The authors assessed 2,502 ten-year-old children, members of 1,251 pairs of twins, on a Web-based battery of problems from 5 diverse aspects of mathematics assessed as part of the U.K. national curriculum. This 1st genetic study into the etiology of variation in different domains of mathematics showed that the heritability estimates were moderate…

In 1997 English became a compulsory subject in Korean elementary schools. The education of English teachers for the elementary level was accelerated. The training curriculum was reformed according to the educational objective to enhance students' oral communication skills in English. Coupled to this change, the introduction of English Teacher…

The National Curriculum in Australia is based on outcomes in eight key areas: English, math, social studies, science, technology, languages, arts, and health. In a study of four New South Wales primary schools, teachers linked the benefits of outcome-based education to facilitated assessment and reporting, although it did increase demands in other…

Discusses notions of what actually constitutes reading, relating this to the National Curriculum in England and Wales, and to C. King's children's book from 1963, "Stig of the Dump." Considers the broader implications for the value that society places upon the reading process as part of young children's education. (SR)

Discusses what counts as understanding in primary school science (elementary school science) in the context of the United Kingdom's National Curriculum Order for Science. Considers the problems elementary school teachers face in pressing for understanding and suggests some ways to encourage teachers and enable them to support the construction of…

This article offers an analysis of recent development in primary education, in particular the prevailing climate of performativity and new initiatives on creativity. Since 1989 education has been dominated by the performativity discourse accompanied by the obsession with evidence: of children's learning; of teachers' performance; and of student…

Cultures of performativity in English primary schools refer to systems and relationships of: target-setting; Ofsted inspections; school league tables constructed from pupil test scores; performance management; performance related pay; threshold assessment; and advanced skills teachers. Systems which demand that teachers "perform" and in…

Reviews the history of oracy in the United Kingdom over the past decade, as articulated in significant national curriculum developments. Identifies conflicting models of oracy embedded in these programs, noting erosion of the cross-curricular function of oracy in favor of a centralized oracy, controlled by the teacher and related to literacy. (BT)

Describes the New National Curriculum of Industrial Arts Education that is used in Japan. Discusses the administration and content of the program and how it will continue into the twenty-first century. (JOW)

Discusses what counts as understanding in history at the elementary school (British primary school) level and describes some strategies that have been shown by research to be effective in supporting the construction of historical understanding. Identifies implications for teachers' practices. (SLD)

Against a background of growing concern over whether the National Curriculum for Physical Education (NCPE) in England is being delivered effectively in primary schools, this paper examines philosophically those intrinsic values which lie at the heart of physical education and should be preserved. The distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic…

These materials aim to help teachers make explicit links between teaching in the Literacy Hour and in the rest of the curriculum. The materials map teaching objectives from England's National Literacy Strategy's (NLS) Framework for Teaching to various text types and lists NLS resources which can be used to support teaching and learning. Text types…

England's Department for Education and Skills (DfES) plans to require schools to set targets for students at their school to attain level 5+ in each of English and mathematics in the tests in 2003 and beyond. These targets will be in addition to those already set for achievement at level 4+. There are new national targets for Key Stage 2 in…

Reports on research undertaken as part of 'Keeping School Science in Step with the Changing World of the 21st Century'. Describes the development and evaluation of test and teacher assessment items for evaluating understanding of the National Curriculum (England and Wales) Sc1 component, Ideas and Evidence. (Contains 19 references.) (Author/YDS)

Notes that in England, literature (poetry, narrative, plays) is taught as part of the National Literacy Strategy and a child's knowledge of how it works may be assessed if literary texts are included in the end of Key Stage 2 reading test. Explores some of the dangers which result from viewing the minimum entitlement as the maximum being aimed at…