In Canada, both provincial and federal governments embraced educational techno-positivism with enthusiasm. However, a few critics pointed out that most of the enthusiasm for technology in the classroom came from dubious sources, including corporations that were (and still are) in pursuit of the almost unmeasurable revenue stream generated by…

At this moment, in school districts throughout the United States, initiatives are being launched to extend the school day, increase homework, integrate technology, and require more high-stakes testing. The assumption underlying these initiatives is that more and more--more time in school, more homework, more technology, and more high-stakes…

Reviews a publication that surveys recent curriculum developments at the secondary level in Europe. Covers information on the inclusion of new areas of knowledge in school curricula, the creation of interdisciplinary courses, and the promotion of more autonomous work by pupils. (Author/WD)

Governments have just a few policy levers they can pull to improve schooling. In this article, the authors show how British Columbia is making systematic use of one--information--to focus attention on improving student performance. Parents, students, educators, and elected officials all agree that the high-level performance of schools should be…

Youth Vote 2004 encouraged students to text message their questions to party leaders and to use their Nokia handsets to vote. Teachers were presented with a rather pitiful set of suggested classroom activities, all of which (naturally) involved text messaging. A statement from a Nokia representative established both the company's selfless…

The U.S. and the Soviet Union face serious problems in trying to reform their education systems. Both countries need to prepare students for productive participation in the world economy, while also addressing significant internal priorities (minority group needs, educator demands as professionals, and changes in educational technology). Includes…

To gain a better idea of what other countries were doing in foreign language education, the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) collected information about policies and practices in 19 countries in diverse regions of the world. The exploratory study found that successful language programs shared common features that the U.S. could learn from:…