The release of the "Australian curriculum: Mathematics" has generated considerable debate in the education community. Some educators warn that this debate has centred on mathematical content and skills, setting the conditions for a "back to basics" movement in line with the political rhetoric that accompanied the national…

Traditional skills of reading, writing, and arithmetic may not be adequate for preparing students to enter today's highly technological and visual society. The role of the art educator is crucial in developing the visual skills which are increasingly necessary in a world of visual communication. (IS)

By understanding the educational policies of the past, we can avoid the aimless, ephemeral quality of educational programs which are directed to the problems of the moment. The current debate over returning to the basics is blinding us to the need to plan for the future and the computer age. (IS)

For more than one hundred years, the United States has been the scene of academic warfare between traditional and progressive educators. During most of the nation's history, many Americans have assumed that the primary purpose of school is to pass on to children the information and skills necessary to survive in society. This traditional view…

Argues that technology now offers the opportunity for neutralizing the conflicting demands of child-centered, progressive, humanistic education with the back-to-basics demands voiced in recent years. Analyzes why education has had difficulty in responding to the potential of new technology. (JDH)

A review of ecological problems facing human society is presented and the relationship of education to social change is considered. Basic environmental limitations which are discussed include population; basic materials such as food, fuels, and water; and environmental tolerance. Ecological hazards which combine with these limitations to result in…

This series of three brief articles, written by the Nebraska commissioner of education, addresses schools for the future. It proceeds with two assumptions: (1) all students can learn and can learn at much higher levels than they are now doing; and (2) schools should be ready and able to teach all kids. The first article addresses, generally, the…

A geographer responds to three themes found in the U.S. National Commission on Excellence in Education report "A Nation at Risk": (1) the return to basics theme, (2) the science and technology theme, and (3) the social science theme. The report recommends the adoption of "New Basics," which, in four years of high school, would…

Three English courses, based on the idea that subject matter, basic skills, and values are three separate areas that can be taught simultaneously, are described in this paper. The course described in the first section, "Women and Literature," combines interesting thematic material and values clarification with practice in traditional composition…

This report: (1) investigates the declining state of the educational system in America, as measured by high school student performance in the United States and other countries; (2) identifies specific problem areas; and (3) offers multiple recommendations for improvement. The five major recommendations arrived at appear, respectively, under the…

This report: (1) investigates the declining state of the educational system in America, as measured by high school student performance in the United States and other countries; (2) identifies specific problem areas; and (3) offers multiple recommendations for improvement. The five major recommendations arrived at appear, respectively, under the…

The National Commission on Excellence in Education authored a report, "A Nation At Risk," that investigates the declining state of the educational system in America, identifies specific problem areas, and offers multiple recommendations for improvement. This publication is designed to help school administrators use the Commission's…