the British Educational Reform Act of 1988 are arrangements for a national system of student assessment using nationally provided tests (SATs) in most subjects and formal teacher assessment to complement information from the externally provided assessment tasks. How teachers are reacting to these reforms was studied through…

The practical application of multicultural education to the British elementary school classroom is discussed, taking into account the 1988 Education Reform Act and the attainment targets of the British National Curriculum. Part 1 explores the historical development of multicultural education, considering sex and class inequality and local and…

In Finland and England, national policy on subject- versus child-centered curriculum are moving in opposite directions. Comparative studies of four small elementary schools indicate that teachers' beliefs, values, and practices were powerful mediators of their interpretations and responses to imposed changes, and the ethos of very small schools…

In post-apartheid South Africa, a lack of adequate resources and political expertise obstructed implementation of a new outcomes-based curriculum. A policy review committee subsequently made sweeping recommendations for implementation. The experience highlights the need to determine the role of education and what schools can realistically…

This article reassesses the contribution of the Plowden Report (1967) to educational thinking in the United Kingdom. It discusses how the report was scapegoated by politicians advocating a performance-led approach and suggests the report, which advocated a holistic, child-centered educational approach, has much to contribute to present educational…

Maintains the 1991 publication of the English/Welsh National Curriculum was followed by new history textbooks. Reviews 36 textbooks on their coverage of women and women's issues on 3 core units. Concludes with an evaluation of the impact of these resources on initiatives to integrate women's experiences into history. (CFR)

Asserts that new government policies must be mediated and implemented through teachers. Maintains that research among some teachers reveals a number of creative adaptations to the English National Curriculum. Describes four aspects of this adaption and argues that they are all related to self-determination. (CFR)

Asserts that the debate about competency-based teacher education is in its early stages and is hampered by lack of conceptual clarity. Discusses the importance of considering competence within a framework that includes higher order thinking. Describes competence as a state where behavior, cognition, and feeling are balanced. (CFR)

Business should participate in school reform but has too narrow a perspective to guide it. Nationalizing education through comparative testing is a move to cut spending for social services, to increase accountability and efficiency without increasing financial responsibility or equity. Imposing private-sector rules on public education undermines…

This book advances a program for national educational reform by arguing that the nation already has a national curriculum by default, which is based on advance placement examinations, textbook publishers, and college admissions requirements that must be replaced by national goals that preserve local control through national coordination of…

Explores British and American policy analysts' disparate perceptions about utility of major educational reforms (school-based management, school choice, and national standards). The Tories got carried away with their ideological agenda and have alienated teachers and the public. American educators are debating centralization/decentralization, but…