This, the second of three annual reports by the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), continues to track central policy and developments in the implementation of the British National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies (NLS and NNS). The report considers value for money in their funding and on the perception and experience of the…

In this collection, educators from the United Kingdom debate the history, purposes, achievements, and future direction of the National Curriculum. Differing points of view about the value of the National Curriculum are expressed. More than half of the essays focus on specific aspects of the curriculum. The selections are: (1) "What Place for…

Reviews the "Guidance Arrangements" consultation document issued with "Higher Still" (proposed new Scottish upper secondary curricula). Argues that the paper ignores the full implications for educational change in Higher Still and misses the opportunity for timely modernization of school guidance. Advocates a cross-curricular…

A British study of the experiences of bilingual students and monolingual English speakers looked at issues related to awareness of language variation and language learning strategies. It was concluded that the National Curriculum has serious limitations regarding equal opportunities and quality of education for bilingual students. (SK)

The York-Finnish Project compares how national-policy changes affect implementation in two countries where curriculum reforms are moving in opposite directions. English primary schools were implementing National Curriculum changes while Finnish schools developed decentralized curricula. Teachers in both countries experienced negative…

Norway recently adopted a National Framework Plan for Preschools. In this study, the central questions are: (1) What does a Framework Plan for one to five year olds mean to the preschool teachers and their educational work with children? (2) What are preschool teachers' understandings of the concept of learning in their educational planning and…

Interview participants comprised a purposive, theoretical sample of 10 senior education policy leaders from across Australia. Participants argued that the current bureaucratic organization of schooling would persist in the future because of intensifying pressure for schools to satisfy diverse political priorities; current funding arrangements had…

The present state of Japanese educational reform is a mystery when seen from the outside. Although internationally known as one of the most highly achieving nations on international tests since the end of the 1990s, the Japanese have been engaged in a heated achievement crisis debate over the newest reforms to the national curriculum implemented…

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…

Examines issues related to a national system of public prekindergarten, including challenges confronting educators. Recommends broadening eligibility, encouraging collaboration among early childhood programs, strengthening family support and participation, implementing appropriate curricula and evaluation, and identifying teacher qualifications.…

Compared policies and practices of curriculum change in English and Finnish primary schools. Case studies documented the implementation of reforms at the classroom level and teachers' attitudes toward them. Though England promoted a national curriculum and Finland was moving away from one, teachers in both countries had common responses to change,…

The German dual apprenticeship system has traditionally been viewed as an effective system for generating a highly skilled workforce in the trades, crafts and service sectors. In addition, countries and systems looking to improve their own approaches to vocational education and training (VET) have considered as exemplary the main features of the…

Explores the 1988 Education Reform Act's effects on providing physical education and sports in British schools, and specifically, implementation of the National Curriculum for Physical Education. The ERA and local school management have not only changed interschool and school-government agency relationships, but have fostered potentially damaging…

Suggests that the formation and implementation of the National Curriculum for England and Wales has been a dialectical process involving legislators, administrators, and teachers. Using case studies, discusses some problems with the curriculum and schools' responses that may work against a truly national curriculum. Criticizes reduced local…

Among 63 countries studied, increases in standard of living during 1960-85 were positively related to hours of science education required in elementary school and negatively related to prevocational instructional time. In developed nations, positive national economic effects were also found for instructional time overall and language instruction…